Ben Chifley's chair

Chair used by Prime Minister Ben Chifley at Hotel Kurrajong, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

A brown leather armchair with rolled arms, deep cushioned seat, back studding and short wooden legs. The padded rolled arms feature piping around the top front edge and brass tacking on the front ends. The seat is padded with horsehair and fits snugly into the frame of the chair. The inner back has a padding of horsehair covered with hessian and flock padding (possibly cotton waste). The hessian has been sewn down tightly to produce a scroll shape at the sides.

The back of the chair is covered with a rectangle of leather attached to the frame with tacks. The bottom edge of the chair has a thin strip of leather and brass tacks around it. The feet of the chair are wooden blocks. The front two feet have right-angle sections carved out at each corner. The back feet are plain.

The chair has large tears in the seat. It also has holes in the seat and the left-hand arm, some of which may be cigarette burns. The leather has come away from the left-hand side of the back and the exposed hessian is wearing thin. The right-hand back foot has lost the back side of the wood exposing the nails attaching the foot to the chair. There are darkened patches on the inner back and sides of the chair.