Selfridges & Co, London- Plaque Designs in Watercolour By Amor Fenn (c.1908).
Selfridges & Co Limited - Three wall plaque design proposals
Original artwork watercolour on grey paper. By William Amor Fenn (1863-1933) for Veitch & Fenn Metalworks, Dublin & London. Circa 1908. Faint Stamp “Veitch & Fenn 53 South Molton Street” . Painting Measures 55cm x 40cm approximately.
Harry Gordon Selfridge opened his historic flagship store ‘Selfridge & Co’ on London's Oxford Street on 15 March 1909. Architect Daniel Burnham commissioned Veitch & Fenn Metalworks to design and manufacture a brass plaque for each corner of the building. The plaques were installed on completion of the building in 1908 are still in place today.
This original watercolour by Amor Fenn (of Veitch & Fenn) presents three design options for the plaque, each with strikingly differently border designs. It is likely that Harry Selfridge himself will have been involved in the choice of design. It is also likely that these were the first set of options presented; The eventual design had a more subtle border and was closer to square in format to allow the text over three lines.
By the time (William) Amor Fenn was commissioned to design the Selfridge plaque, he was already a highly regarded architectural designer and illustrator with a specialism in metal work design. This item comes from an enormous body of work, Fenn seemed to have had his choice of commission, heavily in demand for ecclesiastical and commercial metalwork. Among the clients of Veitch and Fenn were Liberty’s, Coutts Bank, Hever Castle and Comarques. In later life, Fenn took the post of Design Master at Goldsmiths (now part of the University of London) and wrote a number of books including “Abstract Design and How to Create It” (1930) which is still in print today.
Fenn’s style can be seen throughout the original metalwork of Selfridges though I have no information on his involvement beyond this plaque.
Selfridges & Co Limited - Three wall plaque design proposals
Original artwork watercolour on grey paper. By William Amor Fenn (1863-1933) for Veitch & Fenn Metalworks, Dublin & London. Circa 1908. Faint Stamp “Veitch & Fenn 53 South Molton Street” . Painting Measures 55cm x 40cm approximately.
Harry Gordon Selfridge opened his historic flagship store ‘Selfridge & Co’ on London's Oxford Street on 15 March 1909. Architect Daniel Burnham commissioned Veitch & Fenn Metalworks to design and manufacture a brass plaque for each corner of the building. The plaques were installed on completion of the building in 1908 are still in place today.
This original watercolour by Amor Fenn (of Veitch & Fenn) presents three design options for the plaque, each with strikingly differently border designs. It is likely that Harry Selfridge himself will have been involved in the choice of design. It is also likely that these were the first set of options presented; The eventual design had a more subtle border and was closer to square in format to allow the text over three lines.
By the time (William) Amor Fenn was commissioned to design the Selfridge plaque, he was already a highly regarded architectural designer and illustrator with a specialism in metal work design. This item comes from an enormous body of work, Fenn seemed to have had his choice of commission, heavily in demand for ecclesiastical and commercial metalwork. Among the clients of Veitch and Fenn were Liberty’s, Coutts Bank, Hever Castle and Comarques. In later life, Fenn took the post of Design Master at Goldsmiths (now part of the University of London) and wrote a number of books including “Abstract Design and How to Create It” (1930) which is still in print today.
Fenn’s style can be seen throughout the original metalwork of Selfridges though I have no information on his involvement beyond this plaque.
Selfridges & Co Limited - Three wall plaque design proposals
Original artwork watercolour on grey paper. By William Amor Fenn (1863-1933) for Veitch & Fenn Metalworks, Dublin & London. Circa 1908. Faint Stamp “Veitch & Fenn 53 South Molton Street” . Painting Measures 55cm x 40cm approximately.
Harry Gordon Selfridge opened his historic flagship store ‘Selfridge & Co’ on London's Oxford Street on 15 March 1909. Architect Daniel Burnham commissioned Veitch & Fenn Metalworks to design and manufacture a brass plaque for each corner of the building. The plaques were installed on completion of the building in 1908 are still in place today.
This original watercolour by Amor Fenn (of Veitch & Fenn) presents three design options for the plaque, each with strikingly differently border designs. It is likely that Harry Selfridge himself will have been involved in the choice of design. It is also likely that these were the first set of options presented; The eventual design had a more subtle border and was closer to square in format to allow the text over three lines.
By the time (William) Amor Fenn was commissioned to design the Selfridge plaque, he was already a highly regarded architectural designer and illustrator with a specialism in metal work design. This item comes from an enormous body of work, Fenn seemed to have had his choice of commission, heavily in demand for ecclesiastical and commercial metalwork. Among the clients of Veitch and Fenn were Liberty’s, Coutts Bank, Hever Castle and Comarques. In later life, Fenn took the post of Design Master at Goldsmiths (now part of the University of London) and wrote a number of books including “Abstract Design and How to Create It” (1930) which is still in print today.
Fenn’s style can be seen throughout the original metalwork of Selfridges though I have no information on his involvement beyond this plaque.