Following on from the last Blog Post (which seemed to go down very well with readers), I thought I would continue the theme of Antique Shops in visual culture and focus on a few more images of antique shops, both exteriors and interiors, that are part of a growing archive of paintings we have as part of the research projects on the history of antique dealing. We can start with an example from quite a well-known series of images of antique shops by the artist John Cole (1903-1975). Cole was the son of the English landscape artist Rex Vicat Cole (1870-1940) and from a long line of well-known artists. Cole was particularly fascinated by the street scenery of London and produced a series of paintings of shops fronts especially in London, during the 1940s and 1950s. He seems to have a special fondness for antique shop fronts, and captured dozens of antique shops, most now long gone of course, in key locations such as Kensington Church Street, Avery Row and Christopher’s Place. We’re fortunate enough to have an example in our archive. A painting from the 1940s of 2 antique shops in New Bond Street, London.
To the right is the shop of the antique silver dealers Arthur & Co., at 36 New Bond Street. Arthur & Co. were trading as antique dealers from at least 1900; by 1936 they had incorporated the business of the well-known antique silver dealer Reginald Davis. Arthur & Co. were right next door to Sotheby’s the auctioneers, when Cole captured their shop. To the left of Arthur & Co is the shop of Lewis & Lewis, one of the shops of the famous Lewis family of dealers, perhaps of James Lewis & Sons, the well-known antique dealer with shops in London and New York in the 1930s and 1950s. It’s interesting that Lewis & Lewis have a ‘sale’ ongoing in their shop in Cole’s painting – their shop window is full of a fascinating range of antiques.
Another painting of an antique shop, from about the same period, 1960s, in the archive collection is by a less illustrious painter than John Cole; Frederick James Timbrell (1905-1992).
Timbrell was born in Lambeth, London and his painting of an (as yet unknown) antique shop is a charming rendition and, according to the label on the back, it was offered for sale at 30 guineas, a fair sum of money back in the 1960s. If anyone recognises the shop, do let me know!
One final image of an antique shop (for this Blog post anyway) is, by contrast, a painting of an antique shop interior. This one, a beautifully atmospheric watercolour and gouache by the talented female artist Winifred Donne (1880-1922), titled ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ was painted in about 1910.
Donne was the wife of the artist Walter James Donne (1863-1948); Donne’s painting of the Old Curiosity Shop seems to be a representation of an interior of an actual shop, but it’s not known where the shop was located. Donne lived for a time in Yorkshire, so perhaps it was one of the many ‘curio’ shops in York, Scarborough and etc in the early 20th century?
Winifred Donne maybe a relatively forgotten female artist today, but at the time of her death in 1922, (she died tragically young, aged only 42) she was famous enough for Walker’s Galleries, in New Bond Street, London, no less, to organise a Memorial Exhibition of her work in Nov-Dec 1924.
Donne was described in the exhibition catalogue as ‘an artist with remarkable talent’. The commentary continues: ‘Watercolour was Winifred Donne’s favourite medium, though she was equally familiar with pastels and pen-and-ink…she exhibited with conspicuous success at the International Society and in the watercolour room at the Royal Academy.’ The exhibition included Donne’s painting of the ‘Old Curiosity Shop’ then in the possession of ‘Mr Robert Frank’ (see below, ‘No.44’), perhaps the art dealer Robert Frank?
These representations of antique shops are a clear demonstration of the enduring significance of the ‘antique and curiosity shop’ in visual culture, and in British cultural life. I’ll post more on paintings of antique shops in future blog posts on the antique dealers blog.
Mark
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