707. The Chairs in The Vale

On 6 June 1894, Charles Ricketts wrote a post card to the Belgian artist Théo van Rysselberghe, who had come to visit The Vale on his trip to London - see blog 181: Théo van Rysselberghe meets Ricketts and Shannon. 

The Vale was not a richly furnished place. Paul Delaney in his 1990 biography stated that there was 'scrubbed wood furniture' and Stephen Calloway (The Journal of The Decorative Arts Society 1890-1940, No. 8, 1984) wrote about the unpretentious parlour that contained 'a pair of simple wooden cottage armchairs of a type costing about five or ten shillings only'.

A chair in the Vale, c.1889

In his 1894 letter, Ricketts wrote that the chairs were 'ordinary high-backed kitchen chairs but unvarnished', the cost being  '6 shillings'. Ricketts and Shannon bought them 'at a little shop at the entrance to The Vale itself [.] The name of the man is Brown'.

By consulting the address book, we can determine who this Brown person could be. The Post Office London Directory for 1895… [Part 2: Street Directory]. London: Kelly & Co. Limited, [1894], p. 464) lists the inhabitants of The Vale Press as part of the listing for King's Road (North Side).

The Post Office London Directory for 1895… [1894], p. 464

Adjacent to the entrance to the small Vale territory are listed two dealers with the name Brown, possibly wife and husband:

Mrs Elizabeth Brown, furniture dealer at 326 King’s Road,
and
Percy Ernst Brown, mail cart manufacturer at number 328

It seems highly likely is that the 'man' P. E. Brown made the chairs which were sold to Ricketts and Shannon by Elizabeth Brown. They could easily carry them home.