Mahogany folding carrying chair with cane seat and vase shaped splat in the back, with iron and brass fittings, and one modern carrying bar.

Mahogany folding carrying chair with cane seat and vase shaped splat in the back, with iron and brass fittings and one modern carrying bar.

The chair has square section legs raised on large brass castors. The stretchers are rectangular in section and slightly rounded on the top. Those at the side are connected to the seat rails by a pair of double central vertical rails, so that the sides can fold inwards as a double panel, hinged on the inside of the legs and between the vertical rails. The inner face of the stretchers are reinforced with an additional shaped block to allow for the attachment of these hinges.

The plain seat rails enclose a separate caned seat with mahogany frame, which is hinged to the front seat rail of the chair and folds out to drop forward against the front of the chair when the chair is folded. The front and sides of the seat are supported by a shallow rebate, while on the back rail it rests only on a small, central, floating tenon. The underside of the seat is cut with a deep semi-circular channel, which the caning is worked into. The visible top edge of the seat is worked with a single scratched molding on the sides and front.

The back is rectangular with a shallow arched top. The uprights are not continuous with the back leg but are set to the inside of them using a folding shaped bracket, starting just above the stretcher and attached to the inside of the back leg with screws. These uprights are cut, above the seat rail, with a rake, and the upper part of the back upright hinges about 6.5 cm above the seat rail to allow the back to drop behind the chair. The splat is carved in the lower part with a gadroon and the upper part, which opens out into a balloon shape, is fluted. This splat is set between the top rail and a standard shoe but is hinged at the top of the shoe to allow it to fall with the back. The shoe has been made quite tall to accommodate this mechanism.

The arms are shaped in a shallow S shape in plan, but otherwise undecorated. They are hinged to brass plates fitted on the outside of the back uprights. This mechanism allows them both to open sideways and to move up and down. At the front of each arm a brass plate is screwed to the underside, carrying a short vertical brass arm, chamfered on the edges. Each of these is hinged to a longer ‘S’ shaped arm support. Originally, these fitted loosely into brass staples, fixed onto a brass plate hinged to the outside of the side seat rails. This brass plate is hinged vertically in the center and has a second set of staples attached to its front edge. When the hinge section is open it allows a second position for the back of the chair that is quite heavily raked.

Arched Iron fittings for carrying handles are screwed to the outside of the back uprights and outside of the back legs, so that their handle sit above the back legs when in use. On the front legs the staples can be pushed up to accommodate the carrying handle or pushed down to allow the legs to fold forwards. The hoops are attached to metal plates, which are screwed to the legs. There is one modern carrying arm of softwood, painted black with shaped handles, probably made for exhibition and 120cm in length.

Construction: The chair is constructed in standard fashion with mortise and tenon joints, but with the additional hinging and metalwork mentioned above. When the seat back is folded down against the back legs, two small tenons are visible on the lower section of the uprights. These locate with mortises cut on the underside of the upper back uprights. The base of the splat is rebated so that the front fits into a recess on the shoe but the back has sufficient thickness to carry the hinges, which allow it to fold.

Given by Mr and Mrs H. R. Marshall

In the late 18th century, folding furniture was generally made for travelling, particularly to British colonial countries or on military campaigns. This folding chair was made as a carrying chair, either for the use of an invalid or in travelling. The seat lifts up and the sides of the chair then fold down in a concertina action. The back folds down behind. It has metal fittings at the side to receive poles for carrying by two people, one in front and one behind.

W.3:1, 2-1950