The RAF Museum commissioned a group of furniture for the recreated office of aviation pioneer Claude Grahame-White. A black-and-white photograph of the room in 1915 provided the principal reference for the forms, scale and arrangement of the pieces.
Working From a Historic Photograph
The surviving image showed the character of the complete office rather than supplying measured drawings. Individual pieces therefore had to be interpreted in relation to one another and to the room: the desk, chairs, table, storage and smaller objects all contribute to the credibility of the setting.
The completed furniture was aged and hand polished so that it would sit naturally within the museum display.
A Consistent Group of Furniture
The court cupboard uses turned supports, panelled doors and carved detail to create a substantial piece at the edge of the room, giving the office the weight of furniture that has been in use for years.
Chair, Table and Smaller Pieces
Smaller items, including the chair, table and wastepaper basket, were made with the same attention to silhouette and finish as the larger furniture.
Seen together, the pieces restore the layered, working appearance recorded in the original photograph. Our period furniture page describes how individual pieces are developed.