Arthur Tooth & Sons
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FOUNDING Arthur Tooth & Sons was an art gallery founded by Charles Tooth (1788-1868) in 1842 in London and closed in the 1970s. [1] [2] (GENEALOGY REFERENCE FOR DATES) Charles established the gallery so as to set up his son, Arthur (1828 - 1900), in business.[3] Arthur Tooth & Sons, while a relatively small business, became a major presence in the commercial art market from the 1870s onwards and became a key dealer for industrial magnate Henry Clay Frick [4] (WESBERG, PG?). Arthur Tooth & Sons supplied Frick with works by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Jean-François Raffaëlli, J. M. W. Turner, Frits Thaulow, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, and Rembrandt.
REPRODUCTIONS UNDER ARTHUR - SEE 'ART IN REPRODUCTION; - Tooth published reproductive prints - "the cash cow" of the victorian art market (C19TH) - made his fortune selling etchings to wealthy victorian patrons (OAC.CDLIB) -
STRUCTURE + BRANCHES Initially, the gallery focused on paintings by eighteenth and nineteenth century British artists (OAC.CDLIB), but expanded in the 1880s to include contemporary paintings and the occasional old masters piece (FLETCHER 113). Rather than selling 'big hit' artworks, Arthur Tooth & Sons concentrated on a steady stream of popular contemporary artists producing commodity-like artworks and operated as a kind of agent or patron for these artists (SUCH AS? BAYER AND PAGE 113). The stock was carefully chosen based on the notion that the 'aura' of more established art would rub off on and validate newer products (114 BAYER AND PAGE). As such, Arthur Tooth & Sons was partially responsible (ALONGSIDE OTHER LONDON GALLERIES) for the entry of a number of "victorian painters into the art market and their establishment within the contemporary art market" (BAYER AND PAGE 115). - "he operated as part of a group of approx. 30 dealers apparently organised in a loose network that extended beyond London and functioned in the market as both arbitrageurs as well as market makers" (MONEY AS MUSE, 117)
The nineteenth century saw an increasing number of middlemen between producers and consumers in the commercial art market (MONEY AS MUSE, 116).Arthur Tooth & Sons' business model can be seen as typical of these new BUSINESSES/MIDDLEMEN (C19TH). Common strategies to ensure reputability, soon emerged among these businesses such as internationally located branches and names after individual dealers (FLETCHER 68, C19TH). In the early twentieth century, Arthur Tooth & Sons held branches in London, New York and Paris (FLETCHER, 68/C19TH).
DUDLEY'S LEADERSHIP/ARTHUR' DEATH - CHANGES UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP AFTER ARTHUR'S RETIREMENT/ DEATH Dudley Tooth (1896 - 1972) (NPG WEBSITE), son of Arthur Tooth, took up leadership of Arthur Tooth & Sons in the mid 1920s and rebranded the gallery, expanding within the pool of contemporary artists and further promoting artists by giving them solo shows every two and a half years (FLETCHER, 199)
References
- ^ "Finding Aid for the Henry Clay Frick Papers". frick.org. unknown.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Text "frick.org" ignored (help) - ^ "Arthur Tooth: A London Art Dealer in the Spotlight, 1870–71". 19thc-artworldwide.org. Spring 2010.
{{cite web}}: Text "Nineteenth Century Art Online" ignored (help) - ^ "Arthur Tooth: A London Art Dealer in the Spotlight, 1870–71". 19thc-artworldwide.org. Spring 2010.
{{cite web}}: Text "Nineteenth Century Art Online" ignored (help) - ^ Bayer and Page, 2011, p.113.
Bibliography
- [1], Finding Aid for the Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series I: Art Files, 1881-1925, undated
- Bayer, Thomas and Page, John, The Development of the Art Market in England: Money as Muse, 1730-1900, London, UK, Pickering & Chatto, 2011