Arthur Churchill Ltd. (London, England) Records

Collection

Identifier: MS-0239

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

These records of a prominent English antique glass dealer are divided into eight series:

(1) Stock Books, 1928-1971

(2) Business and Client Correspondence, 1933-1966

(3) Photographs and Negatives, 1921-1976

(4) Sales Lists and Draft Catalogs, 1935-1947

(5) Financial Records, 1957-1965

(6) Research Files, 1904-1962

(7) Newspaper Advertisements and Clippings, 1919-1965

(8) Miscellaneous Materials, 1919-1978

Dates

1904-1978

Creator

Arthur Churchill Ltd. (London, England) (Organization)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for public research. Researchers must make an appointment to view the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

The Copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. The user agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Corning Museum of Glass and the Rakow Research Library against all claims, demands, costs and expenses incurred by copyright infringement or any other legal or regulatory cause of action arising from the use of Library materials.

Biographical / Historical

Arthur Churchill Ltd. was the successor to Arthur Churchill’s antiques business, which was founded around 1912. Churchill specialized in the buying and selling of old English and Irish glass, as well as early drinking vessels. W. G. T. Burne worked for Arthur Churchill and was announced as his successor in leading the business upon Churchill’s death in 1936. However, just weeks thereafter, clients were informed that Burne was no longer working under Churchill’s name.

Arthur Churchill Ltd. was initially managed by Churchill’s widow, Vernita E. Churchill, along with Edward Barrington Haynes and A. P. Godfrey. The firm published A Catalogue of Old English and other Glassware and A Coronation Exhibition of Royal, Historical, Political, and Social Glasses, Commemorating Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Events in English History in 1937.

Vernita E. Churchill left her management role in 1941, and Haynes and Godfrey ran the firm until 1957. Their business flourished and expanded, and they launched Glass Notes, a periodical for glass collectors, in 1943. They also sold photographs of “unusual or especially interesting” glass objects they encountered in their business dealings.

H. J. Dixon replaced Edward Barrington Haynes in 1957, and in 1958, D. A. Crompton joined the Arthur Churchill Ltd. management team. Around this time, the firm’s last catalog and last issue of Glass Notes were published. In 1962, ownership of the firm appears to have been transferred to the Crompton family. Both Dixon and Godfrey left the firm, and Sidney C. Crompton joined as a manager. In 1967, Sidney C. Crompton and glass collector Jerome Strauss were implicated in the alleged illegal export of the Wenyfrid Geares Verzelini Goblet. While both parties were ultimately cleared of wrongdoing, the affair most likely damaged the reputation of Arthur Churchill Ltd.

Arthur Churchill Ltd. was dissolved on December 7th, 1972.

Extent

37.5 Linear Feet (47 Hollinger boxes, 12 half Hollinger boxes, 6 card file boxes, 4 glass plate negative boxes, 4 flat boxes )

Additional Description

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Some photographic prints in Series 03: Sub-Series 02 and Sub-Series 05 are severely curled.

The acetate negatives in Series 03: Sub-Series 03 exhibit significant deterioration (channeling), but remain largely intact.

Glass plate negative (22914) in Series 03: Sub-Series 04 is cracked.

The scrapbooks in Series 07 are fragile. Most have been removed from their original bindings, and their clippings are no longer securely attached to the pages.