BY GILLOWS OF LANCASTER, CIRCA 1900

The renowned Gillows furniture-making firm is unusual among British 18th-century makers since some of their output was impressed with the firm’s name. According to Susan Stuart's article, 'A Survey of Marks, Labels, and Stamps used on Gillow and Waring & Gillow Furniture, 1770 - 1960,' the practice of impressing the stamp ‘GILLOWS . LANCASTER’ on furniture, as on these chairs, began around 1790. The two words, separated by a dot, were placed on one block instead of two (as was the case with previous stamps used by the firm). The new design was clearly successful, evidenced by its continued use well into the 19th century.
In 1897 a complex merger took place at the Gillows firm: the London-based art furnishing company Collinson and Lock (established in 1870); carpet dealers T. J. Bonter; S. J. Waring junior and associated London-based businessmen including Gordon Selfridge and John Musker, joined their firms with Gillow. They continued, however, to source designs from Gillows earlier sketch books throughout their existence (see: S. Stuart, 'A Survey of Marks, Labels, and Stamps used on Gillow and Waring & Gillow furniture 1770 - 1960,' Regional Furniture, 1998, vol. XII, pp. 59-93).
A similar set of twenty-four chairs were supplied by W & E Snell of 27 Albemarle Street for the dining room at Merevale Hall, Warwickshire, in 1844 (see: M. Giroud, The Victorian Country House, New Haven and London, 1979, p. 127).