Carved and inlaid walnut with Worcester porcelain plaque of the Prince Consort and modern red velvet seat cover; made by Henry Eyles of Bath for the Great Exhibition, English 1851

Armchair of carved and inlaid walnut, the back mounted with a Worcester Porcelain plaque portrait of Prince Albert, the arms and seat padded and covered with a pink cotton velvet

Given by Mr L. M. Eyles, in memory of his brother, William Sidney Eyles

This armchair was designed and manufactured by the firm of Henry Eyles, 31 Broad Street, Bath, with a porcelain plaque by Chamberlain & Co.,Worcester, for display at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Eyles showed this armchair, the chair, W.31-1953, and the table, W.40-1952, in Class XXVI, Decoration Furniture and Upholstery, including Paper-hangings, Papier Maché, and Japanned Goods, no. 50. The Official Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue, page 733, described the armchair as "English walnut tree easy chair, with porcelain panel in the back, round which is carved the rose, shamrock, and the thistle, surmounted by a lion, and ornamented with marquetrie. The seat of crimson satin, embroidered with the royal arms."

The design was registered at the Public Record Office, BT 43/57 Class D 43849.

The armchair, chair and table were lent by the grandchildren of Henry Eyles, represented by Charles H. Eyles, to the exhibition, The Great Exhibition of 1851, held at the Museum, 3rd May -11th October, 1951(Museum Archive, C.H. Eyles, MA/1/E985). The armchair, and chair W.31-1953, belonged to William Sidney Eyles and after his death were given to the Museum in 1953 in his name by his sisters, the Misses L.M. and H.F. Eyles. As the armchair frame was affected by woodworm, Miss L.M. Eyles agreed that the porcelain plaque could be removed and acquired separately (C.9-1954) and the Museum given discretion to dispose of the armchair as it wished. In 1958 Elizabeth Aslin, the nineteenth-century furniture curator in the Department of Circulation, identified the armchair, then in the West Hall (Room 48), and suggested that the plaque be reunited with the armchair which was acquired by Circulation.

Correspondence in the acquisition file indicate that the original embroidered seat cover from the armchair survived and remained in the possession of the Misses Eyles in 1951. Although the Museum expressed interest in this cover there is no evidence to suggest whether it ever actually came in with the armchair for the exhibition in 1951 or subsequently.

Elizabeth Aslin, in her book Nineteenth Century English Furniture, 1962, pl. 40, illustrated the armchair with a patterned cover, woven not embroidered, which might have been the cover described as worn and worm eaten, when the chair was acquired in 1958. Investigation of the armchair in 2001 in preparation for the opening of the British Galleries revealed fragments of an earlier red silk top cover, possibly that described in 1851, under the modern cotton velvet, and original under upholstery, with springs and webbing.

Henry Eyles, listed as a cabinet maker and upholsterer at 31 Broad Street in the Bath Annual Directory (1852), may have part of a family involved in furniture making in the city. Also listed as a cabinet maker and upholsterer in 1852 was Thomas Eyles, 28 Brock Street, who may have been one of those included in the Bath Directory (1846). This lists Thomas Eyles, cabinet maker, 25, James Street; Thomas Eyles, chair maker, 2,Trinity Street, Kingsmead Square; Thomas Eyles Junior, chair, sofa, and loo-table manufactory, 13, James Street. The Post Office Directory for Bath, 1864-5, lists Henry Eyles, cabinet maker and upholsterer, 7, Margaret's Buildings, and George Eyles, chair maker and carver, 5, Chandos Buildings.

Object Type
This large easy chair was designed to contrast with the light, feminine chair. The conventional form, with a low, wide seat and padded arms, is typical of chairs intended for masculine use in the 1840s and 1850s. The comfortable seat retains the original springs, arranged so that there is a close fit between padded seat and chair frame.

People
Henry Eyles, who designed and made this chair, was an upholsterer in Bath with premises at 31 Broad Street, in 1851 and subsequently at 7 Margaret's Buildings. He may have been connected with T.G. Eyles, a cabinetmaker, of 13 James Street, and George Eyles, a carver, of 4 Chandos Buildings. Both were listed in Bath street directories in 1860.

Historical Association
The porcelain plaque depicting the Prince Consort on the back of this chair is a reminder of his important role in the planning of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Carved emblems such as the lion, rose, shamrock and thistle on the back of the chair emphasise the nationalistic spirit of many of the British displays in the Exhibition. Henry Eyles displayed the chair with other examples of his work in Class XXVI (Furniture).

CIRC.35:1-1958