Architects

Name:

Bruce James Talbert

Designation :

Designer

Date of Birth:

Year Only

Exact DOB:

08/12/1925

Year of Birth :

1838

Circa Year of Birth :

Date of Birth Before (Year):

Date of Birth After (Year):

DOB (1st 'Or' Year):

DOB (2nd 'Or' Year):

Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

28/01/1881

Year of Death:

Circa Year of Death:

Date of Death Before (Year):

Date of Death After (Year):

DOD (1st 'Or' Year):

DOD (2nd 'Or' Year):

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Bio Notes :

Bruce James Talbert was born in 1838 in Dundee, the son of James Talbert, merchant and was educated at Dundee High School. He was articled to ___Millar, a Dundee woodcarver and commenced business as a woodcarver on his own account. This did not prove successful commercially and after two years he entered the office of the Dundee architect Charles Edward for whom he designed the heraldic motifs of the Kinnaird Hall, built 1857-58.

Probably in 1857 rather than the 1856, the date usually given, Talbert moved to Glasgow to work for William Nairne Tait, but by 1860 he was in the office of Campbell Douglas & Stevenson from which he won two prizes, an architectural design medal in 1860 and the Edinburgh Architectural Association medal.

In 1862 Talbert moved to Manchester to design furniture for the cabinet makers Doveston Bird & Hull but in October of that year he moved to Francis Skidmore's Art Manufactures in Coventry at a salary of four guineas a week. There he drew up the working drawings for George Gilbert Scott's Hereford Cathedral screen and Albert Memorial. He remained there until 1866 when he moved to London to work for Holland & Sons, furniture makers who were then preparing for the Paris Exhibition of 1867. His designs won a silver medal and commissions from Cox & Son, ecclesiastical metalworkers, and the furniture makers Gillows flowed in. In the same year, 1867, he published 'Gothic Forms applied to Furniture, Metalwork and Decoration for Domestic Purposes', the first plates of which appeared in July. But over-commitment and the London atmosphere had affected his health and he returned to Dundee where he set up 'a tasteful studio', address not traced, completed 'Gothic Forms' and provided designs for Gillows and James Lamb of Manchester.

Probably in 1869 he returned to London, living first at 10 Nottingham Place and then at 18 Bury Street (1871) and 11 Argyle Street (1872). He continued to work for Gillows, Cox & Son and the Coalbrookdale Iron Company, and began exhibiting designs for interiors at the Royal Academy. His designs were also published in Cox & Sons 'Illustrated catalogue of gothic and other artistic domestic furniture, fittings, decorations upholstery and metalwork... by architects and others..also from designs prepared by the Society of Decorative Art' issued in April 1872. In 1873 he took premises at 98 Gower Street jointly with the stained glass artist George Cook, close to the premises of Cottier & Co in which his former colleague at Campbell Douglas's, John McKean Brydon, was a partner. The Gower Street business prospered and in June 1874 he married Amy Adkins, the daughter of the well-off Birmingham maltster, Henry Adkins. They took a house at 5 Euston Square which then became both house and studio.

In 1876 Talbert brought out his second book 'Examples of Ancient and Modern Furniture, Metal Work, Tapestries, Decoration etc' and he soon had more work than he could carry out, his clients now also including Warners; Jackson & Graham; Marsh Jones & Cribb; Collinson & Lock; Vaughan & Sons; Caleb Trapnell of Bristol; Steel & Garland of Sheffield; William Frain of Dundee; Templetons Carpets of Glasgow; and many others, possibly including Walter MacFarlane & Co of Saracen Iron Works, Glasgow. The crowning achievement of his career was winning the Grand Prix at the Paris Exhibition of 1878 with the Juno cabinet made by Jackson & Graham.

Chronic overwork eventually resulted in alcoholism. He died on 28 January 1881 and was buried at Kensal Green. His wife Amy closed the studio and returned to Warwickshire.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From Char	Date From Type	Date To Char	Date To Type	Notes
10 Nottingham Place London England	Private
18 (or 16?) Bury Street St James\'s London England	Private
11 Argyle Street London England	Private
5 Euston Square London England	Private/business

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Business Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Date From	Date From Type	Date To	Date To Type	Notes
98 Gower Street London England	Business
5 Euston Square London England	Private/business

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The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this person (click on an item to view details):

Employers2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position
William Nairne Tait (or William Nairn Tait)	202976	In year 1857		Assistant
Campbell Douglas	200794	In year 1860		Draughtsman
Charles Edward	100387	c. 1855	c. 1857	Apprentice

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This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building Name	Date Started	City or County	Country	Notes
Manchester Town Hall	In year 1866	Manchester	England	Competition design - unplaced
Interior of a dining room	In year 1870			Second dining room design exhibited in 1871 - perhaps the same room?
Design for a Chimneypiece	In year 1872
Entrance to vestibule	In year 1873
Screen etc	In year 1874
Entresol etc	In year 1875
Wall decoration	In year 1875
Staircase	In year 1876

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
MacDonald, Sally	Gothic forms applied to furniture: the early work of Bruce James Talbert	1987	Furniture History, p39-66	XXIII
Jervis, Simon	Charles, Bevan & Talbert	1989	The Decorative Arts of the Victorian Period, ed. S Wright, p15-29

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The following periodicals contain references to this person:

Period ref classic

Periodical Name	Date Circ	Edition	Notes
Building News	1881/02/04	*	Obituary
Art Journal	1881	*	p95
Cabinet Maker and Art Furnisher	1882/02/01	*	Obituary
Architect	1881/02/05	*	Obituary

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Business Addresses

Business Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic

Periodical References

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