British picture restorers, 1630-1950 - E

William Eatwell, 49 Dorset St, Portman Square, London W 1855-1876, 1879-1887. Artists' colourman, picture restorer from 1879 or before.

For much of his life William Eatwell (c.1816-92?) traded as an artists' colourman at 49 Dorset St, where he was followed in business in 1876 or 1877 by William Badger. See British artists’ suppliers on the National Portrait Gallery website. However, Eatwell continued to be listed at this address, as a picture restorer, 1879-87. He was perhaps on a job at Oakley Hall, Staffordshire when recorded there as a visitor in the 1881 census as a picture restorer, age 64.

Henry George Eckford, 10 Hemming's Row, London 1838-1850, Peters Place, Hemming's Row 1849-1886, 39 Uverdale Rd, Chelsea 1887-1888. Picture dealer and picture restorer.

Henry George Eckford (c.1807-1893), the son of John Eckford (see below and British picture framemakers on the National Portrait Gallery website), appears to have been primarily a picture dealer but also undertook some framing work and picture restoration. From census and birth, marriage and death records, we learn that he was born in Greenwich in about 1807 and married in 1835 at St Martin-in-the-Fields; he was listed in censuses as a picture dealer in 1841 and 1851, living at 1 Penton Place, Newington, as an artist from 1861, living at Peters Place, also described as a restorer of picture in 1871, and as a retired artist in 1891, age 84, by now living in Chelsea. He died in the Chelsea registration district, age 85, early in 1893 (London Gazette 21 March 1893). His premises in Peters Place were subject to a compulsory purchase order in 1865, with the intention of making the site available for an enlargement of the National Gallery (London Gazette 21 November 1865).

In the 1840s, Lord Northwick employed Henry George Eckford to act for him in bidding for pictures for his picture gallery at Thirlestaine House, Cheltenham, and to organise picture framing, using the framemaker, Henry Haynes (see British picture framemakers), and also picture restoration. Eckford continued to work for Northwick until 1855 or later. Through Northwick, Eckford became adviser to the Glasgow collector, Robert Napier, by 1854, and was employed by Lord Kinnaird to clean pictures at Rossie Priory, 1857.

Eckford is said to have repaired and probably cleaned and lined Paris Bordone's Christ as the Light of the World, c.1884, before its acquisition by the National Gallery (see Penny 2008 p.52).

It is worth noting that another picture restorer, James R. Eckford, was recorded as a boarder at 37 Torbay St, Kentish Town in the 1881 census. He appears to be identifiable with James Robert Eckford (b.1839), son of John and Jane Eckford.

Sources: Oliver Bradbury and Nicholas Penny, 'The picture collecting of Lord Northwick: Part II', Burlington Magazine, vol.144, 2002, pp.607-8, to which this account is indebted.

John Eckford 1811-1828, John Eckford & Son 1826-1828, Charles J. Eckford 1826-1843. At 17 Water Lane (or Water St), Bridewell Precinct, London 1811-1834, 48 Lothbury 1826-1828, 23 Fleet St 1833-1834, 45 Fleet St 1835-1843. Carvers and gilders, picture framemakers, picture dealers and restorers.

This business was carried on over two generations. It was founded by John Eckford (d.1840), who was followed by his son, Charles John Eckford (c.1790-1845), initially in a short-lived partnership in the mid-1820s. For details, see British picture framemakers on the National Portrait Gallery website. His younger son, Henry George Eckford (c.1807-1893), also traded as a picture dealer and restorer (see above).

Edward Evans 1819-1840, Ann Evans 1837-1840, Anne Evans & Son 1841-1853, Ann Elizabeth Evans & Sons 1854-1858, Edward and Albert Evans (Messrs Evans) 1859-1860, Albert Evans 1861-1864. At 1 Great Queen St, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London 1787bm, 1796bm, 1799bm, 1819-1853, 403 Strand 1853-1864. Print and book sellers.

The Evans family business continued over two generations. It had premises for many years on the corner of Great Queen St and Little Queen St, as depicted in Thomas Hosmer Shepherd's watercolour of 1851, showing a large shop with prints in the windows and the sign 'Evans Print and Book Seller' (British Museum, Crace coll.XXVIII.20.5, see Crace.XXVIII.20.53* for a related print).

The father, Edward V. Evans (1789-1835), was born in Radnorshire, Wales, and was initially a compositor in the printing office of Messrs Nichols and Son (Edward Evans, obituary, Gentleman's Magazine, vol.4, 1835, p.663), before beginning the business in 1819. He took out insurance from 1 Great Queen St as a book and printseller in 1826 (Guildhall Library: Records of Sun Fire Office, vol.510 no.1045019). He appears to have republished various earlier prints (British Museum collection database, mezzotint and stipple engravings, originally published from 1787 to 1806).

His widow, Anne Elizabeth Evans (1791-1858), carried on the business initially in her own name and then in conjunction with first one and then both her sons (Gentleman's Magazine, vol.9, 1860, p.434). She was listed at 1 Great Queen St in the 1851 census as a book and printseller, age 58, together with her unmarried son, Albert Evans, age 26. The business moved to 403 Strand in 1853. She died at this address in 1858, described as the widow of the late Edward Evans of 1 Great Queen St (The Times 20 March 1858).

Her elder son, Edward David Evans (1818-1860), appears to have married in the St Giles registration district in 1853. He was described by Tuer as a print dealer, cleaner, restorer and paper splitter. He was the author of a two-volume Catalogue of a collection of engraved portraits, published by A.E. Evans & Son, 1836-53. The business published a further substantial print catalogue in 1857. It often sold prints and drawings to the British Museum or acted for it at auction from 1847, according to the museum's registers (see British Museum collection database, containing numerous records connected with this business).

Edward David Evans died in the Marylebone registration district in 1860. His brother, Albert (c.1824-1869), then carried on independently until 1864, when his fixtures and trade fittings were advertised for sale on the premises at 403 Strand (The Times 18 December 1864). Albert Evans died in July 1869 (London Gazette 13 August 1869). Following the close of business, one of his former employees, Alexander Nicholls (qv), who had worked for the business for upwards of 26 years, set up independently in about 1865.

Sources: Andrew White Tuer, Bartolozzi and his Works, vol.1, n.d but 1882, p.93; obituary, Edward David Evans, Gentleman's Magazine 1860 p.434. For abbreviations, see Resources and bibliography.

William Evans 1825-1850, William & Philip Evans 1851-1907. At 18 Silver St, Golden Square, London 1801-1883, street renamed and renumbered 1883, 37 Beak St, Regent St 1884-1907. Carvers and gilders, later also picture restorers.

See British picture framemakers on the National Portrait Gallery website for fuller details, including the early history of this business. Following the retirement in 1855 of the Marquess of Hertford's agent, Samuel Mawson (qv), William & Philip Evans undertook considerable framing work at Hertford House, and also invoiced for the restoration of pictures in April 1857 (Ingamells 1985 p.13). Pictures in the Wallace Collection that they cleaned for Lord Hertford, 1857-9, include Hans Eworth's John Selwyn, the van der Meulen attributed Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the Francesco Albani studio Venus and Cupid and Pieter de Hooch's A Woman peeling Apples (Ingamells 1985 pp.85, 129, 211, Ingamells 1992 p.169 n.2).

Evans & Mucklow, see Stephen Richards

Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information? Who should be added to this directory? Please contact Jacob Simon at jsimon@npg.org.uk.