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| Postscript – Post Wars |
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| An interesting testament to how far ahead of his times
he was, came at the famous 1925 Art Deco Paris Exhibition [recently
featured at the V & A Exhibition]; Whitefriars received a Gold
Medal for “the progressive and artistic design” of a table
service which Harry had designed the basic form nearly 30 years earlier!
During the 20s, the stained glass department prospered with demand
for memorial windows with up to date designs and colours. In domestic
glass, traditional tableware was selling through the new Wigmore Street
premises. Otherwise few innovations were called for especially as
in 1923 the works moved from Whitefriars to a new green field factory
in Harrow Weald; this idea had been Harry’s last contribution
and was to prove critical to the long term survival of Whitefriars
Glass. Harry had designed his last vase, pattern number 3000, before
his death in 1922. |
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| Towards the end of the 20s the wave rib began to decorate
both tumbler vases and Butler bowls whilst the technology of stained
glass along with thicker glass produced new techniques like cloudy,
opaque glass and streaky bubbly glass for the more arty retailers
like Fortnums. |
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| Some Recorded Customers |
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| The very incomplete records left from the Harry Powell
era, a workbook here, a drawing book, a single year’s ledger,
and the 1906 cutter’s workbook – now there’s a starting
point for gleaning customers! They include many trade customers: T
Goode, Harrods, Morant, Lenygon, Bon Marche, Mellier, The Savoy, Delemosne,
House of Commons [71 shades], GWR [136 shades]. Also glass for mounting
in silver, brass etc and for lampshades. Benson, Tiffany, Asprey,
Wippell, Elkington, Mappin & Webb, Hancocks, Elsley, Betjeman,
Farris, Jones & Willis, Keith, Cox, Hart & Son & Peard,
Liberty, Walton, Morris and Benson again and again; also Taylor and
Sichel from the wine trade. Cutters mentioned include Hillebauer,
who became famous for cutting lotus pieces and arts and crafts engraving. |
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| The 1904 Sketchbook is interesting as it has pattern
numbers and names of customers and occasional extra notes. Our Cat.No.423
a Roman cut Tazza takes its shape from a Venetian Tazza in Dublin
Museum. In the Sketchbook the pattern numbers change to bring them
up to date. Tiffany ordered Pat.2404 like our Cat.No.357, Maple ordered
straw opal vases Pat.2296 like our Cat.No.5 [pair], even the two miniature
vases are there, as is the St Louis Exhibition glass. |
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| The 1899 – 1900 cut glass and other glass order
book lists nearly all the major businesses and artists in the Arts
& Crafts movement, including W A S Benson, Samuel Bing [Paris],
La Maison Moderne [Paris], Maison Rassenfosse, Bronet of Leige, F
Mayer of Karlsrhue, Shigley & Hunt of Lancaster, George Walton
of Glasgow, Benham & Froude, T Elsley, Guild of Handicraft, Ambrose
Heal, H Birks of Montreal, G Faulkner Armitage of Altrincham, C R
Ashbee, Burkentin & Krall, W Hutton & Sons, Maple, Shoolbred,
Cox & Sons, Horniman, Voysey and Martin & Ingalshe of San
Francisco. Another interesting entry confirms work for Linley Sambourne. |
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| Exhibitions |
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| In 1851 James Powell won the prize medal for “fine
crystal glass” but also exhibited glass pipe with patent joints
for gas and water, which points to early scientific and practical
manufacture
to be so important throughout its history, especially during the First
World War, when production emphasis was switched to practical and
technical production for the war effort. There was a “scientific
chair” throughout specialising in heavy work, which might
include extra large decorative vases. Through the hard work of using
exhibitions at home through the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society,
and abroad at International Exhibitions, Harry Powell raised the
profile of the business and gained a broad base of valuable clients.
Exhibiting abroad probably allowed him to see the innovations as
there were happening in rival establishments and to talk to glass
scientists and museum curators about discoveries and needs, whilst
his interest in archaeology like the Woodchester glassworks near
Stroud enriched his technical ability and enlarged his library of
shapes. Together with J C Powell, he kept books of drawings of historic
glass for reference, which were called “Glasses with Histories”;
Harry remained a key figure in the glass world for nearly 50 years
selling to museums and retailers throughout Europe.
Although Whitefriars had a series of shops in the West End from
the 1880s, and also an active stained glass department dealing direct
with commissions, as well as direct orders for domestic glass from
households, the volume business seems often to have come through
the retail trade customers and from retail metal manufacturers for
the glorious shades in both Opaline and cut glass. The promotion
of the business through exhibitions ensured a flow of good fresh
designs, new technology and some large showy pieces to gain publicity. |
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| Teamwork worked well at Whitefriars with Harry’s
design flair and understanding of glass and chair blowing producing
often organic shapes, which were naturally within the skills of a
good “gaffer”. The chair system being a hierarchy gave
incentive for the development of outstanding skill. The chair would
experiment with shapes and decorative gimmicks or novel finishes like
refractory metal inclusions or new opal colours; he even watched the
latest tableware blown to catch the “moment of the perfect shape”.
The objective was to win a prize at the exhibitions, which gained
publicity and kudos. |
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| Joseph Leicester was the virtuoso glass blower in the
land and the glass he showed in 1869 at the Society of Arts caused
a sensation. It displayed amazing sophistication of colour and surface
and is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum. |
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| At home clients and colleagues were made through the
Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society where Harry was a founder member
making a huge number of trade contacts who were like minded in their
Ruskinian ideal. A glance at the 1899 Order Book confirms the wisdom
of Harry’s long-term promotional policies, which kept Whitefriars
at the fashionable end of glass making. It was an age when beauty
was being created in many mediums and Whitefriars with contracts through
Morris and the great Pre-Raphaelite painters had contact with great
architects and designers, remaining at the top of the trade in beautiful
glass as a glance at the records reveals. |
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| But the use of historic designs from the “Glasses
with Histories” sketchbook was backed up by a fabulous library
inventory in early 1900's, which lists design sources for glass shapes,
windows and mosaics [opus sectile]. But the business was not all about
novelty and innovation for there are only so many shapes that can
be satisfactorily hand blown and slight variations are all that is
needed to bring a service up to date. |
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| Some of Harry’s designs last for over 50 years
and many for 25. Some of the finest simple designs seem to enjoy the
longest popularity adapting well to new colours that were introduced
in the 20s and 30s, even to ruby in the 40s. |
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| Similarly the slightly neutral colours like sea green
had a long life whilst clear glass has always been in demand. A classic
example of the use of flint and soft green was Gertrude Jekyll’s
range of flower vases made in simple shapes to complement the flowers.
These were commissioned by James Green, a London retailer and proved
popular as the “Munstead Range” from 1884 until the First
World War using vertical ribbing to exaggerate the optical qualities
of the water C/F Cat.No’s 37, 37a, 123 & 420. |
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| Wedgwood |
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| In 1910 Wedgwood moved to Powell’s showrooms.
Old patterns in Cream ware were revived and given a contemporary tweak
by their cousins, the artists and designers Alfred and Louise Powell.
They were identified by a J.P.S. mark. This business was a significant
part of Powell’s turnover for 10 to 15 years. |
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| END |
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| Page 2 <<Back |
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| Article Written By Willie Clegg |
| www.whitefriarsglass.com |
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| About the Author: |
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Willie Clegg is an experienced specialist
dealer Whitefriars glass.
Willie is extremely knowledgeable in his field of expertise and regularly
exhibits at
the National Glass Collectors Fair. |
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| Copyright: |
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| Please note that the content of this article is the
sole intellectual property of the author. No reproduction or reference
to the text of this article may be made without the express permission
of the author. |
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