Accession Number

2020.008.002

Alternate Name

photograph frame

Description

A rectangular silver and fabric picture frame with a hinged arm on the back to facilitate table-top display, the maroon silk interior bearing the gilded mark for the retailer “Challoner & Mitchell Jewellers Victoria, B.C.” under thick beveled glass, the maroon velvet back heavily worn and soiled and the fabric strap between the hinged-arm and the frame-back separated from the arm, the front velvet worn and soiled, the repouseed and embossed silver on top of it in an ornate acanthus pattern and attached to the fabric and wood support, the cartouche at the centre top bare, the hallmarks indicating manufacture by Henry Matthews of Birmingham, England in 1899, the number “58” left of the maker’s mark at bottom centre.

Narrative

This picture frame was designed to be placed on a horizontal surface such as a mantle or table. Its history within the Dunsmuir family makes it a highly desirable object in The Castle Society’s Primary Collection.

History of Use

This picture frame was acquired by John William Bryden (1869-1953) and his wife Ellen Gertrude Tarbell (1882-1964) sometime after 1899 and used at their house on Gartley Beach at Royston, Vancouver Island, B.C. After their deaths, the frame was used by their son, Gerald Robert Bryden at his house in Royston, and then donated by his daughter to Craigdarroch Castle in 2020.

Date

1899

Dimensions

23 x 16 cm

Material

Metal, silver; Glass; Wood; Fabric, silk, velvet; Metal, gold

Technique

Stamped; Repoussed; Embossed

Country of Origin

United Kingdom