Photograph
1865- (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This albumen print from a glass negative, a type of photograph, dating to the 1860s to 1870s, is of a finial and is the work of the firm of Francis Skidmore (1817-1896) Skidmore & Company, Coventry made in between1865-1880. The photograph is thus a record of the work done and comes from an archive of designs and photographs from the firm. The factory was described as having a photographic studio so this photograph was taken there.
Skidmore was a leading Victorian metalworker in the Gothic Revival style, which was an architectural movement the nineteenth-century practitioners of which sought to revive medieval forms. Skidmore also produced church plate, light fittings, and furniture but was best known for his innovative architectural ironwork of which this finial is an example. There are printed designs for finials in a pattern book lettered 'Skidmore's Art Maunufactures Co. Book of Designs' in Coventry Public Library.
Skidmore was a leading Victorian metalworker in the Gothic Revival style, which was an architectural movement the nineteenth-century practitioners of which sought to revive medieval forms. Skidmore also produced church plate, light fittings, and furniture but was best known for his innovative architectural ironwork of which this finial is an example. There are printed designs for finials in a pattern book lettered 'Skidmore's Art Maunufactures Co. Book of Designs' in Coventry Public Library.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from a glass negative on paper mounted on card |
| Brief description | Photograph of a finial by Francis Skidmore, 1860s |
| Physical description | Photograph, brownish albumen print, of a finial decorated with fruits like wild strawberries and leaves. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of the Friends of the National Libraries |
| Object history | The provenance is the grand-daughter of Francis Skidmore. |
| Production | There are printed designs for finials in a pattern book lettered 'Skidmore's Art Manufactures Co. Book of Designs' in Coventry Public Library. Peter Howell (see References) has some printed designs for finials in his private collection which are from a later date than the ones in Coventry because they are lettered 'BIRMINGHAM' as below. In the 1872 Skidmore's Art Manufactures and Constructive Ironwork Company went into liquidation and was taken over by Winfields of Birmingham so it appears that Skidmore was still producing similar finials for more than seven years from 1865 because the pattern book in Coventry Library is lettered with the title that Skidmore's firm used from this earlier date. The page of designs in Peter Howell's collection is lettered 'VANES, FINIALS and HINGES' and 'F.A.SKIDMORE: COVENTRY and 24 HUNTERS Rd BIRMINGHAM'. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This albumen print from a glass negative, a type of photograph, dating to the 1860s to 1870s, is of a finial and is the work of the firm of Francis Skidmore (1817-1896) Skidmore & Company, Coventry made in between1865-1880. The photograph is thus a record of the work done and comes from an archive of designs and photographs from the firm. The factory was described as having a photographic studio so this photograph was taken there. Skidmore was a leading Victorian metalworker in the Gothic Revival style, which was an architectural movement the nineteenth-century practitioners of which sought to revive medieval forms. Skidmore also produced church plate, light fittings, and furniture but was best known for his innovative architectural ironwork of which this finial is an example. There are printed designs for finials in a pattern book lettered 'Skidmore's Art Maunufactures Co. Book of Designs' in Coventry Public Library. |
| Bibliographic reference | Howell, Peter. Francis Skidmore and the Metalwork. In: Chris Brooks, ed.
The Albert Memorial. The Prince Consort National Memorial: its History, Contexts, and Conservation. p.264. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.420-2006 |
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| Record created | January 4, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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