Updated March 2020
Jabez Barnard 1837-1860, Jabez Barnard & Son 1860-1875, J. Barnard & Son 1876-1941. In Oxford St, London 1837, 339 Oxford St 1842-1881, street renumbered 1881, 233 Oxford St 1881-1886, 19 Berners St W 1870-1908, 82-84 Old St EC 1909-1941. Wholesale dept at 115 Great Titchfield St 1868-1870. Works at 11 Winsley St, Oxford St by 1857-1875, 67 Stanhope St, Hampstead Road NW 1868-1899, 141a Stanhope St 1903-1908. Artists’ canvas makers at Sutterton Road, Caledonian Road N 1889-1891. Manufacturing artists’ colourmen, printsellers and publishers.
Jabez Barnard (1800-94) advertised in 1842 that he had opened his Artists' Colour Warehouse in Oxford St with 'an entirely new and extensive Assortment of every requisite for Oil and Water-colour Painting; comprising Metallic and other Tubes for Oil Colours, and all the new Vehicles at present in use’, and mentioning his ‘fine White, prepared for Oil Painting’ (The Art-Union January 1842 p.18), subsequently advertising materials for fresco painting prepared under the direction of Mr Aglio, and also a papier-maché palette (The Art-Union December 1843 p.301). He was, however, already in business in Oxford St by 1837 when he appeared as a witness at the Old Bailey concerning the theft of bronze powder from Sarah Druke, a leading manufacturer (Proceedings of the Old Bailey, information from Sally Woodcock).
Jabez Barnard was born in December 1800 and christened in February 1801 at the Meeting House at Billericay. In the 1841 census he was listed in Oxford St as Colourman, with wife Mary, in 1851 as Colourman, employing six hands, in 1861 at 339 Oxford St as Colourman, age 60, born at Great Bursted, Essex, wife Mary, a daughter and two shop assistants, George Smith and Leonard Pike. Both Jabez and his wife reappear in the 1881 census at the age of 80, now living at Chase Side Villa, Edmonton, Middlesex, with their widowed daughter, Nancy Fairhead (1835-1928), who is described as Dealer in Fine Art, employing 15 people. From 1860, Jabez Barnard traded in partnership with his son William Barnard (qv), until the partnership was dissolved in 1875 (London Gazette 4 June 1875); thereafter, according to the London Gazette notice, Jabez Barnard continued to trade at 11 Winsley St, while William Barnard continued at 339 Oxford St and 19 Berners St. William Barnard also traded independently in Edgware Road from 1859, advertising some of Barnard & Son’s materials.
Jabez Barnard died in 1894 (London Gazette 7 September 1894). He was described as a wholesale colourman in his will; probate on his considerable estate, worth £20,288, was granted to Joseph Thurgood, oil merchant, and Thomas Claude Fairhead, artists’ colourman.
Jabez Barnard advertised in his trade catalogue of c.1860 a wide range of materials for oil and watercolour painting and also photographic watercolours (Price Catalogue of Materials for Oil & Water-colour Painting & Drawing, 32pp, appended to Edwin Jewitt, Manual of Illuminated and Missal Painting, copy in British Library, 1267.b.5). Later trade catalogues can be found appended to other instruction manuals in the years before 1900. The business advertised in 1870 as ‘Manufacturing Artists’ Colourmen, Drawing Paper Stationers. Lead Pencil Makers. Publishers of Works of Art. Importers of every Article connected with the Fine Arts’, giving their addresses as 339 Oxford St, manufacturing steam works at Stanhope St and wholesale dept at 19 Berners St (The Artists’ Directory for June 1870). Advertisements from 19 Berners St in 1892, now their main retail premises, featured their improved oil sketching box and superfine oil colours (The Year's Art 1892, and subsequently).
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| Barnard maker's mark |
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| Barnard art box (my collection) |
The business had an account with Roberson, 1862-1907 (Woodcock 1997) and supplied the Glasgow colourman, Alexander Miller (qv) with stock, as is evident from Miller’s bankruptcy proceedings in 1877. By 1893 and until at least 1900 another part of the business was separately listed as Barnard & Son, varnish and colour manufacturers, 183 Great Portland St and 67 Stanhope St (65½ Stanhope St in 1900). Heaton & Son, glass painters’ colours, shared Barnard’s premises at 19 Berners St 1902-1908, subsequently being listed at 141a Stanhope St.
At some stage the business ceased to be owned and managed by members of the Barnard family. In 1908 a partnership between Harold King Smith and Noel Heaton, artists’ colourmen and glass colour manufacturers, trading at 19 Berners St, 141a Stanhope St and 16 Cumberland Market as J. Barnard & Son and as Heaton & Son, was dissolved with Harold King Smith paying all debts (London Gazette 19 June 1908).
Customers included James Ward (Proudlove 1996, where a stencilled canvas as Barnard & Son is reproduced). Example of marked canvases are M.E. Ashburner’s A duck and snipe on a shelf, 1896 (Bonham’s 27 November 2007 lot 247), William Orpen’s, Anita, 1905 (Tate, see Morgan 2008 pp.134-5) and Jessie Algie’s Pinks and Sunflowers, exh.1906 (Walker Art Gallery, see Morris 1996).
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