Arthur Silver (1853–1896) was a designer and founder of the

Silver Studio The Silver Studio was one of the most influential textile design studios in the United Kingdom, UK from its formation in 1880 until the middle of the twentieth century. The studio, founded by Arthur Silver (1853–1896) designed some of the most ...

. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1853. His grandfather had been in the cabinet-making business and his father, James Silver, was an upholsterer.

Education

In 1869, Arthur attended Reading School of Art, which had been founded by

Sir Henry Cole Sir Henry Cole FRSA (15 July 1808 – 15 April 1882) was an English civil servant and inventor who facilitated many innovations in commerce, education and the arts in the 19th century in the United Kingdom. Cole is credited with devising the c ...

with the aim of training designers in both art and industry. He won a prize for the elementary section of the Introduction in Art course. After leaving art school Arthur Silver was apprenticed to furniture designer Henry William Batley.

Marriage and family life

In 1878, at the age of 25, Arthur Silver married Isabella Walenn. Isabella came from a large and artistically creative family. Her father was the scientist

William Henry Walenn William Henry Walenn (7 January 1828 – 20 September 1896) was born in London and was trained as an engineer at the works of Messrs. Cottam, and received part of his education at University College, London, where he studied mathematics under A ...

, and several of her siblings were notable musicians: Herbert Walenn was Professor of Cello at the Royal Academy of Music, Charles Walenn a singer,

Gerald Walenn Gerald Harman Walenn (19 November 1871 – 27 January 1942) was a British violinist and composer of classical music.

the first Professor of Violin at the Sydney Conservatoire, Frederick Walenn, a painter, founded the

St John's Wood Art School The St John's Wood Art School ( The Wood or Calderon's Art School) was an art school in St John's Wood, north London, England. The Art School was established in 1878 and was located on Elm Tree Road. It was founded by two art teachers, Elíseo A ...

, Dorothea Walenn taught violin at St Paul's Girls' School and Ellie Walenn was a valued teacher at

Roedean School Roedean () is a private boarding school governed by royal charter on the outskirts of Brighton, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1885 by three sisters to educate wealthy daughters and heiresses of aristocracy and industrial elites of the 19t ...

. Isabella was no exception to the rule - she inherited the Walenn love of music and spent many years with the

Royal Choral Society The Royal Choral Society (RCS) is an amateur choir, based in London. History Formed soon after the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, the choir gave its first performance as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society on 8 May 1872 – the choir' ...

. Arthur and Isabella had five children: * Reginald (Rex) Silver (1879-1965) * Arthur Silver (1880– * Harry Silver (1881–1971) *

Christine Silver Christine Isie Silver (17 December 1883 – 23 November 1960) was a British stage, film and television actress, and a playwright. Early life Christine Isie Silver was born in 1883 (some sources give 1884) in Fulham, London, the daughter of Art ...

(1883–1960) * Ellen Margerine Silver (1886–1906) Rex Silver was to take over the running of the

after his father's death.

Career

Arthur Silver established his own company, the Silver Studio, in

Brook Green Brook Green is an affluent sub-neighbourhood of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Located approximately west of Charing Cross, it is bordered by Kensington, Holland Park, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and Brackenbury ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

in 1880. The Studio produced designs for wallpapers and textiles which they sold to clients such as

Liberty (department store) Liberty, commonly known as Liberty's, is a luxury department store in London, England. It is located on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London. The building spans from Carnaby Street in the East to Kingly Street in the West, where ...

, In 1890, Arthur Silver produced a series of photographic reproductions of items from the

South Kensington Museum South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

, intended as inspiration for textile manufacturers, his clients. In 1893, he was commissioned to design the silks for the wedding dress of

Princess Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of King-Emp ...

, which were woven by Warner & Sons, a firm with which he worked regularly. In 1894, he contributed two chapters to

Joseph Gleeson White Joseph William Gleeson White (1851–1898), often known as Gleeson White, was an English writer on art. Life He was born in Christchurch, Dorset and educated at Christ Church School and afterward became a member of the Art Workers Guild. ...

's book on Practical Designing, demonstrating his mastery of the technical aspects of designing for commercial production. Silver was an avid collector of visual source material. He was a member of

The Japan Society of the UK The Japan Society of the United Kingdom, founded in 1891, is an organisation that fosters relations between Britain and Japan. It is the oldest organisation dedicated to intercultural understanding and positive relations between a European countr ...

, and the materials he acquired included around four hundred

Ise-katagami is the Japanese craft of making paper stencils for dyeing textiles (). It is designated one of the Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan. The art is traditionally centered on the city of Suzuka in Mie Prefecture. It is different fr ...

, or Japanese stencils, which he used as inspiration for his designs.

Silver Studio Collection

The

Collection is now part of MoDA, the

Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture The Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture (MoDA) was a museum in North London, England, housing one of the most comprehensive collections of 19th- and 20th-century decorative arts for the home. The collections included the Silver Studio ...

, part of

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

. It contains around 40,000 designs (for wallpapers, textiles, carpets and other domestic furnishings), 5,000 wallpaper samples, 5,000 textile samples, a library of books on design, architecture and decoration, daybooks, trade cards and other printed ephemera.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silver, Arthur 1853 births 1896 deaths British textile designers People from Reading, Berkshire