Chiffonier by Robert Wright, Bond Street, Hull, c.1830
The narrow shelf at the top of this cabinet would probably have been used to display precious pieces of china. The shelf has been made ornamental as well as practical, with decoratively carved wooden supports at either end. Hull was the regional centre for furniture making in the 1800s. Long before 1800 it overtook Beverley and York as a producer of good quality furniture. This was because Hullâs port made it easy for furniture makers to get timber from abroad. Robert Wright was one of many Hull furniture makers in the 1800s. It is difficult to find information about these makers because so few written records survive. Most of what we know comes from local trade directories. Trade directories were the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages. Robert Wright is first mentioned in the 1791 Hull directory, when he was a joiner in Blanket Row. From around 1810 he was a cabinet maker at 20 Bond Street. From 1823-1831 he is listed in local directories at 38-39 Bond Street. This chair was made at one of Robert Wrightâs Bond Street workshops. After 1831 Wright disappears from trade directories, which probably means that he had died. Like most other furniture workshops in the 1800s, Robert Wrightâs workshop was probably a small family business. Small workshops had little capital and couldnât afford to make much furniture for stock. Throughout the 1700s and into the 1800s every piece of furniture was made to order. Later in the 1800s more confident furniture makers made display pieces for their shop windows. Like many small furniture makers at the time, Robert Wright also practised other trades to make a living. Trade directory entries show that he was also an upholsterer and undertaker. Many furniture makers used their carpentry skills to make coffins. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
