Casgliadau Arlein

Child's high chair, dated 1889, with upholstered seat and arm rests. Fabric has a woollen pile. Seat (upper face): woven in a floral design but is off-centre and not symmetrical. Has a cotton and silk braid around the edge. Seat (underside): brown and cream linen ticking covering underside of seat with four ties to hold the padding in place. The underside is also supported by two stips of webbing. Arm rests: upholstered in the same fabric as the seat attached with tacks through to the wood

This high chair was made by a father, David Nicol, for his son, Bruce Nicol, born 13.2.1888. The child’s name is carved in the foot rest with the year 1889, and a guardian angel is carved within the back rest. As child mortality was so common during this period, the angel represents the typical concerns a father would have had about his child’s future. David Nicol senior was son of a general practitioner in Swansea. In the 1881 census David Nicol is listed as a ‘general merchant’ living with his widowed mother in Sketty. He subsequently married and became owner of the Birchgrove Colliery near Swansea until 1916. In 1891 the family were living in Uplands Cresent, when Bruce was 3 years old and possibly still using this chair. The following year, the family moved to Broadhurst Gardens, London. Bruce Nicol followed his career as a Captain in the Roayl Navy and died in 1973.