John Hardman and Company
Other names: John Hardman Studios (recent title, date of change unknown)
Foundation date: 1838
Dissolution date: 1970
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 in 1838 by John Hardman (1811-67) to manufacture ecclesiastical metal work as an offshoot of the family medal and button making business based in Paradise Street, Birmingham. John Hardman Senior (1767-1844) had turned the family firm into a thriving commercial concern and had used some of his wealth to support the local Roman Catholic community. His generous donations included a significant contribution to the cost of building St. Chad's cathedral and the foundation of the Convent of Mercy in Handsworth, Birmingham.
The spur to form the new ecclesiastical metal work company was a meeting between the Hardmans and Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin which took place in 1837. Pugin had had difficulty finding manufacturers to produce metalware to his exacting standards. John Hardman not only supplied the necessary expertise but also, crucially, shared the architect's religious convictions and so out of this meeting grew a long-standing friendship and a successful collaboration. Anne Eatwell's and Ruth Gosling's authoritative account of the Hardman family business credits Pugin with contributing "the inspiration for the astonishing quantity and range of individual designs" produced by the company, and Hardman with bringing "the manufacturing acumen, organizational skills, and commitment" without which "the project could not have succeeded." [A. Eatwell and R. Gosling, 'Hardman Family', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004, full citation below].
Hardman and Co. rapidly expanded, and added the manufacture of stained glass to the firm's output in 1845. Advertisements for the business give an idea of the range of the company's products and services: '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.' ['Irish Builder', 1 February 1861] A further boost to the growth of the Hardman business was securing a commission to provide art metalwork and stained glass for the new Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament). The huge number of orders from this source meant that by 1848 the firm's turnover exceeded £12,000.
In 1851, the Hardman business was a major contributor to Pugin's Medieval Court at the Great Exhibition. The firm's huge display covered 560 square feet of floor space and 1360 square feet of wall space. This colossal investment of the Hardman firm's resources was rewarded with a council medal in the general hardware class, and a prize medal for church articles.
But a year after this triumphant success, the firm suffered a major blow when A.W.N. Pugin collapsed and died. The job of principal designer now passed to John Hardman's nephew John Hardman Powell (1827–1895) who was also known as John Powell. He had begun his training with George Elkington (of Elkington & Co., Birmingham) who taught him modelling, and attending classes at Birmingham School of Art. However, Powell's most formative studies were as a pupil of A.W.N. Pugin at the architect's home in Ramsgate between 1844 and 1852. Over this eight-year period, Powell became a trusted assistant to Pugin and was responsible for drawing cartoons for stained glass, as well as designing many pieces of metalwork. After Powell's return to Birmingham in 1852 he became the artistic director of the glass and metal departments at Hardman and Co. until the business was divided in 1883. After that he focused on glass making.
Despite these considerable changes, the Hardman Company continued to flourish. In 1852, a branch of the business was set up in Dublin by Thomas Earley (1819-93), who had been one of Hardman's employees since 1845. Within twelve months, the satellite firm had leased a shop on Grafton Street and exhibited at the 1853 Dublin Exhibition. A separate stone and woodcarving workshop was established in Upper Camden Street in 1857 and this later became the firm's sole address. Thomas Earley's younger brother John Farrington Earley (1831-73) and two of John Hardman Powell's younger brothers, Edward Powell (1833-1876) and Henry Powell (1835-1882) were also involved in running Hardman's in Dublin. From 1864 the business traded as Earley and Powells (later Earley and Co.), although the connection to Hardman and Co. was retained.
Meanwhile back in Birmingham, John Hardman's health declined and he ceased to play an active role in the business from 1857 although he did not fully retire until 1863. He was succeeded as a senior partner of Hardman and Co. by his oldest son, John Bernard Hardman (1843–1903). His younger son, Mary George Edward Hardman (1844–1904), was also involved in the firm. John Henry Powell (see above), and his two older brothers, William Powell (1820–1895) and James Powell (1825–1865) were also taken into partnership.
In this next phase of the business, new premises were established in Newhall Hill where the firm remained until 1970. In 1883 the glass making and metal working were separated. As noted above, John Hardman Powell focused on the stained glass until his retirement in the mid-1880s, while his brother William Powell took over the metalwork business, which operated under the name 'Hardman, Powell and Company'. However orders for metalwork gradually declined, and in 1914, Hardman, Powell and Company was reabsorbed into the main John Hardman business.
The last member of the family to be involved in the firm 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 England | View on map
1845
There were a number of workshops at this address. These premises were established when the firm moved out of the button making business.
Business located at 13 King William Street Strand London England | View on map
1861 (Presumed) - 1877 (Presumed)
Location of 'London warehouse'.
Business located at 43 to 45 Newhall Hill Birmingham England | 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 48 Grafton Street Dublin Ireland | View on map
1853 - 1870 (Circa)
This was the first premises of the Dublin offshoot of the Hardman firm. Once the stone and woodcarving workshop was opened at Upper Camden Street this became the 'Dublin Church Furniture Depot'. These premises closed when all business was transferred to Upper Camden Street.
Ran a business at Camden Art Works 1 Upper Camden Street Dublin Ireland | View on map
1857
A stone and wood carving workshop was opened here in 1857. The entire business was later consolidated at this address.
Institutional and Business Connections
Affiliated with Earley and Powells (later Earley and Co.)
The business retained its connection to Hardman and Co. after it began trading as 'Earley and Powells' in 1864.
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 (Carvers & Gilders, Manchester)
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
Associated People
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
Employed Thomas Earley
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 26 Sep 2023]