British picture framemakers, 1630-1950 S part 2
Contributions are welcome, to Jacob Simon at jsimon@npg.org.uk
Cross-references to other makers are indicated by adding '(qv)' after the relevant name.
Resources and bibliography
*Alfred Stiles 1892-1911, Alfred Stiles & Sons 1896, 1903-1919, Alfred Stiles & Sons Ltd 1919-1965. At 625 Fulham Road, London 1891-1896 (Alfred Stiles), 26 Parson's Green Lane, Fulham 1896 (Alfred Stiles & Sons), 16 Hammersmith Broadway 1903-1911 (Alfred Stiles & Sons), 617 Fulham Road 1900-1931, 37-39 Brook Green Road, Hammersmith W6 1931-1962, road renamed and numbered 1962/3, 214 Shepherds Bush Road, W6 1963-1965. Picture framemakers.
The history of this important business falls into two parts: a family concern from its establishment, said to be in 1870, until after the First World War, and then as a business refinanced in 1919 by the Fine Art Society (qv), which was initially the majority shareholder.
Alfred Stiles (?1850-1917?) was recorded in the 1881 census as a gilder and picture framemaker, age 28, born Bethnal Green, living at 5 Portland Place, North End Road, in 1891 at 625 Fulham Road with his son Alfred William Stiles (b.1876), already a clerk at the age of 14, in 1901 at 617 Fulham Road, still with his son, William, now a gilder and picture framemaker, and another son Frederick, age 13, and in 1911 at the same address, by now age 58, with his son Frederick Charles, also a gilder and picture framemaker. The birth of an Alfred Stiles is recorded in the Bethnal Green district in 1850, suggesting that he was a few years older than given in census records. In the 1911 census, his son, Alfred William was living elsewhere in Fulham, a gilder and picture frame maker, with his wife and son, Alfred John (b.1903), age 7.
As well as trading under his own name in Fulham Road, Alfred Stiles also traded with one of his sons as A. Stiles & Son at 26 Parson's Green Lane, Fulham in 1896, and at 16 Hammersmith Broadway from 1903 to 1911. In 1904 he assigned his interest in the Hammersmith Broadway premises to his son, Alfred William Stiles (Hammersmith & Fulham Archives, DD/70/30, 80, information from Suzanna Walker, 2007).
In 1919, when the business was refinanced by the Fine Art Society, it was incorporated as Alfred Stiles & Sons Ltd, to carry on business as 'gilders, frame makers, moulders, mount cutters, art dealers, manufacturers of and dealers in artists' materials of all kinds', although the primary trade was always that of picture framing. Of the initial 200 shares, 159 were held by the Fine Art Society Ltd, one by Ernest Proctor Dawburn and 40 by Alfred William Styles of 617 Fulham Rd. In 1931, the partners were named as A.W. Stiles, F.C. Stiles and A.J. Stiles (The Artist, vol.2, September 1931, p.41). The business closed in 1963 and was liquidated in 1965 (London Gazette 12 January 1965); its sales books and accounts, 1911-63, are held at Hammersmith & Fulham Archives (DD/76, DD/219, Accession 76,219).
Picture framing work: The business began advertising extensively following its refinancing, in 1920 as ‘Frame-makers Carvers and Gilders Mount Cutters' (The Year's Art 1920, and subsequently, generally sharing a page with the Fine Art Society), and later offering ‘Frames of Distinction', giving as specialities, ‘Framing Watercolours with washbordered mounts for exhibitions. Any frame made in best English gold to customers' own design' (The Artist, vol.2, February 1932, p.261). The business's premises were divided into a series of specialist workshops (see Simon 1996 p.135 for a view of the Mounting and Whitening Department).
Stiles's order books show the business working for many leading artists of the younger generation, including John Banting, Edward Bawden, Vanessa Bell, Mark Gertler, Duncan Grant, Ivon Hitchens, Laura Knight, Cedric Morris, C.R.W. Nevinson, Mervyn Peake, John Piper, Eric Ravilious, Gilbert Spencer and Graham Sutherland (see Simon 1996 p.135). The business produced gilded, painted and stained frames, with white and coloured frames becoming more common in the 1930s (Simon 1996 p.23). Apart from the simplicity of their forms, such frames often relied on the subtlety of their surface finishes for their attraction. In this decade, Stiles's order books contain fascinating details. Polished and painted frames could be quite varied in effect: ‘polished black rubbed slightly red' for Derwent Wood in 1925, ‘wood parts to be green' for Russell Flint in 1930, ‘stained special pink' for C.R. W. Nevinson in 1931, ‘stone grey and slight pink smooth finish' for Ivon Hitchens in 1934. Frames were often given an inner slip of canvas or linen: Ivon Hitchens had frames with grey canvas and unbleached calico flats in 1936 and 1937, John Piper with ‘no. 6 linen flats' in 1939, and Graham Sutherland with a ‘green velvet flat to show 3/4" ‘ in 1939 (Simon 1996 pp.47, 79).
The papers of Sir Winston Churchill include an account from Stiles, dated 1 December 1937, for £32.2s.1d for frames supplied, 1935-7 (The Churchill Papers; A Catalogue, at www.chu.cam.ac.uk/archives/collections/ ).
In April 1940 Stiles won the Ministry of Information contract for the supply of frames for the work of war artists in the Second World War, in competition with J. Tanous (qv) and C.H. West (qv), and as a result was able to retain staff during the war years (Simon 1996 p.135). For most work by war artists, Stiles provided a standard economy moulding with a mottled paint finish. Stiles framed Graham Sutherland's The Cliff Road, 1941, and Edward Burra's Soldiers in a Lorry, 1942-3 (both National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, repr. Gott 2007 pp.83, 242).
In the post-war period, Stiles made frames for various artists. The business worked for Doris Zinkeisen at this time, and probably before the Second World War, according to her son Murray Johnstone, who identified that she was very particular about the colours and design of her frames (letter to National Portrait Gallery, 9 December 1999). Work by Ivon Hitchens with frames of a centre-and-corner pattern include River Temple, 1948 (Sotheby's 27 November 1996 lot 63) and Holbrook, c.1948 (Sotheby's 4 March 1998 lot 155).
For abbreviations, see Resources and bibliography.
*René Stone (active 1741, died 1773/4). In Berwick St, London by 1745, at The Golden Head, Berwick St by 1745, premises renamed The King's Arms, by 1772-1773. Carver and gilder, picture framemaker.
René Stone (c.1700-1773/4) had his workshops in Berwick St at the heart of the French quarter in Soho, like Joseph Duffour (qv) and Isaac Gosset (qv). As ‘Reney' Stone, son of Joseph Stone of St James Westminster, he was apprenticed to Matthew Gosset (qv) for £10 in 1714 (National Archives, IR 1/3), suggesting that he was born in about 1700. Later, he took his own apprentices including Peter Eliz. Rensell in 1741 and Alexander Louis Marbeuf in 1744, both for a premium of £10, and Isaac Winstanley in 1755 and William Harris in 1761, both for £2.2s (Boyd; Rensell may be a misreading for Peter Russell, see below). He was in Berwick St in 1745 when he advertised that his apprentice, Peter Russell, had absconded (Daily Advertiser 5 September 1745). A member of the French community was baptised at his house in Berwick St in 1750 (DEFM). Stone had a financial interest in property in Hertfordshire, 1768-72 (Hertfordshire Archives, DE/Kl/19889-19893). In his will, made 4 February 1772 and proved 5 January 1774, he refers to his natural son, John Stone. His stock-in-trade, work benches, china, household furniture, etc, were sold at auction in March 1774 (Daily Advertiser 10 March 1774).
Stone succeeded Gerrard Howard as the King's framemaker (the post was described officially as Joiner of his Majesty's Privy Chamber in ordinary) on 27 January 1752; in turn at his death he was followed by Isaac Gosset in 1774 (Simon 1996 pp.131-2, see National Archives, LC 3/65, p.256; see also Bucholz 2006). In his official capacity, he framed state portraits of Kings George II and George III for ambassadors and the governors of British colonies. Initially, these were portraits of George II by John Shackleton, as is documented by warrants for payment, such as that issued 17 April 1755 for £77.1s.8d, ‘for two fine carved and gilt frames with drive up frames [i.e., straining frames] and cases for His Majesty's Pictures for their Excell[enc]ys William Henry Lyttleton, Esqr Govr of South Carolina & Ch[arle]s Hardy, Esqr Govr of the Province of New York, Also for Business done at Somerset House... (National Archives, LC 5/24, p.158, punctuation modernised). Subsequently, he framed Allan Ramsay's numerous portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte, as many as sixty pairs, dating to 1762-73, including those at Scone Palace, Perthshire, Blickling Hall, Norfolk and Goodwood House, Sussex (Millar 1969 p.94; Simon 1994 pp.451-5).
Details of Stone's other activities are limited. In 1763 'Stone' made frames for both the amateur artist, Richard Beauvoir (Elizabeth Einberg, Walpole Society, vol.63, 2001, p.187), and for Edward Knight, Kidderminster (information from Nicholas Penny, 1994). ‘R. Stone' was in correspondence with Sir R. Wilmot, 1764, concerning frames for a painting of the Cornelia family (Derbyshire Record Office, D3155/C3522). In 1773 he charged William Fitzherbert for packing and transporting portraits of ‘their Majesties' by Allan Ramsay (Derbyshire Record Office, D239 M/F645).
For abbreviations, see Resources and bibliography.
Found a mistake? Have some extra information? Who should be added to this directory? Please contact Jacob Simon at jsimon@npg.org.uk
Keep in touch
