Astronomer's chair, 1873 (mahogany)

The shaped back with a pierced top rail, extending to a low scroll seat on sycamore X-frame supports, bearing an oval plate 'W.Callaghan, 28a New Bond S, Registered London January 15th 1873', the underside of the seat stamped 'JF' Wm Callaghan is listed as an optician in London directories between 1866 and 1892.Several of these chairs are known to exist and it seems to be accepted that they are probably for use with a telescope,although a similar chair illustrated in Architectural Review Decoration Supplement, July 1937 from the Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition Depicting British Country Life....is described as a cherry sorter's chair.