John Hardman and Company
Other names: John Hardman Studios (recent title, date of change unknown)
Foundation date: 1838
Function: Medieval metal workers, jewellers, stone and wood carvers, stained glass workers, die-cutters
Policy: Listed in Hulley's Trade Directory (1876-77)as 'ironsmiths, jewellers, medieval metal workers, engravers of memorial brasses, artists in stained glass, stone and wood carvers, decorators, & c.'
History or description: Founded by John Hardman in 1838 to manufacture ecclesiastical metal work as an offshoot of the family medal and button making business started by John Hardman Senior (1767-1844). The spur to form the new company was a meeting between the Hardmans and Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin in 1837. Pugin had had difficulty finding manufacturers to produce metalware to the standards he required and John Hardman had this expertise as well as shared religious convictions. It was the start of a long standing collaboration. Hardman and Co. rapidly expanded, adding the manufacturer of stained glass to their activities in 1845. By 1848 Hardman's had a turnover exceeding £12,000.
The range of the company's business is described in an advertisement from the Irish Builder, 1 February 1861: 'John Hardman and Co., Artists, Glass Painters, Church Decorators & Embellishers; Workers in Gold, Silver, Brass and Iron; Makers of all kinds of Sacred Vessels, Chalices, Monstrances, & c.' The Irish part of the business was taken over by Earley and Company as Earley and Powell's in about 1861.
There were two Powell family members (nephews of John Hardman Powell) involved at this stage, Edward (1833-1876) and Henry (1835-1882). Among the highlights of the company's productions were creating all the art metalware and stained glass for the Palace of Westminster and a huge display for the Great Exhibition in 1851 (560 square feet of floor space and 1360 wall exhibits).
On John Hardman's retirement in 1857 and withdrawal from the business in 1863 it was taken over by his son John Bernard Hardman. In 1883 a separate manufacturing company for metal work was established 'where the business was carried on under the name Hardman, Powell and Company.'
In 1914 this metal work side of the business was reabsorbed into the main John Hardman company. The last member of the family to be involved in the business was John Tarleton Hardman (1872-1959). He retired in 1935. [See Ann Eatwell and Ruth Gosling in ODNB (2004) and 'Birmingham Daily Post', 2 November, 1909, in 'Birmingham Biography', vol. 4, p. 100].
Products & Services
Altars in wood and stone
Tabernacles, Banners
Figures in Ivory & Composition
Agents for Burns and Lambert's Publications and Rev. Formsby's Illustrated Works
Religious Prints and Engravings
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited due to a lack of evidence about the state, medium or edition shown.
Created Altar-Vessels, Water Pot, Candelabra, Candlesticks and Reading Desk
1853 (Presumed)
Made Monument to the Late Dr Monk, Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol
Made Mural Monument to the Officers and Privates of the 19th Regiment of Foot Who Fell at Crimea
Locations
Business located at 166, Great Charles Street Birmingham | View on map
Location of metalwork workshop
Business located at 13 King William Street Strand London | View on map
1861 (Presumed) - 1877 (Presumed)
Location of 'London warehouse'.
Business located at 43 to 45 Newhall Hill Birmingham | View on map
1876 (Presumed) - 1881 (Presumed)
Products created here include: 'Ecclesiastical furniture', carved in wood, stone, and also includes metalwork and stained glass. [see Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Art Industry in Dublin, 1853]
Ran a business at Camden Art Works 1 Upper Camden Street Dublin | View on map
Stone and wood carving workshop
Ran a business at 48 Grafton Street Dublin | View on map
1861
'Stone, Statuary and Marble Yards', p. 1678.
Institutional and Business Connections
Affiliated with Hardman, Powell and Company
1883 (Circa)
A branch of the parent company set up to manufacture art metalwork [See 'Birmingham Daily Post', 2 November, 1903 in 'Birmingham Biography', vol. 4, p. 100]
May be connected to John Hardman
There are a number of John Hardmans listed in the Manchester area in the Census Returns of 1911. So far it has not been possible to establish whether this is a completely separate business or a branch of the Birmingham based firm
Precursor to Earley and Company
By June 1st, Earley and Company had taken over John Hardman's business in Dublin, at 1 Upper Camden Street; see Thomas Earley, notes field, with text from subsequent advertisement to this effect, placed in The Dublin Builder of June 1st, 1861. See also Henry Powell.
Associated People
Allied with Thomas Earley
Feb. 1st, 1861, p. 425.
Business started by John Hardman
1838
Commissioned by George Gilbert Scott
Designers included Augustus Welby Northmoor Pugin
May 1837 - May 1852
Originally metalwork and then also stained glass
Designers included John Hardman Powell
1848 - 1895
Chief designer of metalwork and stained glass after the death of Pugin in 1848, from 1883 focused on designing stained glass
Directors included John Hardman
1838 - 1857
He retired from active involvement in 1857 and completely left the company in 1863 because of ill-health
Directors included John Bernard Hardman
1863 (Circa) - 1903 (Circa)
See 'Birmingham Daily Post', 2 November, 1903 in 'Birmingham Biography', vol. 4, p. 100.
Directors included John Tarleton Hardman
1903 - 1935
Succeeded his father as manager of the company on the latter's death. He was the last family member to be involved in running the company
Partners included John Hardman Powell
1850 (Circa)
Descriptions of Business or Institution
Listed in Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory with the Post Office Dublin City and County Directory, for the year 1866 Thom's Directory
p. 1852.
Listed in Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory with the Post Office Dublin City and County Directory, for the year 1861 Thom's Directory
'Stone, Statuary and Marble Yards'.
Listed in Hulley's Birmingham Directory, Trades Section, 1881 Hulley's Trade Directorires
1881 (Presumed)
Listed under Art Metal Workers Hulley's Birmingham Directory, Part 2, Alphabetical List to SAD-ZIN and Trades, 1876-77 Hulley's Birmingham Directory
1876 - 1877
Listed as 'Medieval Metal Workers'.
Listed under Medallists Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, Coin, Gem, and Seal-Engravers, Mint Masters, &c., Ancient and Modern with References to their Works, B.C. 500 - A.D. 1900, Volume II, 1904 Biographical Dictionary of Medallists
Listed as 'Die-cutters of Birmingham. This signature occurs on a medal of the Medical Department of Queen's College, Birmingham'. See Forrer, vol. 2, (1904), p. 427.
Listed under Wood Carvers Hulley's Birmingham Directory, Trades Section, 1881 Hulley's Trade Directorires
1881
Listed as 'Carvers in Wood, Stone, &c.'.
Publications
Advertised in The Dublin Builder, 1861-1862 Illustrated Irish Architectural, Engineering, Mechanics' & Sanitary Journal, later known as The Irish Builder
1 February 1861, p. 425: 'John Hardman and Co., Artists, Glass Painters, Church Decorators & Embellishers; Workers in Gold, Silver, Brass and Iron; Makers of all kinds of Sacred Vessels, Chalices, Monstrances, &c.'. By 1 June 1861, Earley and Company had taken over Hardman's business; see Thomas Earley, notes field, with text from subsequent advertisement in The Dublin Builder of 1 June 1861. See also Henry Hardman.
Sources
Hulley's Birmingham Directory, Part 2, Alphabetical List to SAD-ZIN and Trades, 1876-77 Hulley's Birmingham Directory
1876 (Probable)
p. 620.
Hulley's Birmingham Directory, Trades Section, 1881 Hulley's Trade Directorires
1881
p. 520 and p. 535.
Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Art Industry in Dublin, 1853.
1853
exh. cat. p. 46.
Listed in catalogue Table of Contents as:
'Hardman, Birmingham. Ecclesiastical Furniture'.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2004
Ann Eatwell and Ruth Gosling, ‘Hardman family (per. c.1820–1935)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/67862, accessed 11 Jan 2010]
The Builder, Vol. 17, 2 April 1859
2 April 1859
p. 239
The Builder, Vol. 17, 29 January 1859
29 January 1859
p. 81
The Dublin Builder, 1861-1862 Illustrated Irish Architectural, Engineering, Mechanics' & Sanitary Journal, later known as The Irish Builder
1861
1 February 1861, p. 425
Citing this record
'John Hardman and Company', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/organization.php?id=msib4_1213276455, accessed 12 May 2021]
