Campaign Oak Zinc Bound Chest of Drawers by Army & Navy C.S.L Makers, 1890

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Description

Very rare solid oak with brass fittings and zinc strapwork, army & navy c.s.l stamped officers campaign chest of drawers. … Read more Very rare solid oak with brass fittings and zinc strapwork, army & navy c.s.l stamped officers campaign chest of drawers. These are exceptionally rare, fully stamped to the top drawer "army & navy c.s.l makers" with the serial number 736, the handles to the sides sit proud which means this piece would have never had an outer casing, it has hand hammered zinc strapwork to protect the edges, the timber is all paneled condition wise we have deep cleaned, hand condition waxed and hand polished it from top to bottom, this piece is what's called and original patina example, it shows every single sign of its age and military use as you would hope to find on a period, service work example dimensions height: 82.5cm width: 102cm depth: 49cm all measurements are taken at the widest points. Army & navy csl the army & navy store co-operative society limited, to give their full title, was set by in 1871 by a group of army and naval officers who had decided they were paying too much for their wine. If they clubbed together to buy wholesale, they could greatly reduce the price. If this could be done for wine, it could be done for most other things and indeed the a&n csl went on to sell just about everything imaginable from food and drink to clothing, furniture, sporting goods, luggage and toys. Membership was restricted to officers, non-commissioned officers and their families. Friends could join by introduction and officials from the civil service and clubs etc. Could also join. Premises were opened at 105 victoria street and the society quickly grew to be a very large concern with depots at important army bases and ports. With a large demand from members in india, a store was opened in bombay in 1891, followed by karachi in 1892 and calcutta in 1901. The society also manufactured or commissioned a number of the items they sold. This is particularly true of the items we are interested in, travel furniture and luggage etc. We also have a theory that the a&n csl workshops may have supplied other retailers such as harrods. Although many of the london campaign furniture makers were producing similar items of furniture, a number of pieces sold by harrods bear a striking similarity to those marked a&n csl. However, the army & navy store tended to label their items whereas this was less of a concern for harrods. Four digit reference numbers are often to be found stamped on pieces sold by both companies. The a&n csl used a variety of different labels and stamps throughout their history but more often than not the wording 'army & navy c.s.l. Makers' was used. Some labels also show addresses. Brass and ivorine labels are known as well as applied leather labels on luggage and both impressed and ink stamps. The speed and size of the society's growth was remarkable but still they managed to keep an eye on quality and customer service. Their name changed in 1934 from the army & navy co-operative society ltd to the army & navy stores ltd. They were eventually taken over by the house of frazer in 1981. Condition please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the around condition please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of cracking creasing and wear, we recommend regular waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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