John Pearson History

John Pearson, who produced work from around 1890 to 1910, is the best known Arts and Crafts metalworker but little is known about his life.

He was one of the founding members of the Guild of Handicraft in 1888, together with Charles Ashbee. Metalworkers were well represented - another metalworker, John Williams, was also a founding member. There is a picture of Pearson, with other members of the Guild of Handicraft, in 1892 - a bearded, slightly sullen figure, at the back of a group photograph.

According to an article published in The Studio in 1897, Ashbee had found him during his walks in the East End when he was 'broken down in health and out of regular employment'. It records that, before this, he had been employed at one time in William de Morgan's tile works and that he had tried to imitate de Morgan's tile designs in copper.

There are certainly some stylistic similarities between De Morgan and Pearson designs, with similar themes of galleons and fantastic beasts. The De Morgan tile works in Chelsea operated from 1872 to 1881. So presumably Pearson was out of regular employment in the early 1880s, as the Studio article suggests.

In July 2007, a John Pearson charger appeared for sale at Bonhams which appears to corroborate this this history. The charger, which has two John Pearson stamps (not signature or initials - see marks) is dated 23 December 1912. It contains an inscription on the back that this is a gift made by John Pearson for Dame Henrietta and Samuel Barnett whom they 'discovered' 30 years ago working as a Pickford's van boy and whose 'art power' they had trained. The inscription goes on to record that Pearson still makes things for them out of gratitude.

The charger shows that Pearson appears still to be producing pieces as late as 1912 (compare the ceramic pot on this site which may have the date 1913). Also, if the record can be taken to be accurate, it would suggest that Pearson was a Pickford's van boy in the early 1880's which would accord with the closing of the De Morgan Chelsea factory in 1881. On this basis, one theory may be that, in the early 1880's, Pearson travelled across London from Chelsea to Hackney, picking up casual employment until being 'discovered' by the Bartletts.

The Bartletts say they had Pearson trained. The Bartletts were responsible for founding Toynbee Hall in 1884, the idea of which, in essence, was that the middle classes would live in a settlement among the poor where they would become involved in social and educational work, including evening classes. A 'top-hatty philanthropy' as Ashbee put it.

It would appear that Pearson was closely associated with Toynbee Hall and, indeed, if the inscription on the charger is to be believed, a direct beneficiary of the Barnetts' benevolence. Certainly, a close involvement with Toynbee Hall makes sense. Ashbee was closely involved with Toynbee Hall before setting up the Guild. Indeed it has been said that some, perhaps all, of the founding members of the Guild were drawn from Ashbee's class at Toynbee Hall. (Certainly, the early years of the School and Guild of Handicraft are inextricably linked with Toynbee Hall. It was at Toynbee Hall, on 23 June 1888, that the School and Guild was formally opened.)

Pearson's relationship at the Guild appears strained, and was shortlived. In 1890, according to the minutes of the Guild of Handicraft, Pearson had been found out supplying pieces to Morris and others and had been employing two men to help him in metalwork outside the Guild.

Also, it appears that Pearson was keen to promote his own craftsmanship and 'brand'. The Guild did not normally identify which particular craftsman had made its pieces, but Pearson did not respect this. There are examples of signed Pearson pieces dating from around this time, for example the box below which is signed and dated '1891'.

This is an interesting example - stylistically, it bears a resemeblance to a biscuit box in brass of around 1890 which has been attributed to John Williams, notably the ropetwist border which is not typical of Pearson's later work.

In 1892, John Pearson resigned from the Guild. Pearson then made his way to Newlyn, Cornwall. Little is known of his time there.