An armchair made for the Investiture of the Prince of Wales.
Identifier
FPF491
Title
An armchair made for the Investiture of the Prince of Wales.
Date
1969
Description
An armchair made for the Investiture of the Prince of Wales, designed by Lord Snowdon.
Full Description
This chair was one of 4,400 made for use at the Investiture of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969. It was designed by Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon (1930-2017). The legs and arms are beech, while the back and seat are ash-veneered plywood. The chair is stained vermillion red, and the back is embossed with the Prince of Wales’s feathers in gold leaf. The seat is upholstered in red Welsh tweed using dye especially formulated to ensure it would not run in case of rain. After the ceremony the chairs were offered for sale, first to guests at the Investiture and then to others, flat-packed for £12 each and the money raised was used to offset the costs of the ceremony. This example is in good original condition and retains its original cushion, although the latex foam filling has degraded.
Lord Snowdon, a Welshman, designer and photographer and husband to Princess Margaret, was invited by the Queen to oversee the design of the investiture ceremony. He was assisted by the stage designer, Carl Toms and John Pound, a designer from the Ministry of Works. The chairs were made by Remploy in Bridgend, South Wales, established in 1944 under the terms of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act to employ disabled people in specialised factories. The Bridgend factory was the first of these to open, in 1946, and over the following decades a network of 83 factories was established across the UK, making a wide variety of products.
Lord Snowdon, a Welshman, designer and photographer and husband to Princess Margaret, was invited by the Queen to oversee the design of the investiture ceremony. He was assisted by the stage designer, Carl Toms and John Pound, a designer from the Ministry of Works. The chairs were made by Remploy in Bridgend, South Wales, established in 1944 under the terms of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act to employ disabled people in specialised factories. The Bridgend factory was the first of these to open, in 1946, and over the following decades a network of 83 factories was established across the UK, making a wide variety of products.
Condition
Good original condition
Original upholstery, the latex filling is degraded.
Original upholstery, the latex filling is degraded.
Materials
Beech.
Ash veneered plywood.
Upholstery.
Ash veneered plywood.
Upholstery.
Physical Dimensions
H. 79
W. 55
D. 51
W. 55
D. 51
Marks
The underside of the seat bears the Prince of Wales feathers stamp and date, 1969. Underneath the upholstery (inaccessible) there should be a handwritten number.
Provenance
Acquired by the Frederick Parker Foundation c.2010.
Notes
For further details see:
The Prince of Wales Investiture chair | Museum Wales
The Prince of Wales Investiture chair | Museum Wales
