Nursing chair
Category
Childcare objects
Date
circa 1880 - circa 1900
Materials
Wood
Measurements
375 mm (width); 700 mm (height); 580 mm (depth)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 662931
Summary
A child's size (or unusual portable nursing chair or campaign chair), late 19th century folding 'ebonsied' and wooden chair with a webbed cane seat and gilt finish. It has a low seat and a high back and appeared to be unused. The chair is reminicent of a William Morris 'Sussex' chair' with its 'ebonised' (black lacker to mimic ebony) and thin horizonal back rails. The chair is also decored with gilt. Each side of the seat and each convex curved back leg are fashioned from a single piece of wood. Each back upright and concave curved front leg is also fashioned from a single piece of wood. The top part of the chair uprights and the four curved horizontal back rails are all turned. The chair folds flat on two metal screws, one in each pair of legs. Campaign furniture - Any furniture specifically made to break down or fold for ease of travel can be described as campaign furniture. It was designed to be packed up and carried on the march and used by traveling armies since Roman times. British officers of high social position in the Georgian and Victorian periods (1714–1901) often carried high-quality portable furniture. The chair resembles examples of this type. Nursing chair - This chair also resembles a portable nursing chairs of this period, although it is quite fragile and possibly not rosbust enough for its purpose.