OMAR RAMSDEN and ALWYN CARR
by Jeremy Astfalck
| 10 July, 2007 | |
A brief biography of Omar Ramsden and Alwyn Charles Ellison CarrOmar Ramsden was born in Sheffield 1873 into a family active in the silver trade. Alwyn Carr was born to a wealthy family in Sheffield 1872. They met at the Sheffield School of Art in 1890 while attending evening classes and formed a friendship that would become the basis of their partnership seven years later. When Ramsden won an open competition to design and make a mace for the City of Sheffield in 1897 he turned to Carr for assistance. They decided to open their workshop at Stamford Bridge Studios, in Chelsea, London. Their Makers mark was registered at Goldsmiths Hall in 1898. The age of Victorian mechanisation was well developed when they formed their partnership. During their apprenticeships both men had been influenced by the emerging Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. To appreciate their contribution to the world of silver one needs to see how they distilled the central tenets of both Art nouveau and Arts and Crafts. In the Art Nouveau style, the use of sinuous free flowing curving lines, asymmetrical natural motifs and ethereal human forms dominated. In the Arts & Crafts movement, the Victorian pursuit of mechanisation and industrialisation which resulted in a smooth, uniform factory look was largely rejected. Instead hammered surfaces are visible, where the indentations can be clearly seen as a duller shade of grey. This was due to copper oxide known as “fire stain”, which occurs on all hand made silver. It was not removed by sanding, polishing or electro-cleaning or concealed by electro-plating. To achieve this look at an affordable price many pieces were machine made and then hand finished. The combination of the Art Nouveau style and Arts and Crafts techniques gave Ramsden and Carr their unique look. This was further augmented with the use of enamelled bosses, semi-precious stones and enamelling. Enamelled bosses were manufactured by the carefully controlled melting of coloured glass onto silver and gold sheet resulting in an object resembling a semi-precious stone. These were then set into the silver pieces copying an earlier medieval look. This process was probably overseen by Alwyn Carr who was a skilled enameller. (See illustrated caddy spoon hallmarked London 1911 by Ramsden and Carr) Engraved on many of the pieces is the Latin inscription “OMAR RAMSDEN ET ALWYN CARR ME FECERUNT”. This translates to “Omar Ramsden and Alwyn Carr made me”. This trademark signature found in various forms until the end of their careers, reinforced the perception of commissioning a piece of silver from a craftsman. This was not common practice, as general silverware would have been designed, manufactured and retailed with no input from the client himself. Ramsden and Carr marketed and popularised the idea that any of their clients could commission a unique piece to his own specifications, no matter how humble. This option would have been highly appealing to many of the newly rich clients of the day and it ultimately led to a successful business strategy. Understandably neither Ramsden nor Carr would have been personally involved with the actual making of the pieces, but would have delegated this to their specialised workers. Ramsden’s gift for public relations together with his practical knowledge of silver manufacturing was his key attribute. When Carr enlisted to the army in 1914 and returned in 1918 the business had grown, and become extremely successful. Due to these changing circumstances the partnership ended in 1919 and both men registered their own marks and continued as silversmiths in their own rights. Omar Ramsden became the better known of the two and exhibitions of his work have periodically been shown. Ramsden died in 1939 and Carr died eight months later in 1940 leaving behind a legacy of silver production that is avidly sought after today. |
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