Thread: Brunswick Furniture: European Labour Only - ?

Zen this was touched upon in the discussion on Chinese furniture not long ago:

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...uropean+labour

Stamps like this were common on furniture made in Australia in the 1st half of last century, when there were a number of Chinese furniture makers in Australia who were seen as competition to 'European Australian' makers.
Check out old issues of Australian Wood review for an article about this.

From memory, the publisher of AWR, Rafi Nathan's family had a furniture factory in that area. May be wrong there, but I think that's the case.

You might also want to read this article:

http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/windows...eseworkers.asp

I have a pedestal made by Peters & Gibson of Carlton VIC with the words
europeon labour only. It was a wedding present to my parents in 1933.
It has a square base and top with a turned column about 140mm dia, all of solid blackwood
regards Nine Fingers .

Originally Posted by Big Shed

You might also want to read this article:

http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/windows...eseworkers.asp

Great article BS.

I think all the disrespect for the Chinese came from the Goldfields as the Chinese were better workers and produced more gold than the white fella.

It is unfortunate that they worked as slaves for the people who sponsored them out here.

Just as well that we have out grown our racisms, if only.

Al

Originally Posted by nine fingers

I have a pedestal made by Peters & Gibson of Carlton VIC with the words
europeon labour only. It was a wedding present to my parents in 1933.
It has a square base and top with a turned column about 140mm dia, all of solid blackwood
regards Nine Fingers .

The stamping continued until the 1950's.

Al

Cool...a genuine example of Australian racist history. Maybe I'll use this piece of plywood in a special box.

Anyone know where Brunswick Furniture Pty, Ltd. was or is situated?

The wardrobe in question wasn't a high-end piece: plywood nailed to a frame held together by those corrugated fasteners and hide glue. The design was quite awkward as a wardrobe, but it did have a nice piece of marquetry on the central front panel though.

From the little of printing still visible it like Glenlyon Rd, East Brunswick. For those unfamiliar with Melb suburbs Brunswick is an inner northern suburb along Sydney Rd. Glenlyon Rd runs eastward from Sydney Rd to Lygon St
Hope that helps

Originally Posted by zenwood

Cool...a genuine example of racist Australian history. Maybe I'll use this piece of plywood in a special box.

That sounds like a great idea Zen, perhaps inside the lid?

Originally Posted by zenwood

The design was quite awkward as a wardrobe, but it did have a nice piece of marquetry on the central front panel though.

...........and then you can use this in the top of lid.

Brunswick is an inner suburb of Melbourne, or it is now anyway, back in the 1950's it would have been just within the outer suburbs, but back in the 1880 when the gold petered out it would have been wayyyy out in the sticks.

Al

I worked in Brunswick from 1957 to 1960 and it was a well settled suburb then. One of the main industries then was brick making and trucks were continually up and down Sydney Rd carting clay from the clay pits just north of Fawkner which was definitely an outer suburb.
Big Shed, the large holes behind and around A&R Demolitions (your favourite haunt) are all old clay pits from the 1950's

My old office was fitted with period furniture, most of it from the Brunswick Furniture Co and stamped with that stamp.

Attached are a few samples:

All the parks and gardens in the "older" suburbs of Melbourne are refilled clay pits, they filled them with the days garbage, so the parks and gardens have become a time capsule with all manner of old and interesting stuff..

Let me at it......

Al