A rare, circa 1845 knock-down campaign armchair by Johnstone & Jeanes of London, among the most inventive cabinetmaking firms of the 19th century, celebrated for their mechanical ingenuity and exhibitors at the Great Exhibition of 1851. This documented example was illustrated by Nicholas A. Brawer in The Magazine Antiques (2000) and again in his definitive British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas, 1740–1914 (2001), and exhibited at the Katonah Museum of Art’s Britain’s Portable Empire in 2001.
The chair is constructed in mahogany and retains its original caned seat and back and Moroccan leather arm pads. The square legs terminate in brass caps fitted with the original casters. The seat rail bears the maker's stamp: "JOHNSTONE & JEANES / 67 NEW BOND ST / LONDON / 6572."
By depressing small brass tabs behind either arm support, the upper arm releases and rotates back while the support swings forward to hang at the knee. Hinges along the seat's back edge allow it to lift, and hinges at each leg joint let the whole base fold inward in a concertina action.
38.625"H × 22.5"W × 19.625"D · Seat height 17.375"
Literature: Nicholas A. Brawer, "Victorian Campaign Furniture," The Magazine Antiques, September 2000, p. 352, illustrated; Nicholas A. Brawer, British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas, 1740–1914, 2001, pp. 96–97, illustrated in color.
Exhibited: Britain's Portable Empire: Campaign Furniture of the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian Periods, Katonah Museum of Art, July 8–September 30, 2001.
Condition: The leather, mahogany, and hardware are all original and untouched. Some scarring consistent with age and use of the mechanical arms. Light, scattered loss to the caned back; the caned seat remains entirely intact.
A rare, circa 1845 knock-down campaign armchair by Johnstone & Jeanes of London, among the most inventive cabinetmaking firms of the 19th century, celebrated for their mechanical ingenuity and exhibitors at the Great Exhibition of 1851. This documented example was illustrated by Nicholas A. Brawer in The Magazine Antiques (2000) and again in his definitive British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas, 1740–1914 (2001), and exhibited at the Katonah Museum of Art’s Britain’s Portable Empire in 2001.
The chair is constructed in mahogany and retains its original caned seat and back and Moroccan leather arm pads. The square legs terminate in brass caps fitted with the original casters. The seat rail bears the maker's stamp: "JOHNSTONE & JEANES / 67 NEW BOND ST / LONDON / 6572."
By depressing small brass tabs behind either arm support, the upper arm releases and rotates back while the support swings forward to hang at the knee. Hinges along the seat's back edge allow it to lift, and hinges at each leg joint let the whole base fold inward in a concertina action.
38.625"H × 22.5"W × 19.625"D · Seat height 17.375"
Literature: Nicholas A. Brawer, "Victorian Campaign Furniture," The Magazine Antiques, September 2000, p. 352, illustrated; Nicholas A. Brawer, British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas, 1740–1914, 2001, pp. 96–97, illustrated in color.
Exhibited: Britain's Portable Empire: Campaign Furniture of the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian Periods, Katonah Museum of Art, July 8–September 30, 2001.
Condition: The leather, mahogany, and hardware are all original and untouched. Some scarring consistent with age and use of the mechanical arms. Light, scattered loss to the caned back; the caned seat remains entirely intact.
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