As someone who takes more than a passing interest in interior design, I was looking forward to seeing this exhibition of the books bequeathed to Leeds University by John Bedford, an antiques dealer who made his name in London, where he began his career in the 1960s by opening a stall in a Kensington Antiques market. He got more involved in the history of furniture, resulting in his amassing a comprehensive library over a period of forty-five years at his new home in Guernsey. His success also led to him making a generous cash donation enabling the University to refit the Brotherton Research Centre and open a new teaching space which bears his name.
I must admit that, although I appreciate the work and skill involved in antique furniture, I could not live with ornate, dark wood and myriad patterns. My tastes are rather more minimalist, and easier to keep clean, comprising mainly monochrome and stainless steel elements.
John Bedford was born in 1941 and had a full life, not only buying and selling antiques, but also driving racing cars, a practice which his father, Davis Evan Bedford, a physician, put a stop to, fearing for his son’s safety. Bedford Snr was also a collector of books, leaving his private library of over 1,000 volumes on heart diseases to the Royal College of Physicians in 1971.
John Bedford in his home-built Lotus 7s in 1962-3
The exhibition was launched with a celebration of his life, introduced by Dr Jenny Haynes, Director of Cultural Collections and Curatorial Practice at University of Leeds Libraries.
She said that the exhibition covers only a very small part of the bequest but gives some idea of the varied volumes and other pieces held at the library. She went on to thank the team responsible for presenting the displays.
She then introduced Exhibition co-curator, Professor Mark Westgarth, who was celebrating his being newly appointed Professor of History of the Art Market, as well as being Director of the Centre for the study of the Art and Antiques Market along with several other senior posts at the University of Leeds, making him eminently qualified to inform us of the role played by John Bedford in the advancement of the subject of Furniture History.
He was followed by his co-curator, Rhiannon Lawrence-Francis, Special Collections Curator, University of Leeds, who recalled visiting John Bedford in Guernsey to examine the library, almost five years ago to the day and only two weeks before his death. She told of his passion for both books and the history of furniture which was still as strong as ever and asked us to raise our glasses in his memory.
Although only comprising a small part of the legacy the exhibition covers a span of almost 500 years, beginning with, or, in the display, ending with, an extremely rare book of miscellaneous furniture designs by Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau (1511-1586) from about 1545 to 1565. Although not part of the gift it was acquired by Leeds University in 2023 in memory of John Bedford as it was complimentary to the collection. See photograph below.
As you would expect, there is a volume by Thomas Chippendale the younger, son of the Otley-born Thomas Chippendale. Exhibit 14 below. They were both furniture makers although nowadays, from their name, you might expect them to have been furniture strippers. The other iconic name from the 18th and early 19th centuries, Thomas Sheraton, is also represented with his Cabinet-maker and upholsterer’s drawing book from 1793. Exhibit 13. Tye cabinet also contains a selection of trade cards and a bullhead from 1822.
As well as pattern and reference books there are other artefacts including this beautifully written Apprenticeship Indenture between William Wastall and Adam Allen, dated 24th June, 1728.
For those of you who think that buying home paraphernalia began with the Ikea and Habitat glossy tomes, they are only the 20th Century versions of how various furniture accessories have been sold for donkeys’ years, as shown by this trade catalogue of metal handles from about 1778, issued by Timothy Smith, brass founder, Birmingham.
A more recent version of remote selling for the home is this 1855 book of decorative furniture designs from Henry Lawford, London. Top left. The colours are a little more vibrant than you would expect from the Victorian era.
So, there you have it, just a small part of a very large collection tracing the history of furniture, and associated memorabilia. The exhibition runs until 21st December, 2024 at Treasures of Brotherton Library in the Parkinson Building at Leeds University. Opening hours are 10.00am – 5.00pm Tuesday – Saturday and admission is free and is open to all.
For more details of this, and other events at University of Leeds Libraries, please go to https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/1902/exhibitions
All photographs by Stan Graham
Tyke It To The Limit 