Wacher (or Wacker), John, London, cm (1778–89). Believed to be of Flemish descent. Can possibly be identified with the John Wacker who took out insurance cover of £200 on his utensils and stock at Wells St in 1778. This low insurance cover does not altogether accord with the prestigious commissions that he undertook for the Prince of Wales and the nobility. It is also surprising that his name is absent from London trade directories. This might suggest a specialist craftsman working in association with established furniture makers. At Carlton House where he worked between 1783–89 he appears to have been under the supervision of Daguerre. Bills over this period amounted to £264. Much of the work charged was obviously of a high quality and in 1783–84 much of it was specified as in purple wood. In this period a large sideboard 12 ft in length and with tambour cylinder and folding doors was charged at £20, a library table with ten drawers, 6 ft long at £17 14s and a circular commode at £12 12s. He is also recorded working at Chatsworth in the 1770s. [H. Clifford Smith, Buckingham Palace, p. 109; Apollo, October 1972, p. 284; Burlington, June 1980, p. 413; Windsor Royal Archives, RA 25050, 25052]