| |  | | Inside the chaise longue all sorts of garments, some dating back to 1840, had been used as stuffing |
| |  | | Clothing is wrapped around the framework |
| |  | | Cotton bonnet dating from late 19th century |
| |  | | Left: Home made collar and tie Right: The collar is stamped with a trade mark |
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The mystery of the chaise longue
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Carol Circuit is interested in furniture restoration. When she found an old chaise longue in the back room of her hairdresser's shop it proved to be a treasure trove of social history, taking her on a 100 year journey.
As she took the chaise longue apart she found that it had been carefully and lovingly stuffed with garments, parts of garments and pieces of fabric. Labels inside the chaise longue identified the person who had done this as a Miss Smith, but with horsehair so cheap, why had she used clothes? Maybe it was a way of gathering her memories together and storing them?Carol couldn't leave it there - she had to find out more...
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Concealed Garments Project |
