Footnotes

• Provenance: Christie's London, 14 June 2001, Important Needlework Collected by the Late Sir Frederick Richmond Bt, lot 60.
  
  Other items from the collection of Sir Frederick Richmond were sold Bonhams, London, 2 March 2011.
  
  Sir Frederick Richmond, 1st Baronet (1873-1953) was brought up in Marnham, Nottinghamshire and as a teenager moved to London to work as an apprentice in the drapery shop of Debenham and Freebody. In 1927 he rose to be Chairman succeeding Ernest Debenham. At this time Debenham's had expanded and were multiplying their export trade, with branches in Brussels, Paris, Copenhagen, The Hague, New York, South Africa, South America, Canada and China. Under Richmond they bought more department stores both in the provinces and in London creating the largest textile distribution empire in the world. Richmond was also Chairman of Harvey Nichols and Governor of the Hudson Bay Company which controlled much of the trade with North America.
  
  Sir Frederick Henry Richmond was created 1st Baronet Richmond, of Hollington, Sussex on 4 July 1929. In a tribute in The Times, 14 November 1953, a friend wrote that besides business ability "His collection of Old English needlework was, I believe, the finest in the Country and Lady Richmond [Dorothy Agnes Sheppard whom he married in 1921] shares his love and knowledge to the full. In all things he was helped by a phenomenal memory".
  
  Richmond was one of the pioneering needlework collectors. At Debenhams he established a department where they sold: "early samplers; needlework; pictures; bead bags; old bed covers; linen and lace and brocades, and later Stewart panels of great variety and charm: petit point with padded figures etc." In 1920 they advertised in The Connoisseur "Collectors in search of interesting specimens would do well to visit our antique gallery where many pieces of ancient needlework are to be found"
  
  Sir Frederick's collection was also displayed at his palatial London house at 10 Kensington Palace Gardens, designed by Philip Hardwick in 1846 and at Westoning Manor in Bedfordshire.

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Category: Furniture / English Furniture and Works of Art

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