Old silky chair

[Taffy]

This question would interest furniture restorers (maybe).
I have been given an old dining chair that a friend did not wish to take to her new place.
It is made of Silky oak, I believe it was made around the 1930's, it is one of those things that has been used for a step up when painting with blobs and smudges all over it. Anyway I have taken it apart and on the back of the seat is a stamp. "A.2 European labour only". can any body tell me what this means? was it made in Oz during the war or imported?
I have had to make a few parts that were broken to match the original, but I think it is restorable, good practice anyway.

Thanks guys

Taffy

[beejay1]

Australia had some POW camps for WW11 prisoners. This was at the end of the Thirties. Maybe some of the European detainees were put to this sort of work and the A.2 something to do with the Geneva Convention?
Just a thought not a fact.
beejay1

http://community.webshots.com/user/eunos9

[ubeaut]

It's a left over from the White Australian policy. Made in Australia using Australian labour not Asian (and for some time) or any other foreigners.

Back then Australians were known as European (go figure).

Leastwise - thats roughly the story as told to me many moons ago.

Cheers - Neil

[Zed]

Neil is right! In an old issue of the AWR there is an article that pays homage to Chinese craftwork and labour for furniture making, the article describes in detail (along with photos) the position of the chinese labourers, some of their techniques and tools etc....

essentially stickering furniture with ethnicity of the manufacturer was a stipulated requirement, it was used as a protective measure to ensure that the public would be aware of who manufactured the purchased item. Ie to protect the consumer from the rabid cheap yellow peril and to protect good white folks jobs! Never mind that these poor chinese immigrants were paid a pitance and produced some outstanding furniture that was far superior to white folks work. they have some stickers in the article too showing the branding tags I think.... (?)

your chair may in fact predate the 1930's by a large margin...

[vsquizz]

To continue on from Zed's post; the article stated that marking of the furniture didn't seem to slow down your average punter as "Aussies" went out and bought the chinese migrant furniture in equal amounts to the "european labour" only furniture.

Cheers

[Taffy]

Thanks guys, as it happens the lady that gave me the chair is visiting before she goes south tomorrow so I was able to show her your responses.

Much appreciated

Taffy

[journeyman Mick]

Taffy,
I've got a silky oak sideboard that I restored, has machine cut dovetails and is also stamped with european labour only". I talked to an antiques dealer who said this was a late 40's to 50's thing.

Mick

[JB]

I talked to an antiques dealer who said this was a late 40's to 50's thing.

Mick

Interesting. Thought those stamps finished in early 1900s. Any chance of a 2nd opinion?

[Taffy]

This question would interest furniture restorers (maybe).
I have been given an old dining chair that a friend did not wish to take to her new place.
It is made of Silky oak, I believe it was made around the 1930's, it is one of those things that has been used for a step up when painting with blobs and smudges all over it. Anyway I have taken it apart and on the back of the seat is a stamp. "A.2 European labour only". can any body tell me what this means? was it made in Oz during the war or imported?
I have had to make a few parts that were broken to match the original, but I think it is restorable, good practice anyway.

Thanks guys

Taffy

Hi guys, I have restored the chair, this was my first attempt at restoration of furniture. pics are attached (I think). there is still some paint marks in the fibres of the seat that would not come out without destroying the timber.
All joints re-dowelled/glued as required and a couple of bits remade from some very old 1/4 sawn silky that I had laying around.

Constructive criticism welcomed.

Taffy

[ozwinner]

Interesting. Thought those stamps finished in early 1900s. Any chance of a 2nd opinion?

What they said.

Al

[journeyman Mick]

What they said.

Al

Al,
what who said? 40's-50's or 1900's?

Mick

[Robert WA]

In 1896, 4 years before the Federation of the States to form the Commonwealth, Victoria passed a law that required furniture manufacturers to label their product as to whether it was made by Europeans (whites) or Asian and/or Islanders. I don't know if that happened in other States but guess that NSW and, maybe, SA may have done something similar.

If that is the origin of your label, then you have a chair that is over 100 years old.

The water is muddied somewhat, as there was a lot of anti- Chinese/asian/islander feeling early in the 20th century and particularly at the time of the "Great Depression". The label may date from then and represent the protest against white jobs being lost to "them".

To indicate the depth of feeling, even in the 1950s the leader of the Labor Party, speaking publicly about "white Australia" said "Two Wongs don't make a white."

[q9]

How interesting...the silky drawers that I fixed up nearly a year ago also had a similar stamp on it...

[jo_sepi]

Taffy,

Can't help with your question but you have done a top job restoring the chair mate, it's a buggerof a job trying to match the finish at the best of times.
Joe.

[ozwinner]

Al,
what who said? 40's-50's or 1900's?

Mick

Mick Ive seen it on a range of items, ranging in age from the early 1900's to about 1940'ish.

So a cigar to you all.

Al