Permanent Collection Objects

Juneau—Douglas City Museum

2004.39.004

2004.39

Donated by the Kenway/Donaldson Family.

Chair

Upholstered Victorian—era parlor chair on casters

Upholstered Victorian parlor—style chair. Back and seat are upholstered with a gray—green fabric, tacked around the perimeters with decorative tacks. Top of the back is crowned with a carved wooden scroll with foliage and floral designs in the corners. Arms come down at a diagonal slant from the top of the back and curve into the front legs. Floral/foliage arm support under the center of the arm. Legs have small casters on the bottom of each foot, wheel is made of wood. Probably mahogany

This is part of a four—piece set. There is another chair with rockers at the Museum (.003) and then two pieces still in storage in Juneau, in the possession of the Kenway—Donaldson Family but not yet donated. Virginia Kenway wants the set to stay together, and wants to donate the other two pieces (may be another chair and a settee?) to the Museum soon. Curator Ellen Carrlee spoke to Steve Henrikson, curator at the ALASKA STATE MUSEUM, who said there is very little in the way of Gold Rush ear Victorian furniture in any collections in southeast Alaska, and this is historically valuable material even though it is in poor condition. He recommended keeping it. Former JDCM curator/director Mary Pat Wyatt advised the same when she brought these two chairs to the museum. She felt it would be our best opportunity to get furniture from this period that had a provenance. There is a chair arm, several wooden bits, and four casters at the Museum in the fragment file.

Snow, Crystal; Jenne, Charles; Donaldson, Virginia; Kenway, David

furniture
home life