Lot Essay
A very similar example of a canopied straw chair is illustrated in
C. Gilbert English Vernacular Furniture 1750-1900, London, 1991, p.145. It resides in The Museum of the History of Science in Oxford and is the earliest securely dated such chair, formerly belonging to the physician Edward Jenner (1749-1823).
The author reports that straw-work furniture appears to have been widely popular in counties bordering the River Severn, perhaps stemming from the fishing industry with its demand for baskets, traps etc. A survey of provenanced lippwork chairs confirms that the tradition persisted longest in South Wales, the Welsh Marches and Gloucestershire (for a fuller discussion see Chapter 10).
The example here would appear to fit the pattern since it was removed from a property in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire where it had been for many years.
C. Gilbert English Vernacular Furniture 1750-1900, London, 1991, p.145. It resides in The Museum of the History of Science in Oxford and is the earliest securely dated such chair, formerly belonging to the physician Edward Jenner (1749-1823).
The author reports that straw-work furniture appears to have been widely popular in counties bordering the River Severn, perhaps stemming from the fishing industry with its demand for baskets, traps etc. A survey of provenanced lippwork chairs confirms that the tradition persisted longest in South Wales, the Welsh Marches and Gloucestershire (for a fuller discussion see Chapter 10).
The example here would appear to fit the pattern since it was removed from a property in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire where it had been for many years.