arts & crafts issue || george jack, master woodcarver of the arts & crafts movement:...

The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the Present

George Jack, Master Woodcarver of the Arts &Crafts Movement: "In all ways excellent andinspiring"Author(s): Amy ClarkeSource: The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 - the Present, No. 28, ARTS &CRAFTS ISSUE (2004), pp. 82-107Published by: The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to the PresentStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41809351 .

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George Jack, Master Woodcarver

of the Arts & Crafts Movement

In all ways excellent and inspiring

Amy Clarke

George designer,

(1855-1931), Washington

wood (Fig.

carver, 1) architect,

Henry

stained furniture-

glass

Jack (1855-1931), (Fig. 1) architect, furniture-

designer, wood carver, stained glass artist, teacher and toy-maker must surely epitomize the designer-craftsman of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Yet he is perhaps one of its most neglected figures. Throughout his life Jack was modest and retiring, shying away from the

limelight claimed by the more vocal members of the movement. This shadowy status has continued since his death. In publications about Morris & Co and the Arts and Crafts Movement

Jack is simply referred to as being the chief furniture designer for Morris & Co from 1890 onwards. However, his interior decorative schemes were just as important as his furniture

designs. Westminster Cathedral, Debenham

House, Dunsany Castle, Seoul Cathedral and

Brockhampton Church are among the buildings to which he contributed designs for architectural and decorative elements. This article will reassess the significant role that he played in the Arts and Crafts Movement, both through his independent work and his collaborations with other leading designer-craftsmen. Jack was a multi-skilled

craftsman, but this paper will concentrate on one

key area of his work, woodcarving.

TRAINING AND EARLY CAREER

Jack was born on 8th August 1855 on Long Island, New York. His parents James Pattison

Jack, an engraver descended from Paisley weavers and Christiana Wilhemina Reid

(whose family was originally from Dublin, but had settled in Aberdeen) married in 1852.

A little over a year later, and by the time their first child was born, they had emigrated and settled on Long Island. Their first two children died before the age of a few months, George, the third child proved to be sturdier, and he was

joined by a brother, James, in 1857. James Jack Senior must have been successful in finding work since he was able to purchase a property outright. However when he died suddenly in 1860 the family returned to Glasgow. The boys attended St David's School in Glasgow, where Mrs Jack gave piano lessons in the 1860s and 70s. George had really wanted to become an

artist, and although accomplished at drawing he was not deemed to be remarkable, and it was perhaps due to the reduced state of the

family's finances that it was decided that he should train as an architect.

In 1869, at the age of 14, Jack was articled to Horatio Kelson Bromhead (1838-1934), a well-established and prominent architect. Bromhead had trained in England, where he had held several positions before opening an office at 245 St Vincent Street, Glasgow. Jack was indentured for a period of four years. Buildings designed by Bromhead during this time include tenement blocks at 401-35 Sauchiehall Street. Jack became firm friends with the other young men working in Bromhead's office, particularly Thomas Hamilton Crawford and William Hackston.

Along with Jack they all harboured the ambition to become painters. Crawford later recalled that Jack was the only one to abandon the idea, 'although he alone had the distinctive

painter faculty'.1

FIG. 1 Portrait photograph of George Jack, taken in the mid 1870s, at around the time he moved to London from Scotland. William Morris Gallery Collection

GEORGE JACK MASTER WOOD CARVER OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT 83



Several of these Scottish friends moved to London and kept in close contact with one another. Jack was the first to go, in 1875, to gain more experience and to seek a position in an architectural office. Jack found employment in several offices including that of Charles George Vinall (1835-1903), architect and surveyor, of

Craig's Court. Vinall often worked for Philip Webb and introduced him to Jack. Jack undertook some minor work for Webb in 1879, but did not join him on a full time basis until a few years later. Very few records survive from this period, but it appears that Jack continued to assist Vinall on an occasional basis until 1885.

By 1882 Jack had become a full-time member of Webbs staff, at Gray s Inn Fields,

acting as draughtsman and site architect. Webb introduced Jack to William Morris and from 1885 he began to design furniture for Morris & Co. His furniture can be divided into two

categories: elaborate inlaid pieces for Morris &

Co, and more free-style Arts and Crafts pieces bearing his unique carvings.

In woodcarving it seems that Jack received no formal schooling, though many manuals and handbooks were readily available, including: The Amateurs Practical Guide to

Fretwor', Woodcarving, Inlaying, Mitreing picture frames etc written by a 'Practical Hand' in 1888. Jack began woodcarving as a hobby but

increasingly developed his skill. Through his architectural work and contacts he was able to find many opportunities to exercise his talent

professionally. In fact he was following Morris's own advice: 'Let us therefore do our very best to become as good craftsmen as possible; and if

we cannot become good craftsmen in one line, let us go down the next, and find our level in the arts, and be good in that; if we are artists at

all, we shall be sure to find out what we can do

well, even if we cannot do it easily.'2 It was around 1885 that Jack began to carve in wood and model in clay; his first lesson in

woodcarving was given by Laurence Turner

(1864- 1957). 3 Some of his earliest carvings were made for his recently married brother James, who had made furniture for his own home. The pieces included bedroom furniture and a china cupboard for which George offered to

produce some carved decoration, in the form of a band of oak leaves around the initial 'J' as a centrepiece.

EARLY COMMISSIONS FOR MORRIS & CO

Although Morris, Marshall, Faulkner &

Company's first circular described the firm as 'Fine Art Workmen in Painting, Carving, Furniture, and the Metals', woodcarving was not in fact a significant part of their output. It was not until Jack began working for the firm in 1885, that Morris & Co's commissions for interior decoration began to include carved work. He designed carved fittings for

interiors, as well as structural architectural

elements, such as chimney pieces and door

jambs. One of the reasons Morris may have been keen to employ Jack would have been not only his ability as a decorative designer, but also his skill and practical understanding of the craft of carving.

84 THE DECORATIVE ARTS SOCIETY JOURNAL 2OO4



FIG. 2 Carved sideboard in the dining room at Rounton Grange. Courtesy of the Gertrude Bell Photographic Archive, Newcastle

One early example of the work Jack undertook for Morris & Co was the production in 1888 of working drawings for window and door architraves for Lord Leconfield's house at 9 Chesterfield Gardens.4 A short time later he carried out additional work altering a frieze from plaster to carved oak and in 1890 designed fittings for the ballroom, anteroom and

smoking room. In the same year he prepared a

'Design and working drawings for a wainscot cabinet with carving'. For Sir Robert Hunter, a co-founder of the National Trust he produced 'sketch designs for [a] sideboard for Meadfielď his home in Haslemere, Surrey, in 1889.

Jack was also commissioned to do some work for the interior of Rounton Grange, Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Philip Webb had designed Rounton in 1868 for Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell (1816-1904). Included in Webb s scheme was a large oak sideboard built for the dining room (Fig. 2). In 1891 Jack was

paid for some designs he had made 'for

carving for Rounton sideboard'. On a practical level the sideboard is well equipped with

cupboards, drawers, plate racks ánd alcoves for the display of larger pieces of china. There

is a narrow band of carving along the top edge, with a wider band above the drawers. The carving consists of scrolling acanthus

foliage interspersed with stylized flower heads and leaves.

ARCHITECTURAL CONNECTIONS

From 1885 Jack worked simultaneously for Webb in his architectural practice and for Morris & Co. He was not, therefore, exclusively Morris & Cos 'chief furniture designer'. Webb's office offered Jack not just the good fortune to learn from a master, but presented him with the

opportunity to mix with bright and enthusiastic

designer-craftsmen and architects who sought Webb's company. Webb was a pivotal figure to these young men who included Charles

Canning Winmill (1865-1945) and William Weir (1865-1950).5 Many joined the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) since they were interested in repair, rather than restoration and they realized that Webb was the best person to teach them the relevant

techniques. Webb advocated that nothing was more important than practical experience. Jack




FIG. 3 Plaster copy of carved wooden bookcovers for the Kelmscott Press Tale of Troy, commissioned by Cobden-Sanderson. The covers were completed in June 1894. William Morris Gallery Collection

joined SPAB in 1891, and became a committee member the following year. When the church of St Margaret Marios, Eglwys Cummin, South

Glamorgan was repaired by Weir (under the direction of Webb) in 1901-02, Jack carved some book covers for its bible. The covers were in a very simple, yet well-designed style. Some

years later he produced a carved lectern

depicting St Margaret. Weir, who was one of the most important SPAB repairers, may have known Jack prior to them both moving to London from their native Scotland.6 Winmill and Jack became lifelong friends; the former often recommended Jack to his clients.7 Jack would also have become acquainted with Ernest Gimson and the Barnsley brothers in the 1890s when they had an office near to Webbs;

they saw each other often to discuss work and politics.

INFLUENCES

Jack drew his inspiration for his carving from a wide range of sources. Webb encouraged his assistant in a fuňdamental way. He could see the Arts and Crafts Movement's need for the

duality of architect and designer-craftsman. Although Webb did not practice woodcarving himself he understood the principles and had the insight of a practical craftsman. They enjoyed a very close working relationship: Webb often designed subjects for Jack to carve, and sometimes helped him out with his own

designs. One example of a collaboration is a shield of arms for the lid of a cabinet in carved

oak, designed by Webb and executed and exhibited by Jack. It was shown at the 1896 Arts and Crafts Society Exhibition.8 Despite this close collaboration Jack did independently design foliage decoration for Morris & Co.

In the 1880s and 90s, when he first began to

carve, Jack visited churches in order to study architecture and church furniture, and produced sketches to inspire him later. He also sought out animals to sketch. Jack became very adept at

depicting animals in a very personal and

appealing way, which was profoundly influenced

by Philip Webbs own skills in this field. In 1894 when he was designing a set of carved book covers for The Talé of Troy (Fig. 3) for Cobden- Sanderson he visited London Zoo to draw the lions. His diary for Saturday 24 March records 'at zoo', and again on Saturday 14 April. However, he eventually used a drawing by Philip Webb 'done to explain certain facts about the

pose of a lion'. He apparently had no difficulty with the wild boar and stag. In Woodcarving , he wrote: 'To carve animals as they ought to be

carved, one must have something more than a

passing interest in their forms; there must be included also an understanding of their natures, and some acquaintance with their habits.'9 Jack




also carved some book covers in English oak for FS Ellis's translation of Reynard the Fox , which

incorporated several animals, the fox himself, a

lion, a bear, a badger and a cockerel.10 There is no doubt that Jack was influenced

by medieval woodcarving. He loved the vigorous style of English misericords, carved bench ends and screen carvings of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Jack would have been able to see examples of these, not only in churches, but also at the South Kensington Museum, where he was a frequent visitor, as his diary records. The

plates that Jack later chose to illustrate his book on woodcarving, in addition to photographs and

postcards of source material that he collected, indicate the diverse range of his inspiration.11 A

cursory glance at misericords and bench ends reveals a clear source for Jack s inspiration for his

freestyle carvings. Carvings of this sort were made for himself; clients rarely commissioned work like

this; the Rounton fireplace carvings, which are discussed below, are an exception. Jack often carved humorous subjects, like the medieval craftsmen who carved misericords. Such creative freedom can often be seen in his independent work. As Jack explained: 'The art of woodcarving has also to fulfil its intellectual function, as an

interpreter of the dreams and fancies of the

imagination.'12 Jack was also a keen reader of folk tales and romances and often took inspiration from these. He employed quotes from literature to accompany his carvings and the embroideries he designèd for his wife Annie ̂ to execute. One of these embroideries bears the inscription 'Under the greenwood tree who loves to lie with me and tune his merry note unto the sweet birds throat'.14

EXHIBITIONS OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS EXHIBITION SOCIETY

The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society's first exhibition was held in November 1888 at the New Gallery, Regent Street and it enabled Jack to promote his developing skills in the craft of

woodcarving. As Walter Crane said in the introduction to the catalogue: 'The decorative artist and the handicraftsman have hitherto had but little opportunity of displaying their work in the public eye, or rather appealing to it upon strictly artistic grounds in the same sense as the

pictorial artist'15. The Society's intention was to bring individual designers and makers to

greater prominence. Crane explained the

difficulty in trying to give due credit to the

responsible designer and workman. Some

leading decorative supply firms did not take

part because they did not wish craftsmen's names to be published. The catalogues include valuable essays on individual crafts, as

contemporary designer-craftsmen perceived them. The first Exhibition's catalogue contained an essay by Stephen Webb on furniture in which the author advised that

carvings should always be 'subordinate of the

general design and mouldings, and (in its

application to surfaces) should be in low relief.'16 Jack adhered to this advice when

carving flat panels. He was elected to the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society in 1889, and later became a reliable member of the committee.

Jack exhibited two items in the first

exhibition, neither of which incorporated carving: an inlaid mahogany cabinet and an




inlaid mahogany sideboard, designed by him and executed by H Sidewell and W Thatcher. In the second Arts and Crafts Society exhibition

(1889), Jack exhibited a handmade table in

mahogany with a shaped top and carved legs designed by him and again executed by Thatcher and Sidewell, with carving by H Dodd (Catalogue No 415). It had a piecrust shaped top and six legs adorned with bands of

carving. The centre of the stretcher was decorated with a carved sunflower head. A

plain version was available with straight radiating stretchers. In the Morris & Co

catalogue this exhibited version appears as No

376, priced at eight guineas, the plain (No 370) was available in oak or mahogany for £4 10 0. In the third exhibition, held in 1890, Jack exhibited several pieces including a panel of carved Italian walnut.1^ He exhibited it

independently; it was not for Morris & Co. This is likely to be the panel now in Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery. It later belonged to Charles Canning Winmill, who treasured this work given him at the time Jack retired from his teaching post at South Kensington.18

One of Jack's major pieces of carved furniture was executed in 1892. It is a chest of Italian walnut inscribed 'Hunting and slaying is

my praying, my life is the doves betraying GJ 1892' (Fig. 4). It was exhibited at the fourth Arts and Crafts Exhibition held in 1893. It seems that the panels were carved first; the idea of making them into a piece of furniture was

secondary. This is born out in the somewhat

strange mixturé of themes in the carvings. Jacks diary entry for Saturday 10 Januaryl892

records that he spent two hours carving 'bird

panel'. On Thursday 4 February 'Morris's carrier called and took away 4 pieces of carving to be made up as a cabinet'.19 The central section consists of a long rectangular panel decorated with foliage carved in low relief. The central pendant contains an eagle, surrounded

by the inscription. The lettering is medieval in

style. Below this central section there is another

panel depicting a seated 'gnome' accompanied by two mice. On either side of this there is a

single spiky thistle, a reminder perhaps of Jack's Scottish heritage. Two side panels bear floral

carvings, one a Tudor rose, the other a tulip and

foliage design. Overall it is a sturdy piece of furniture but the v side panel carvings are delicate and very similar in style to the Cheltenham panel.

The cabinet was illustrated in the Cabinet

Ma'er and Art Furnisher of November 1893. The author declared:

'Mr George Jack, whose name in earlier exhibitions generally appeared in

conjunction with that of Mr William

Morris, has done not a little to put good furniture in evidence at the New Gallery.

FIG. 4 Chest of carved Italian walnut , 1892. It was shown at the 1893 Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society exhibition. This photograph, taken in the Jack family homey shows an embroidery executed by Jack's wife Annie.




FIG. 5 Small cabinet with carved panel with Melon design . The cabinet was photographed in Jack's home by his friend William Weir in March 1895, original photograph. William Morris Gallery Collection

No 93, a cabinet in Italian walnut is

thoroughly commendable, both as regards design, carving and workmanship. The two first are Mr Jacks own work, and the credit of the latter goes to Mr W Thatcher. Here,

again, well-placed beautiful wood adds much to the value of the article/

This piece of furniture looks like a blanket

chest, being conflated in an eighteenth century form, and is often described as such. However, it has a fall front with two drawers like a clothes press. Clothes presses are usually tall; this one is comparatively squat. The locks were made by Hobbs and Co. The two ends each contain a cupboard with locked doors; the

cupboard space is divided into two sections by a single shelf. The original label indicates this

piece was exhibited at the Anglo-French Exhibition at the Louvre in 1914. The label also indicates that another piece was lent, a carved

panel, possibly the one given to C. C. Winmill.

Chip carved decoration appears on the legs and

edges of the panels, an archetypal woodwork

technique. This is one of the most characteristic Arts and Crafts features of his work, as the chip carving technique exactly reflects the way the

chisel functions. It shows a quintessential use of the tool most central to his craft._

Eleanor Rowe, the Head of the School of Art Woodcarving at South Kensington, noted her opinion of the piece in her own copy of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition catalogue in a single word 'charming'.20 However, she regarded a carved oak panel21 by Jack as crude. It is

possible that this piece of carving was later made up into a cabinet. A photograph taken in

Jack's home by William Weir in 1895 shows a

long narrow cabinet consisting of a panel of

carving mounted on to the fall front (Fig. 5).22 The Studio magazine's reviewer, Horace

Townsend, compared Jack's carved chest to a work-cabinet by Voysey. He thought the latter a simple well-proportioned piece of furniture 'of useless ornament there is none' but

'At the opposite end of the pole stands Mr

Jack's chest, which in conventional fashion relies upon its carven richness for its beauty, nor would it be easy to find an example of modern work which has more truly and less

servilely caught the spirit of dead and gone craftsmen.'2^




Though the chest attracted very high praise it failed to sell and it remained in the possession of his family until it was given to the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1972. It did not sell, possibly because of the prominence of Jacks initials on the front panel. In 1899 George Jack was interviewed by Fred Miller for The Artist

magazine in order to discuss his work and artistic outlook:

'Mr Jack has shown himself to be a vigorous and skilful woodcarver, impressing his work emphatically with his own

individuality; but, as he puts it, where are the patrons? In his own house is the very beautiful chest which he showed at the Arts and Crafts; it was priced at such a figure as would pay him journeyman's wages for the time he spent upon it, but no one who saw it was prepared to give this sum, so the worker enjoys it himself.'24

Miller added:

'As a member of the Arts and Crafts Society, Mr Jack has of course exhibited on his own

account, some of his original woodcarvings being very distinctive. He has found small

patronage for this work however, and has had to look upon it as a luxury, as most of it is still in his own possession.25

Jack expresses a telling opinion of the Arts and Crafts exhibitions, which reveals how

contemporaries of the shows viewed them. He believes they 'are chiefly of use as a shop where

the wares of the members are bought before the

patron who is on the look out for something not

utterly commonplace'. He argues that the shows 'afford the exhibitors that chance of

legitimate advertisement which is essential in these days'.26 There is no doubt that the Arts and Crafts exhibitions did greatly assist the exhibitors to become more prominently known, Jack included.

THE ART WORKERS GUILD

According to the visitor's book Jack first went to a guild meeting in early 1904, when he was introduced by Harold Stabler, the enameler and metalworker.2'7 Jack was elected to

membership of the Art Workers Guild on May 4 1906, later to honorary membership status in 1925. He was proposed by H Longden and seconded by DB Cockerell. He received 26 votes (CM Gere got 15, while A Randall Wells

only received 8 and was not elected). It is not

possible to calculate accurately how many guild members were woodcarvers as Jack himself described his profession solely as architect. In 1903 (when Jack's book on Woodcarving was

published) only three members out of 219 were described as woodcarvers. The number did rise to five by 1913; by 1921 of 285 members there were seven carvers and three architectural carvers. In this year Jack was listed as both an architect and a carver. In May 1907 Jack took the artist Thomas Hamilton Crawford along to a meeting, and in June of the same year George E Kruger.28 Naturally the Guild

meetings provided the opportunity to mix with




FIG. 6 Eagle lectern , St John's Church, Derby, 1907, original photograph. William Morris Gallery Collection

other craftsmen, and Jack became acquainted with professional architectural carvers whose services he would use for his own designs.

Laurence A Turner was one such

person. Turner had been a member of the AWG since 1891; later he served on the committee from 1916-18 and became Master in 1922. Though Jack had known Turner since the 1880s; it was not until after Jack joined the Guild that Turner began to

regularly produce carvings to Jacks designs: for example, an eagle lectern in oak for St

John's Church, Derby in 1907 (Fig. 6) and a carved and painted reredos for St Peter and St Paul, Godalming in 1912. Sadly this

commission, decorated with symbols of the

evangelists and angels, was removed from the church and sold overseas in 1964. Jack may have encouraged Joseph Armitage (1880-1945), to join the Guild. Armitage a carver of wood and stone also modeled in fibrous plasterwork and designed metalwork. He had lived in Leicester and Hull before

setting up a workshop in London. Armitage and Jack both produced work for Madresfield Court. Jack prepared a measured drawing of a proposed fireplace in the staircase hall for Madresfield in 1904.29 The design included

panelling, which was to contain coloured and

gilded heraldic carving. Several years later

Armitage contributed a carved panel in low relief of the Arms of the Earl of Beauchamp for the library.30 Armitage eventually joined the Art Workers Guild in 1910. The work he carried out to Jack's designs includes a carved reredos for a church in Solihull in 1920.

SECULAR COMMISSIONS

A particularly delightful example of Jack's individual carving style are the panels he

produced as a commission for Sir Hugh Bell.31 In 1906 Jack was engaged to build a new Common Room for Rounton Grange32 and to

compose a scheme to decorate its fireplace. He

designed a series of small panels:

'On the wood chimneypiece are many pretty fancies, carved by Mr. Jack's own hand. The

supporting jambs are decorated with little

panels emblematic of the Supports of Life, i and illustrate different phases of the great m iron industries which Sir Hugh Bell directs. I

Along the frieze are other little scenes, fl

suggesting the Pleasures of Life.'33

This was a welcome commission for Jack. In

July 1908 he was paid £150, £26.10.0 of which was paid to Laurence Turner for making the

panels and chimney piece and £8.10.0 to Miss Reeks (Head of the School of Art Woodcarving) for assistance with carving. Jack estimated that the six side panels had taken two weeks each to

carve, the four monogram panels one week and the two long panels of hunting and children three weeks each.

The panels depicted Treasure Seeding, Handicrafts, Play Outdoors, Home, Play Indoors and Organization and Invention, Commerce, Bell

Foundery [sic], Engineering and Gun mailing (Fig. 7a- c). They were carved in shallow relief, | the grain of the wood helping to emphasize the

pattern's lively design. The scenes on the left

GEORGE JACK MASTER WOOD CARVER OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT 9I



FIG. 7A-C (above) Treasure Seeding, scenes for Rounton Grange fireplace panels, original photograph. William Morris Gallery Collection

FIG. 8A-C (below) Designs for Rounton Grange fireplace panels, original photograph. William Morris Gallery Collection

jamb are very lively: gnomes are depicted in the

activity of treasure seeking (Fig. 8 a- c). The structure is perfectly composed and Jack's design conveys a great deal in a small surface area. The skillful portrayal of the gnomes bustling movements contrasts with Jacks inclusion of an unexpected domestic detail in the form of a cat lazily observing the scene.

Along the lintel are the panels concerned with the family. One panel is devoted to Gertrude Margaret Bell (1868-1926), eldest

daughter of Sir Hugh,^4 a renowned scholarly traveler who developed a deep love of the Near East. The panel bears her entwined initials, and

depicts a desert scene of a figure in Arab dress

standing by the side of a camel. The Play Outdoors is a charming scene of two figures on horseback. A leaping horse accompanied by hounds implies movement, and in another

register of detail on the bottom right, a fox chases two rabbits. In the top right Rounton Grange itself can be seen. Wellington, the Bell family's other home is depicted in great detail on a further panel. Other panels include one with the initials 'HLB', a piano and a score of music, probably to represent the Rev Hugh Lowthian Bell. Play Indoors is set within an oval rounded in the centre draped with swagged curtains

surrounding space is divided into four sections

depicting flowers and fruit. In the centre a group




FIG. 9 ' Play Indoors' panel, showing the New Room designed by Jack, original photograph. William Morris Gallery Collection

FIG. 10A Music cabinet with ' The Sheepfolď panel , exhibited at the 1910 Arts and Crafts Exhibition.

of children play a game of the Bells of St Clements. It is interesting that the game is being played in the new Common Room built by Jack - indicated by the inclusion of paneling, arched widows and plasterwork (Fig. 9). The remaining panels on the right jamb depict Commerce - a

ship, Bell Founding and Engineering feature the

gnomes again. The final two designs were not

realized; thus the bottom two panels on each side were not decorated. These were intended to

represent gun making and gnomes at a feast.

Again this scene is set in a room very similar to the design of the Common Room. Lowthian Bell was a steady patron of Webb, and his son

proved to be the same for Jack. Fortunately the

panels were removed before the house was demolished in the 1950s.^

A music cabinet (William Morris Gallery Collection) bearing a carved panel by Jack was exhibited at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition of

1910 (Fig. 10a). The cabinet is made of light oak, with the carving of The Sheepfold positioned above the two doors, the whole

resting on four legs, the front two turned, the back two plain. The carved panel was made some years prior to being incorporated into a

cabinet, as explained by Jack in his book: 'It was

begun without any premeditated intention as to use, the sloping end being the shape of the board as it came into the author's hands, the other end being sloped off to match it.'36 It would have been around 1890 when he found this piece of wood. The William Morris Gallery has a pencil drawing for the centre part of the carved panel showing the ewe and ram. Apart from a very few minor differences the drawing and finished carving are identical. Laurence Turner made up the panel into a cabinet. The

Gallery also has a sheet of detailed drawings, which Jack prepared as instructions to Turner.




FIG. lOB (above) The original design for the carving of The Sheepfold panel.

FIG. 11 (far right) ' Sermon on the Mount '

Pulpit, panel in oak at All Saint's Church, Brockhampton, 1902.

Jack retained the cabinet for his own use when it did not sell at the exhibition.

The carved scene is divided into three

registers, the boundaries indicated by swirling acanthus. The left section depicts a shepherd with a crook holding onto his hat, suggesting there is a high wind, the dog below him

bounding along. The centre illustrates a ewe and ram, on the right the sheepfold itself, full of

Jack's characteristic sheep with long and rounded noses. An original design (Fig. 10b) for the carved panel shows the shepherd and

sheepdog to be the same, but the centre panel has a more fantastic theme - a mischievous

goblin, poking his tongue out, pulls on a dense

tangle of foliage in which a sheep has become

entangled, while another just manages to pull free. On the right, a less fully worked-up group of sheep looks on with blank, rather startled

eyes. Themes of goblins and brownies

delighted him: 'Who can behold the fantastic humours of Gothic carvings without being both amused and interested? Those grotesque heads with gaping Ynouths recall the stories of

childhood, peopled with goblins and gnomes.'37

Jack designed an embroidered panel for his wife based on a scene from A Midsummer

Night's Dream depicting Oberon and Titania with other fairies and creatures.38

ECCLESIASTIC COMMISSIONS

Of all Jack's work in wood, his church commissions are probably the most accessible, yet the least known today. Jack designed and

produced a wide range of church furniture, including lecterns, organ cases, reredos, altars and painted decorations. Word of his talent soon spread and he was called upon to decorate

places of worship throughout the UK and

abroad, from small parish churches to

prestigious buildings such as Westminster

Abbey and Seoul Cathedral. There is a

problem of misattribution, since many commissions were executed through WR

Lethaby, when they were actually by Jack himself.39 Following in the Gothic tradition, Lethaby often planned the general scheme but individual craftsmen filled in the details. For instance at the Church of Four Elms,




Edenbridge, Jack provided woodcarvings and

JP Cooper the metalwork. The mixture of

styles added to the charm and interest. The Sermon on the Mount , a carved

panel for the front of a pulpit (Fig. 11) was commissioned for All Saints Church, Brockhampton, Ross-on-Wye. The church was

designed and built by Lethaby for Alice Foster in 1901, in memory of her parents. The

organization of the picture space of this low relief carving, particularly in the placing of the

figures on the left-hand side owes a debt to

Byzantine art. Though the arrangement of these figures is icon-like, the overall effect gives the impression of vigorous folk art. With

regard to representing people: 'The academic

study of the human figure Mr Jack thinks quite unnecessary for the carver; in fact, he holds that the carver will do more suitable work without the knowledge of anatomy. In support of this

opinion he cites the treatment of the figure in

woodcarvings of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries as far more satisfactory than the realistic efforts of the present day.'40 The pulpit panel was carved in 1902, as were some further




FIG. 12 (above left) Carved angel panels, choir stalls at All Saints Church, Brockhampton, 1902.

FIG. 13 ( above centre) Alms box, All Saint's Church, Brockhampton, 1915.

FIG. 14 ( above right) Lectern , detail of carving, St James's Church, Coin St Dennis, 1905.

panels to adorn the choir stalls. Jack s account book reveals that he was paid in May 1903 'for

carving 5 panels in oak for church near Ross -

Foster Esq. Through Lethaby 27.0.0'. The other panels referred to were for the choir stalls

(Fig. 12), which are in a somewhat different

style to the pulpit carving, and are in higher relief. The panels directly echo the architecture of Lethaby 's building in the triangular niche

form, which frames the angels. These child

angels, who have haloes above their shoulder-

length hair, and wear Arts and Crafts-style smocks, may possibly have been modelled on

Jack's twin daughters who would have been

eight years old at this time. Some years later

Jack was commissioned by Mrs Foster to design and carve an alms box as a memorial to Cedric A Foster, who had been mortally wounded at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle on March 11 1915

(Fig. 13). The box is decorated with strapwork and formalized rosettes inspired by Elizabethan

carving. The carved lettering of the inscription is in a very distinctive Arts and Crafts style, deriving from the influence of Webb. May Morris employed this style of lettering in her

embroideries, as did Jack in the textiles he

designed for Annie. In 1904 Jack was commissioned to design

a lectern for the medieval church of St James's, Coin St Denys, Gloucestershire. The lectern was dedicated* in 1905 to the memory of

Edward Duncan Hall, the former Rector and his wife, by members of their family. It depicts Saint James with his brother Saint John and their father Zebedee in a fishing boat (Fig. 14). It is an extremely meticulous carving, particularly in the expressions of the fishermen, their clothes, hair and caps. The rope and the mesh of the fishing net are rendered in delicate detail. Chisel marks are clearly visible and add to the vigorous effect.

In 1910 Jack was commissioned to design a lectern for St Bridget's Church, Skenfrith, Monmouthshire to commemorate Frederick

Leyton Pershouse Thomas (1889- 1906).41 The carved lectern represents St Bridget of Kildare

(Fig. 15a). St Bridget was the abbess of the Irish double monastery of Cill-dara or 'the church of the oak'.42 Her attributes: acorns, oak leaves and the holy flames over her head are part of Jack's design (Fig. 15b). St Bridget is represented as a nun and her face bears a calm and gentle expression. The little step designed by Jack is still in situ. Commissioned as part of the church restoration that took place in 1910, he was paid £30 for his work. George E Kruger helped Jack with the iconography of St Bridget.4^

Lethaby was surveyor of Rochester

Cathedral, whose parish included St Margaret's Church. In 1918 he wrote a report on this

building, which was published in the parish magazine. He suggested that the whole church




should be made light and bright by being decorated in white and cream. He also desired that there should be a better pulpit and a font

canopy that might 'give some dignity to the rather inadequate font'. He suggested that the

plain and dull reredos be brightened, existing carved figures should be gilded, and the centre

piece be replaced with a roundel to his design to be more in scale with the side figures of Faith and Hope. To this end Jack was engaged to

design a mahogany font cover for St Margaret s Church in 1919. A few years later he carved and

painted a medallion for the reredos (Fig. 16). The medallion, which depicts the Lamb of God, has a green background, decorated with

marguerite daisies. This is framed by a broad band with scalloped edge, and between bands of

moulding on a blue ground small conventional clouds are painted among gilded stars. The vicar

thought that 'this charming work gives significance to the reredos' and commented that 'Our church is fortunate in having memorials

wrought by this original and fine craftsman.'44 St Margaret's sits high on the hill behind Rochester Cathedral where another example of his work can be seen today. In 1924 Jack designed the cope chest, a substantial and

impressive piece of furniture of light oak. It bears five shallow relief carved panels, depicting the Lamb of God and the Evangelists' symbols (Fig. 17). Each, (except for the lamb), is

accompanied by a banner bearing an inscription. Another Kentish church commission is at

Holy Trinity, Crockham Hill, for which Jack

FIG. 15 A (far left) St Bridget lectern at Skenfrith Church, 1910.

FIG. 15B (left) Design for St Bridget lectern. William Morris Gallery Collection




FIG. 16 (above) Detail from reredos at St Margaret's Church, Rochester, 1921-2. The scheme of work was suggested by WR Lethaby, several pieces of carving were carried out by Jack.

FIG. 18 (above right) Detail of the screen at Holy Trinity, Crockham Hill, Kent, 1920.

FIG. 17 (right) Cope chest, Rochester Cathedral, 1924.

designed a screen as a memorial to men of the

village who served in the First World War. It was done at the instigation of Walter K Shirley in 1920. The lower parts of the screen are decorated with patterns of chip carving (Fig. 18), whilst the top of the screen bears arched shaped panels carved with war scenes, for example wounded soldiers being carried out of a trench on a stretcher.

Nearby Crockham Hill is the church of St

Pauls, Four Elms, for which Jack designed and carved (in collaboration with Joseph Armitage) a new organ case in 1923.45 The two spandrels, with depictions of shepherds and their flocks, were carved entirely by Jack (Fig. 19). The

rendering of the figures and animals, a favourite subject, is both sympathetic and

masterly in technique. Jack thought that his

workmanship should help the eye to understand the forms, and explain, not ¡confuse the contours of the surface: '. . . the tool marks should emphasize the drawing without in

anyway calling attention to themselves.'46

According to the current church leaflet, the carved oak screen between the nave and chancel was designed by Lethaby, and made by the local joiner, William Winter with carving by Jack. It also attributes the oak lectern4'7 to a

design by Lethaby. However, documentation shows that this too is Jack's work.48




FIG. 19 Spandrel of organ case, St Paul's, Four Elms.

It appears that Lethaby acted as advisor to the church committee, and recommended several friends to decorate this church

including the sculptors Thomas Stirling Lee and Henry Alfred Pegram and the metalworkers John Paul Cooper and his son Francis. As a result, the church contains a remarkable (if little known) scheme of Arts and Crafts furnishings. The chçir stall carvings are

by Evelyn Chambers and Rachel Faudel-

Phillips, who may have been former students of Jack. The reredos, the Adoration of the Magi , was designed by Lethaby and sculpted by Stirling Lee (when he died in 1914 the work was completed by Henry Pegram).

Jack s last commission was for a scheme of Arts and Crafts furnishings for St Margaret's, Barking, in collaboration with CC Winmill, as

part of a SPAB sponsored repair and refurbishment in the late 1920s. The greater part of Jack s work here was a memorial to the Fishermen and Mariners of Barking, part of which included a screen decorated with eight carved wooden figures connected with fishing or with local significance. The figures are most

attractive, full of character and lively expression. On this subject Jack wrote: 'when figures were

being carved for the decoration of churches in ancient days they were carved with the full intention of ... covering them in paint and

gold.' Mostly this has disappeared without a trace and therefore it is common for them to be

copied as found. As a result the figures were not often seen in a good light so features were difficult to distinguish. 'Wood always has a way of hiding itself if the light is not very strong, but

the moment it is covered with gold paint it

reappears in all its details even in a dark recess/49 Individually carved figures by Jack were always painted in the ancient way (Fig. 20).50

TEACHING AND COLLABORATIONS WITH PUPILS

Like so many other leading members of the Arts and Crafts movement Jack was committed to teaching. He taught wood-

carving at the Royal College of Art, at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and at the School of Art Woodcarving. His influence

helped to preserve the importance of hand-

woodcarving in education. The difficulties of

establishing a good system of education for the

artist, Jack thought, were not academic but

practical, since the pupil can not learn design without mastering technique.51 Like Lethaby, Jack was convinced that practical experience was the only way to teach the crafts. In 1900 the Board of Education reorganized the

training of teachers of state-assisted schools of

art, and courses for diplomas in design and handicraft at the Royal College of Art, South

Kensington, were taken over by W.R. Lethaby. Jack began teaching at the Royal College of Art in 1901. Lethaby wrote to Jack 'I gave




FIG. 20 One of the carved and painted figures on the screen in the Fisherman's Memorial Chapel at St Margaret's Church, Barking, 1930. This was one of Jack's last commissions and he was very ill by this point. Photograph by Peter Cormac'

them [the Board of Education] your name more than a month ago when they were asking me and told them that you were the designer and the man they must have.'*52 A week later

Lethaby wrote again:

'It would be most invaluable to have here a

course, say one a week, of demonstrations from you under some such name as "Modelled and Relief decoration, plaster, gesso and carving"'. Lethaby suggested that the number of students who would be interested in such a course would probably be between 8 and 16.5^

In a testimonial dated February 20 1903

Lethaby wrote of Jack:

'He is I consider the best original wood carver in England and has taught this subject and gesso-work at South Kensington. In

teaching he interests and controls the pupils admirably - He has wide experience in

general designing . . . He is an exquisite draughtsman especially of beasts and birds.'54

Jack also received high praise from Walter Crane in support of his application for the post of Headmaster of the Birmingham Municipal School of Art:

'the success of the class of woodcarving and

gesso work you have instructed at the Royal College of Art where I have observed your skill in calling out the taste and invention of the students as well as the personal interest

you take in their progress and the happy relationship existing between you and them - forms very important testimony to your abilities upon the practical side of class

teaching and management.'55

Jack's second teaching post, from 1904, was at the School of Art Woodcarving whose classrooms were on the top floor of the building occupied by the Royal School of Art Needlework in Exhibition Road.56 The

principal from the early years of the twentieth

century was Maria E Reeks who succeeded Eleanor Rowe, who had published several well- received manuals on woodcarving. Both women exhibited their work at Arts and Crafts exhibitions. Gillow and Co. had originally founded the School of Art Woodcarving in order to train skilled men for the trade.

However, due to woodcarving becoming a very popular pastime in the second half of the nineteenth century, most pupils were amateurs rather than tradesmen. Jack's involvement

really represented a decided shift towards Arts and Crafts practice, rather than the* 'fancy' carving typical of the high Victorian period, which the school had formerly promoted.

Jack had clearly gained a glowing reputation for his teaching skills. In 1905 the Headmaster of the LCC Hammersmith School of Art recommended that Jack be approached to teach the woodcarving class for two evenings a week.5^ In 1908 the Central School of Arts and Crafts moved to a purpose-built premises in

Southampton Row. In the same year Jack's name first appears on the list of teachers and lecturers.

IOO THE DECORATIVE ARTS SOCIETY JOURNAL 2OO4



FIG. 21 Settle, satin wood, designed by Jack, carved by his pupil Mary Grace Mead in 1910.

By this time the School consisted of seven

departments. Frederick Stuttig and George Jack ran the School of Architecture and Building Crafts (Ground Floor and Basement). They were also responsible for the School of Cabinet work and Furniture (Third Floor). The prospectus announced: 4 A new class in figure and ornamental carving will be carried out by Mr. GEORGE JACK on' TUESDAYS and FRIDAYS from 7pm to 9.30pm, which it is

hoped will be advantageous to woodcarvers, modellers, architects and others.'58 In the 1913-14 session Jack and Stuttig were teaching architectural woodcarving and continuing the

woodcarving and gilding classes. In some cases Jack made designs for

his pupils to execute. One example is a settle

(Fig. 21) in satin walnut, carved by Mary Grace

Mead, which was exhibited at the 1910 Arts and Crafts Exhibition. Four panels in the back

depict the story of Little Red Riding Hood, whilst the newel posts, carved in the round, represent the wolf and the heroine. Miss Muriel

Möller, a pupil from the School of Art Wood

Carving, exhibited panels of a grape and vine

design with curling tendrils that appear to be

heavily influenced by Jack. Jack also produced a

design for Harry Snowden, a pupil at the School of Art Woodcarving in 1905. The oak panel consisting of an eagle resting on the branch of an oak tree was shown at an exhibition of work

by this school.59 In the 1906 Arts and Crafts Exhibition a number of carved objects by Jacks pupils were shown.60 These included a walnut mirror frame (Catalogue No 535) designed by Naomi Simmons, a carver who studied under

George Jack at the School of Woodcarving and 'CARVED LETTERING, under G JACK' (Catalogue No 543) also by the School of Art

Woodcarving.61

GEORGE JACK MASTER WOOD CARVER OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT IOI



FIG. 22A (above left) Unfinished settle-leg, carved by Jack C.1895. Presented to the V & A in 1924 to commemorate Jack's retirement from teaching.

FIG. 22B-C (above centre and right) Designs for the settle-leg, c.1895.

LATER WORK AND RETIREMENT

Jack continued to produce designs for Morris & Co until 1907. The last designs were for a lectern and a carved 'prieu-dieu' in English oak, for which he was paid £15.15.0. The firm sold the 'prieu-dieu' for £7. 14s and it appears in their catalogue Church Decoration and

Furniture, Stained Glass and Arras Tapestry ,

Hangings, Embroideries etc , published c.1910.

Jack was still teaching at the Central School in

1916, but being paid less, so his commitments there must have been slowing down, probably due to fewer students during the War. This was his 'last year of teaching there. However, in 1915 he had begun to work for the LCC Architects Office (through C. C. Winmill), which meant that he did not sever his ties with the LCC when he stopped teaching at the Central School. He continued to teach at the RCA until 1924. This demonstrates the very high standard and continuity of education provided by the

RCA, that the same teacher was available for almost a quarter of a century. This did not mark the beginning of a retirement in the conventional sense though, for Jack continued

designing and carving, and was, in fact as busy as ever with private commissions.

Jack's retirement from teaching at the RCA was marked by the presentation of a piece of his work to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Among the several pieces included in the 1896 exhibition had been an unfinished settle leg (Fig. 22a). This was made of oak and carved with a figure of a shepherd and his dog. The

shepherd holds a crook in his right hand and with his left grasps his hat to his head. There is a sweep of foliage above and some stylized flowers below, possibly tulips or lilies. In a small

carving Jack successfully managed to convey a sense of action and movement. The man and his dog are caught in a gust of wind - hence the

clutching of the cap. The dog's back legs are

kicking up as are the front ones, which gives the impression that he is bounding alongside his master. The theme and treatment of the

carving are very close to the Sheepfold music

cabinet, the later Four Elms organ case, as well as to some of Jack's modelled plaster reliefs.62 The William Morris Gallery has a series of

Jack's sketches of carved settles with elaborate

ends, revealing the evolution of the piece




(Figs. 22b and c). In the sketches the foliage below the figures consists of oak leaves and

spiky flowers. Originally it seems that there were to be three registers: the shepherd, with the dog below and, at the bottom, a sheep within a separate niche surrounded by foliage, later simplified to the shepherd and sheep dog. Perhaps Jack s original intention was to create one complete settle. Another sketch shows a

design for the other settle end, which consists of a milkmaid holding a pail and a three-legged stool, accompanied by a long-horned cow.

The carving was given to the Victoria and Albert Museum by a body of subscribers

through the National Art Collections Fund. A pamphlet was produced to promote the gift scheme, which was signed by seven men who

proposed to give £5 each, these included Earl

Ferrers, WR Lethaby, Emery Walker, William Weir, Fred A White and Charles

Canning Winmill. They headed their appeal by stating 'The name of George Jack is not familiar to the man in the street, but the story of Architecture and her sister craft of Wood

Carving would be incomplete without it. Such a story cannot be fully told in words: it

depends of things we can see or feel'. They recommend in the pamphlet that the Victoria and Albert should contain an example of work

by George Jack; 'There may never be another chance of securing so fine a piece, and now that his work at the Royal College of Art is

done, and its students no longer have his

presence and help, it seems a fitting moment to place this work of his where they, and others too, may see it'.63 Fifty-nine people

subscribed to the gift, including many of Jack's friends, admirers and former clients, including the Barnsleys, May Morris, Thackeray Turner as well as other contemporary woodcarvers.

Lethaby wrote concerning the gift: 'Of the

carving itself I need say nothing except it was done some 25 or 30 years ago and thus actually represents the Philip Webb period ... He became the designer to the Morris firm of furniture and practiced woodcarving as a

personal and original art. I look upon him as one of our ablest artist craftsmen or artist of

any sort.'64

GEORGE JACK'S PUBLICATIONS

Jack's Woodcarving : Design and Workmanship appeared in the 'Artistic Crafts series of Technical Handbooks' edited by Lethaby, and was published by John Hogg in 1903. It was

highly regarded by his friends and colleagues and became, like others in the series, the standard textbook of its time, used in art schools throughout Britain as well as overseas.6"5 S.C. Cockerell wrote to congratulate Jack on October 26 1903:

'I am reading your in all ways excellent and inspiring book, and was talking about it yesterday to our dear Pfhilip] W[ebb] who asked me to get him a copy . . . I congratulate you heartily on having got your piece of gospel launched upon the world. Such a book is an encouragement to others besides woodcarvers, showing that the devil hasn't got it all his own way.'66

GEORGE JACK MASTER WOOD CARVER OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT IO3



In the book he advised on the importance of

maintaining a sketchbook: 'In holiday time, and as other opportunity arises, be sure to visit some old building, be it church or mansion. In this

way you will make acquaintance with many a fine specimen of old work which will set your fancy moving. In the one there may be a carved choir screen or bench ends, in the other a

fireplace or table.'67 It was reviewed in the Arts and Crafts periodical, where it was recognized as a reaction against the 'juiceless kind of conventionalism which a few years ago seemed destined to rob British Design of all vitality.'68

In about 1920 Jack wrote a pamphlet entitled Simple Toy Carving for Harry Peach's

Dryad Handicrafts Leaflets. It gives an introduction to toy carving 'by a master of the

craft, Mr George Jack, who has provided some of the most beautiful carving of our time . . . The leaflet is full of real enthusiasm for the

craftsman, and will, we hope be an inspiration to teachers and others'.6^ By taking his advanced skills and interpreting them at a level suitable for children, Jack demonstrated his

understanding of an arts and crafts philosophy. If you taught the young appreciation of a craft, they could derive a double pleasure from

making a beautiful object that they could then

play with.

Jack also contributed an article to the 14th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica , published in 1929 where he described

woodcarving as 'an art which demands a keen love of beautiful form and a constant pleasure in the use of the creative facilities'.70 In his

writing Jack established that he understood the

ideals behind the Arts and Crafts Movement. He wrote of the way in which the carver learns

technique and knowledge of form:

'there is probably no difference between the education of a medieval and a modern

carver, but here the modern carver is often

expected to remain satisfied, and to go on

carving, not what he himself would like to

do, but what he is told to do for others. An

architect, "builder" or some patron of art

may give him a "design" to follow - none of

them, probably, knowing anything about the use of carving tools.'

Jack recognized that this lack of personal imput prevented the progress of the craftsman, he

stopped thinking of his craft as anything other than a source of livelihood, and, therefore, the instinctive talent of the woodcarver was lost. 'This was not so in the case of mediaeval carvers. There can be no doubt that there was someone to guide the work going on in the

shop. This would in all probability be the master carver who controlled but did not fetter.' Unfettered hands follow the imagination. Sadly 'delightful playfulness of fancy has disappeared from our workshops, and instead of invention, spontaneous and living, we get some stupid kind of "ornament" generally copied mechanically'.71 Jack was certainly concerned that the quality of woodcarving was being degraded by mechanization. He did believe that there were signs of improvement however, in that some architects trust their carvers with more freedom in executing their instructions,

IO4 THE DECORATIVE ARTS SOCIETY JOURNAL 2OO4



which can only have a good influence on all workmen in the shop when 'as a rule, the manual dexterity of the carvers is in every way equal to that of their ancient predecessors, but where they seldom find much encouragement for their inventive facilities.'

CONCLUSION

The course of Jack's whole career was formed

by his working relationships with Morris, Webb and Lethaby. However his association with these major figures should not overshadow his own unique gifts as a designer and craftsman. Webb regretted that he had never had the

opportunity to be a craftsman himself, and Jack vicariously found that he had a unique ability to interpret a design into a three-dimensional

carving. It is clear that through his

woodcarvings Jack completely embodied the ethos of the Arts and Crafts Movement: he demonstrated the seminal function of handcraft and that the successful craftsman was a creative individual. He taught that the Renaissance had

separated the function of the craftsman between 'the hands of designer and executant which has so completely paralysed the living spirit of individual invention.' His achievement, in his own words, was to 'open the eyes of our craftsmen to this inconsistency, and "revive" the medieval truth that invention and execution are

strictly but one and the same thing.'72 This

study of Jack's carvings has revealed the

authenticity of the man himself: when looking at his work a strong feeling for the human

quality of the craftsman is experienced. That he

was a teacher for such a large part of his

working life, and so freely gave advice and help to others demonstrates his commitment to the educational philosophy behind the Arts and Crafts Movement. Woodcarving: Design and

Craftsmanship proved to be inspirational to

generations of carvers and was reprinted many times. Perhaps Lethaby should be given the last word about his dear friend '. . . when I consider his inheritance from the Morris & Webb circle, his own craftsmanship & the range of his powers as an architect & designer I am inclined ... to think that he is the most serious artist we now have living.'^

AUTHOR

Amy Clarke is Assistant Keeper at the William Morris Gallery, London. Formerly employed in the Department of Medieval and Modern

Europe at the British Museum, she is a

graduate of the University of Glasgow. She is

planning an exhibition and publication on all

aspects of George Jack's work in the near future.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This article is dedicated to the memory of June Randall who sadly died earlier this year. I am indebted to my colleague Peter Cormack for his guidance, suggestions and encouragement. I would also like to thank the following for their assistance: Christian Allan, Helen

Brandon-Jones, Frances Collard, Helen Dunstan and David Gaimster.




NOTES 1. Hamilton Crawford, T. (1932) George Washington Henry

Jack, A Memoir. Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

2. Morris, M. (ed.) (1914) The Collected Worlds of William Morris XXII. London, Longmans, Green & Co., 373-4 Morris, W. 'The Arts and Crafts of To-day. An Address delivered in Edinburgh before the National Association for the Advancement of Art in October, 1889'.

3. Laurence Turner had begun his career articled to John McCulloch. He worked in wood, stone and plaster. Many leading church architects commissioned him to produce woodcarvings. He worked closely with Webb. His brother was Thackeray H Turner, the architect and china painter, as well as Secretary of SPAB.

4. Henry, the second Lord Leconfield (1830-1901), was the older brother of Percy Wyndham (for whom Webb built Clouds.) Henry's passions were hunting, shooting and fishing, while his wife, Constance Primrose was interested in the arts. She bought wallpapers and fabrics from Morris & Co. Jack assisted at Clouds. After Henry inherited Petworth he engaged Antony Salvin to make alterations there and also commissioned him to build a new London house. Salvin s work on the new house, 9 Chesterfield Gardens, did not go well, so the Wyndhams asked their London designer to finish the house and work on the interior decorations. Dakers, C (1993) The Biography of a County House , New Haven and London, Yale University Press: 27. Jack's work there was commissioned directly through Morris & Co. (Ref. J2099 William Morris Gallery).

5. Weir became Webb's assistant in 1889. 6. Letter to Jack from Weir 'I heard from home you had

managed a weeks holiday . . .' WMG J2033. 7. One example is Walter K Shirley, 1 1th Earl Ferrers

(1864-1937), who engaged Jack on several occasions to produce carved work for churches.

8. '. . . some of the carving, as noticeable also in a pair of covers for a book and a lid of a cabinet (designed by Philip Webb) deserves full appreciation . . .' The Studio , (December 1896), Vol IX: 198. See also Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society exhibition catalogue, (1896) Cat. no 5.

9. Jack, G. (1903) Woodcarving : Design and Workmanship. London, John Hogg, 192.

10. Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society exhibition catalogue. (1896) West Gallery: No 4.

11. Plates for his book included: carved roofs of Suffolk and Norfolk churches; his collection of examples ranged from images of carved chests from Cluny and Italian architectural sculpture to Byzantine church architecture.

12. Jack, G. (1903), 27. 13. George had married his cousin Annie Christian Gray

(1861-1942) in 1888. Their twin daughters were born in 1894. 14. Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society exhibition catalogue.

(1890), No. 139. Victoria and Albert Museum Accession No. T706-1972

15. Crane, W. (1888) 'Introduction', Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society Catalogue of the First Exhibition : 5.

16. Webb, S. (1888) 'Stone and Wood Carving', Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society Catalogue of the First Exhibition : 66.

17. Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society exhibition catalogue. (1890). No. 320a.

18. Car ruthers, A. and Greenstead, M. (1999) Good Citizens Furniture The Arts and Crafts Collection at Cheltenham. Hampshire, Lund Humpries, 63.

19. William Morris Gallery Collection. J2096. 20. V& A A AD 1/76 1980. 2 1 . Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society exhibition catalogue.

(1893), No. 94. 22. The William Morris Gallery has an original design for the

melon motif - comprising three fruits and leaves, together with curling tendrils.

23. Townsend, H. The Studio, Special Arts and Crafts Number , October 16th, 1893, Vol. II. No 7., The Arts and Crafts Exhibition First notice, 18.

24. Miller, F, (June 1899), George Jack, 'Architect and Art Worker', The Artist, Vol.VXXIV, 16.

25. Ibid., 17. 26. Ibid., 17. 27. Art Workers Guild Archive Annual Reports and Visitors

Books. 28. George Edward Kruger was a painter, sculptor, calligrapher

and stained glass designer. In 1918 when he married Audrey Gordon Gray he changed his name to G. Kruger Gray.

29. V& AE2377-1932. 30. The Studio Year-Bool [ of Decorative Art 1 909. 31. Sir Thomas Hugh Bell (1844-1931) an iron master and

colliery owner, was the eldest son of Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell. At the death of his father Sir Hugh inherited Bell Brothers, an amalgamation of mines, collieries and iron works that Isaac Lowthian founded with his brothers in 1852.

Io6 THE DECORATIVE ARTS SOCIETY JOURNAL 2OO4



32. Further architectural work carried out by Jack at Rounton included stone facing for the lodge, the kitchen servant's hall and windows. Jack also designed the electric light fittings, made by Powell's, and bookcases and a mirror for the Long Room.

33. Weaver, L (1915) 'Country Homes and Gardens Old and New, Rounton Grange, Yorkshire. A Seat of Sir Hugh Bell, Bart'. Country Life , 911.

34. Before her death Gertrude Bell helped to found an archaeological department in Baghdad. In 1908 Jack had done some work for her, which consisted of preparing plans of Syrian churches.

35. The Rounton Grange panels are now in the private family . apartment at Wallington (National Trust).

36. Jack, G. (1903), 266. 37. Jack, G. (1903), 180-1. 38. There are two versions of this embroidery: one at the

William Morris Gallery, the other is at Wightwick Manor (National Trust).

39. One example is the screen at St Andrews Church, Uxbridge. Jack designed painted and gilded panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ. Pevsner attributed the screen to Lethaby.

40. Rowe, E. (March 1905) 'Modern English Woodcarvers III. George Jack'. Arts and Crafts. A Periodical , Vol. 2, 187.

41. Frederick Thomas was the eldest son of Brigadier General Sir Owen and Lady Thomas. A plaque nearby in the church commemorates him and his three brothers who all died young. Frederick died at Blackbrooke on January 28 1906 in his 17th year.

42. McAdam, A.W. (nd) Church Guide to St Bridget's Church, Skenfrith. Leominster, Orphans Press Ltd.

43. Letter to G J from George E Kruger dated St Patricks Day 1910. WMG Collection J1 1 17a.

44. Wheatley, S.W. (1996) Historical Notes by the Vicar of St Margaret's Church, Rochester, 1915-1947. City of Rochester Society, 165.

45. Commissioned by Walter Styles in memory of Helena Styles.

46. Jack, G. (1903), 237. 47. A memorial to Hedley Handford, the Vicar of Four Elms

from 1920-29. 48. WMG Collection J1002. 49. Jack, G. (1929), 219.

50. Further work at Barking by Jack included a pair of candelabra, stained glass and a memorial panel. William Wheeler, a sculptor, who was Jack's pupil for six years, assisted Jack with the figures.

51. Jack, G. (1903), 242. 52. WRL to GJ Nov 19 1900, WMG Collection J1 166a. 53. WMG Collection J1 166b. 54. WMG Collection J 1167a. 55. Copy of letter to GJ from WC Feb 16 1903 WMG

Collection J 1 167b. 56. Arts and Crafts. A Practical Magazine for the studio, the

workshop and the home , (December 1904), London, Hutchinson and Company, Editorial Offices: 37 + 38 Strand WC.

57. LCC Education Committee Records LCC/MIN/3698. 58. London County Council Central School of Arts and Crafts

Prospectus for 1908. 59. Arts and Crafts. A Periodical (January 1905), Vol 2, No 7,

The School of Art Woodcarving Exhibition: 141 illustrates Panel in oak (16 x 23 IN) adapted from a design by George Jack. Carved by Harry Snowden.

60. Jack exhibited several items himself at this exhibition, including a plastercast, a model for a lectern and an embroidered collar, executed by his wife.

61. WG Simmonds ( 1 876-1 968), the carver of delightful animal and figure sculptures, many of which can be seen today in Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, studied woodcarving and sculpture at the Royal College of Art. It is possible that Jack, who gave woodcarving classes there from 1901-1924, taught him.

62. For example The Ploughboy (WMG). 63. V&A Registered papers 24/7130. 64. WRL to Mr FA White dated May 28th 1924 24/6978. 65. There was also a US edition published by Appleton of

New York at the same time. 66. WMG Collection J 1 1 56. 67. Jack, G. (1903), 137. 68. Arts and Crafts. A Periodical (December 1904), Vol II, No. 7, 46. 69. Jack, G. (n.d) Simple Toy Carving , Dryad Handicrafts

Leaflet No. 30, Leicester, Dryad Handicrafts. 70. Jack, G. (1929), 217. 71. Ibid., 218. 72. Jack, G. (1903), 261-2. 73. V&A Registered papers 24/7130.




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