One short, brown, wooden stool decorated with burnt wood craft designs and imagery. The seat of the stool is hexagon-shaped and etched with floral designs and line patterns in the background with a circle in the centre. The rim of the seat is decorated with a repeating diamond pattern. Underneath the rim, joining to the base of the stool is curved and decorated with a repeating hexagonal pattern. The main body of the stool has six sides and feet. The sides alternate between a burnt wood etching of a woman's profile with an updo and a flower (rose?). In the background of these etchings is similar line patterns used on the seat of the stool. Underneath the stool the word "MOTHER" is etched in the surface beneath the seat. The seat is attached to the base/feet with four screwws.
Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Isabelle "Bella" Maude Edey
Role
Artist
Date made
circa 1905
Notes
Unsure if Isabelle Edey also constructed the stool, or just decorated it.
Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Engraving
Location
Underneath of stool seat.
Transcription
"MOTHER"
Language
English
Material/Technique
Etched
Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Stool
Nomenclature Sub-Class
Seating Furniture
Nomenclature Class
Furniture
Nomenclature Category
Category 02: Furnishings
Dimensions
Height
38 cm
Width
28 cm
Circumference
79 cm
Material
Wood
Research Notes
Notes
Made by Isabelle Edey in c.1905 (daughter of Moses Chamberlain Edey, and grandmother of donor) who lived in Ottawa all her life (1882-1960). She made the stool for her mother, Mary Whillans (wife of Moses Chamberlain Edey) and engraved it with “mother” on the underside. The art of burnt wood crafts is known as pyrography and is one of the oldest human art forms but had a resurgence in the nineteenth century and Victorian era with the invention of pyrography machines. Housewives and young adults in North America were encouraged to engage in the craft to keep them busy and to create projects that would beatify their homes.