s Chairs by G.L. Feetam, Trinity House Lane, Hull, 1860-1880 - Hull Museums Collections

Chairs by G.L. Feetam, Trinity House Lane, Hull, 1860-1880

We know this chair was made in Hull because ‘From G L Feetam Hull’ is stencilled inside the seat frame. This mark was added by the maker to identify his products. Makers’ marks allow us to find Hull furniture today. This is one of a set of four matching chairs in Hull Museums’ collection. The chairs are made of mahogany, a rich, dark hardwood. Mahogany for furniture making arrived at Hull’s port from South and Central America. This chair was made by George Leonard Feetam. George was probably the son of Thomas Feetam, also a furniture maker. Thomas Feetam had a workshop in Mytongate, Hull, from around 1823 to 1842. By 1858 he was based at 5 Trinity House Lane. In 1861 George took over his father’s workshop. G.L. Feetam is listed in the 1861 Hull trade directory, the old-fashioned equivalent of the Yellow Pages. The directory describes him as a cabinet maker, upholsterer, undertaker and plate glass maker. It was common for small furniture makers to practise other trades to support themselves. Many furniture makers used their carpentry skills to make coffins. Hull was an important regional centre for furniture making in the 1700s and 1800s because of its timber port. Wood imports from northern Europe and the Baltic had been part of Hull’s commerce for centuries. The availability of timber in Hull encouraged furniture makers to settle there in the 1700s. This in turn changed Hull’s timber trade. From the early 1720s mahogany for furniture making had been shipped to London from Jamaica, Cuba and Honduras. It was difficult to buy mahogany in Hull, with most consignments coming north from London via the coastal trade. From the 1770s increasing demand for mahogany from local cabinet makers encouraged Hull merchants to import it directly. These merchants traded mahogany throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and parts of Derbyshire. Trade was carried out via the network of waterways flowing into the Humber. Purchased by Hull Museums with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.