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Lot Essay
Jennens & Bettridge, the most celebrated firm of papier-mch manufacturers, was first recorded in 1815 when it took over the works of Small & Son, Guest, Chopping & Bill, who had in turn succeeded to the factory of Henry Clay. Early production consisted mainly of trays, decorated chiefly by Joseph Booth, who was known for his "exquisite imitations of Chinese and Japanese ornament". An example of the latter was produced for the Prince Regent in 1824. The term papier mch is actually a misnomer when applied to Jennens & Bettridge's wares, since their pieces were produced using laminated sheets of paper, rather than pulp. This method allowed greater durability for a vulnerable material and also permitted a greater polish to the surface. One of the firm's most marked contributions to the industry was made in 1825, when methods for preparing pearl-shell suitable for use in japanned wares, devised by an employee, George Souter, were granted a patent. In fact, by the time the latter was issued, the firm were already describing themselves as "Japanners in Ordinary to His Majesty".
The patronage enjoyed by the firm under George IV continued under both William IV and Victoria, for whose marriage in 1840 they produced an elaborately-decorated set of trays. By 1844, the same year in which the current suite was manufactured, Jennens & Bettridge was described as one of "the finest and most interesting factories in Birmingham...where japanned papier mch is brought to a high degree of beauty" (see The Penny Magazine, Vol. XIII, Dec. 1844, Iron Tea Trays & Papier Mch, p. 505). Their showrooms at 3 West Halkin Street, Belgrave Square, were said to be crowded with "...almost every variety of household furniture and trinkets without number" (ibid).
At the height of their success, Jennens & Bettridge are said to have employed no less than sixty men as full-time decorators, most of whom had been trained in Birmingham or London schools of design. The firm exhibited at all major provincial and international exhibitions, winning many medals and awards, including the Gold Isis Medal for their decorated table shown at the 3rd Annual Exhibition of the Society of Arts held in London in 1849. In the same year, they supplied a suite of furniture to Queen Isabella II of Spain, part of which was a pair of very similar, although smaller, sofas to the present (see Phillips, London, 26 November 1996, lot 228, for a pair of sofas reputed to have been those supplied to the Spanish Queen). The 1849 exhibition appears to have been a dry-run for the more prestigious Great Exhibition of 1851, where the firm were the only papier mch manufacturers in their class to be awarded a medal. After opening offices in both New York and Paris later in the 1850s, the business finally ended in 1864 on the death of Mr Jennens and at a time when the industry was falling under the shadow of newer, more competitive materials.
The patronage enjoyed by the firm under George IV continued under both William IV and Victoria, for whose marriage in 1840 they produced an elaborately-decorated set of trays. By 1844, the same year in which the current suite was manufactured, Jennens & Bettridge was described as one of "the finest and most interesting factories in Birmingham...where japanned papier mch is brought to a high degree of beauty" (see The Penny Magazine, Vol. XIII, Dec. 1844, Iron Tea Trays & Papier Mch, p. 505). Their showrooms at 3 West Halkin Street, Belgrave Square, were said to be crowded with "...almost every variety of household furniture and trinkets without number" (ibid).
At the height of their success, Jennens & Bettridge are said to have employed no less than sixty men as full-time decorators, most of whom had been trained in Birmingham or London schools of design. The firm exhibited at all major provincial and international exhibitions, winning many medals and awards, including the Gold Isis Medal for their decorated table shown at the 3rd Annual Exhibition of the Society of Arts held in London in 1849. In the same year, they supplied a suite of furniture to Queen Isabella II of Spain, part of which was a pair of very similar, although smaller, sofas to the present (see Phillips, London, 26 November 1996, lot 228, for a pair of sofas reputed to have been those supplied to the Spanish Queen). The 1849 exhibition appears to have been a dry-run for the more prestigious Great Exhibition of 1851, where the firm were the only papier mch manufacturers in their class to be awarded a medal. After opening offices in both New York and Paris later in the 1850s, the business finally ended in 1864 on the death of Mr Jennens and at a time when the industry was falling under the shadow of newer, more competitive materials.