Armchair by Chinese cabinet-maker

The discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 brought several waves of immigration to Australian in the second half of the nineteenth century. Many came to Victoria from across the globe in the pursuit of gold, including around 42,000 Chinese migrants in the 1850s. Many settled permanently in Australia establishing a range of entrepreneurial businesses. The gold rush brought great economic prosperity to the colony of Victoria and the furniture trade flourished including that of Chinese cabinet-makers. Even so, many Chinese immigrants felt hostility from those in the furniture trade of European ancestry who accused them of plagiarism and for producing their work cheaply and therefore taking trade away from them.

This rare and intriguing armchair dates to the 1870s and is made of Australian timbers red cedar and blackwood. Its form is square, box-frame with squared arms and back, a style popular in China from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. The chair features distinctive Chinese design style including scrolls, bone inlay and carved motifs. It was probably made in Victoria by Chinese immigrants who had originally came to the colony in search of gold later working as cabinet-makers. It was originally part of a set including two cupboards in the same style.

Australian Curriculum Connections - Year 5

The reasons people migrated to Australia and the experiences and contributions of a particular migrant group within a colony(ACHASSK109)

The role that a significant individual or group played in shaping a colony (ACHASSK110)

Australian Curriculum Connections - Year 6

Stories of groups of people who migrated to Australia since Federation (including from ONE country of the Asia region) and reasons they migrated (ACHASSK136)