British artists' suppliers, 1650-1950

A selective directory, to be revised and expanded regulary, 1st edition June 2006, 2nd edition May 2008 (*entry revised, **new entry)
Contributions are welcome, to Jacob Simon at jsimon@npg.org.uk.
Resources and bibliography

*Robert P. Jackson by 1868-1891, Robert Jackson & Son 1892-1894 or later, Robert Jackson & Sons by 1900-1972. At 3 Slater St, Liverpool by 1868-1924, 18A Slater St 1925-1941, 20 Slater St 1943-1972. Carvers and gilders, picture framemakers, printsellers, artists' colourmen.

See British picture framemakers | J.

Thomas Stennett Jackson, see Henry Flack

Henry Jeffreys 1866-1894 or later, H. Jeffreys & Son by 1900-1911 or later. At 88-92 Renshaw St, Liverpool 1866-1900 or later, 74 Renshaw St by 1911. Printsellers, artists' colourmen.

Henry Jeffreys (c.1839-1903) followed George James Keet (qv) at 88 Renshaw St, Liverpool. His business had an account with Roberson, 1866-1908 (Woodcock 1997). He was listed in the 1881 census as an artists' colourman, age 42, employing five persons, with wife, a son Richard age 15, described as apprentice artists' colourman, and two other sons, Henry and William, ages 13 and 11 (IGI; BMD for his death). By 1900 the business was trading as Jeffreys & Son, with Henry Jeffreys senior and William P. Jeffreys listed at 88-92 Renshaw St. Several marks are recorded from the 1870s and 1880s.

*Alfred Jeffries 1878-1884, A. Jeffries & Co 1884-1887, Moulding & Artists' Materials Manufactory Co Ltd 1887. At 2-3 Maynard St, Bloomsbury, London 1878-1884, 443 Oxford St 1880-1882, 107 New Oxford St and Grove Works, Estate Road, Clapham Junction 1883-1887. Manufacturer of mouldings, frames, colours and canvas. Later trading as Alfred Jeffries & Co, 19 Pilgrim St, Ludgate Hill EC 1894-1898, 95 New Oxford St 1896-1908, picture framemakers.

See British picture framemakers | J.

Thomas Jenkins, see Charles Sandys

*William Jones (active 1800, died by 1819), 103 Leadenhall St, London 1800-1819, 105 Leadenhall St 1811-1818. Colour manufacturer, fancy ornamental stationer.

William Jones was variously listed as a colour manufacturer and as superfine colour preparer. Jones's trade card, printed on blue paper, featured a wide range of materials, including primed canvas, and advertised him as 'PAINTER,/ and Manufacturer of Superfine Water Colours/ Colours Dry or Prepared in Oil for Artists & Common Do. For House Painting./ Ladies & Gentlemen supplied with Genuine Superfine Colours, & every/ other Article for Drawing, on the lowest Terms.' (Heal coll. 89.85).

William Jones was dead by 1819 and from that year the business became Jones & Son, painters and paper-hangers, continuing to trade from 103 Leadenhall St. A sale of his stock was advertised in July 1819, to be held by George Jones at his new rooms, Leicester St, Leicester Square. He advertised 'The Genuine Stock in Trade of the late Mr. William Jones, colour manufacturer and fancy ornamental dealer, of Leadenhall-street, deceased, by order of the Executors, comprising a great variety of drawing books, prints, drawings, valuable boxes of Newman's, Reeves's, Inwood's, and Jones's superfine water-colours of the best manufacture, oil and enamel colours, pencils, drawing-boards, chalks, crayons, Bristol boards, 4,000 sheets of fancy papers, rice-paper, Chinese, pink, and scarlet paper' (The Times 27 July 1819).

William Jones appears to be the man who was apprenticed to Edward Whitcombe in 1774, and who was then turned over to Josiah Fowler, wax chandler, subsequently taking his own apprentices, James Wightwick Poynton in 1785 and James Birkett in 1796 (Webb 2003 pp.7, 37, 51).

William Jordan, 34 Holborn Hill, London 1785-1794. Oil and colourman.

William Jordan offered bladder colours for artists. His trade card, with added manuscript date 1792, described him as 'Wm. Jordan/ OIL & COLOURMAN,/ No.34, Corner of Fetter Lane,/ HOLBORN./ Colours Properly prepared for Painting./ OILS & COLOURS,/ / Bladder Colours for Artists' (Banks coll. 89.17).

Henry Joseph, see James Newman

Go to a large print, text-only version of this site

All images and text are subject to copyright protection. 06 January 2009