sewing chair

Edgar Wood A.R.I.B.A. 1860 - 1935

Summary

Sewing chair, light oak, comprising an armchair with a straight high back, sloping wings, box seat with hinged lid, central roundel to back carved with flowers and the words 'Use time wisely / Ennie Chorlton 1894'.

Display Label

Sewing chair Made by Edgar Wood 1894 Light oak with carved inscriptions The Arts and Crafts movement in the late 1800s rejected industrialisation and mass-production. Its aim was to promote the idea of good design whilst raising the status of the craftsman to artist thus giving ordinary household objects the same importance as painting and sculpture. Edgar Wood was born in Middleton, Manchester, the son of a prosperous cotton-mill owner. Wood was strongly influenced by nature, like his peers John Ruskin and William Morris, describing it as, 'the original source of all design'. This chair cleverly combines decoration and function, with its built-in workbox in the seat. Purchased with the assistance of the V & A Museum Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of Manchester City Galleries 1985.416