Mirror
1930-1940 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The first John Lewis store was opened in 1864 in Oxford Street, London. After taking the helm from his father, John Spedan Lewis had the revolutionary idea to start sharing the revenue from shop sales with all its workers and in 1929, the formal document known as the First Trust Settlement was created, putting the Partnership scheme into practice.
During the inter-war period a new ‘dual’ approach to house building emerged in Britain and local authorities, funded by central Government, built over a million homes for rent. In parallel, private house building grew as mortgages became more affordable. For working families moving to the newly-created suburban developments, life was transformed and revolved increasingly around the home.
In the early 1930s, a time of severe economic depression, John Lewis created special second-hand departments to sell products to those struggling to furnish their homes.
During the inter-war period a new ‘dual’ approach to house building emerged in Britain and local authorities, funded by central Government, built over a million homes for rent. In parallel, private house building grew as mortgages became more affordable. For working families moving to the newly-created suburban developments, life was transformed and revolved increasingly around the home.
In the early 1930s, a time of severe economic depression, John Lewis created special second-hand departments to sell products to those struggling to furnish their homes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | wood |
| Brief description | Mirror, silver wood, John Lewis, English 1930-40 |
| Physical description | Triple mirror, silvered wood. |
| Dimensions | No dimensions in departmental register |
| Object history | Purchased from Ian Grant, FRIBA, in 1977. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The first John Lewis store was opened in 1864 in Oxford Street, London. After taking the helm from his father, John Spedan Lewis had the revolutionary idea to start sharing the revenue from shop sales with all its workers and in 1929, the formal document known as the First Trust Settlement was created, putting the Partnership scheme into practice. During the inter-war period a new ‘dual’ approach to house building emerged in Britain and local authorities, funded by central Government, built over a million homes for rent. In parallel, private house building grew as mortgages became more affordable. For working families moving to the newly-created suburban developments, life was transformed and revolved increasingly around the home. In the early 1930s, a time of severe economic depression, John Lewis created special second-hand departments to sell products to those struggling to furnish their homes. |
| Bibliographic reference | Thornton, Peter. ‘A Very Special Year: The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Furniture Acquisitions in 1977’. Connoisseur, vol 198, no 196, June 1978. |
| Other number | 77/586 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.31-1977 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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