CHAIR; HANDMADE; WOODEN
1860Four legged wooden chair.
Seat base in semi-circular in shape and the chair back rest made of York Gum, is curved.
The back rest is supported by five upright posts that are pole shaped.
Each chair leg is angled outwards from the base and the top of each leg is visible through the top of the base itself.
Made by William Syred Jnr from Bejoording near Toodyay, for his wife Frances and their first born child. William and Frances went on to have 10 children.
Details
Details
Tim Harris Nov 2013: It is believed this chair was made by William Syred for his home at Bejording around 1865. Some of the Syred family were known for wood working with trades such as carpenter and joiner and sawyer. Few primitive chairs have survived from the colonial period making this one a rare example. Those early settlers who had some wood working skill and basic tools would have made this type of primitive furniture as a make do arrangement until housing and food crops became established allowing time for more improvements and comforts to be added to the home. The uneven surface of the underside of the seat would suggest it was hand hewn with an adze and then the top scraped smooth. Like the primitive Irish stick back type of chairs and some Windsor chairs it is held together without the use of glue but uses tight fitting wedged round tenons morticed into the bored holes through the seat and arm bow.
Principle features: The bow arms are York Gum and the frame is likely to be jarrah.
From Dorothy Erickson’s book, “Inspired by Light and Land – Designers & Makers in Western Australia 1829-1969” published by the Western Australian Museum 2015: Nursing chair made from naturally curved York gum limb fitted to jarrah stays.
