9
Coalbrookdale and the Decorative Arts
Robert Kerr
Hastings Sr. High School
Hastings, NE
Just as Richard Arkwright will be remembered for textile innovations and James Watt for steam engine refinements, the Darbys of Coalbrookdale will be forever linked with the production of iron during Britain's industrial revolution. While Abraham Darby 1 (16781717), due to his industrychanging discovery of how to smelt iron using coal converted to coke, is the bestknown of the five generations of the family who played active roles in the ironworks, each of the Darbys who succeeded him contributed to the reputation of Coalbrookdale as a leader in the manufacture of castiron for over 150 years. Abraham Darby 11 (17111763) built upon his father's method of producing iron by perfecting a method of using coke in the manufacture of iron that was suitable for conversion to wroughtiron. His son, Abraham Darby 111 (17501789), while not the designer of the Iron Bridge, played the key role in getting it built. Castings from the Coalbrookdale area, combined with his financial guarantees (which ultimately left him in debt), led to the successful completion of the bridge in 1779. The fourth and fifth generations, represented respectively by Francis Darby, son of Abraham 111, and Abraham IV and Alfred Darby, grandsons of the brother of Abraham 111, continued the Coalbrookdale tradition of production of castiron utensils. But while they continued to make practical items for home, farm, and industrial uses, they branched into the decorative arts in the mid 1800s. This paper's main objective is to explore and exhibit examples of the decorative arts cast in iron at Coalbrookdale for the 1851 Great Exhibition and to present the reactions spawned by these works of art.
Before beginning an exploration of the decorative arts produced at Coalbrookdale, it is helpful to take a brief look at some of the items intended for home use. This is beneficial for two reasons. First, it provides examples of decorative, yet functional, items produced for domestic use. Second, it illustrates a point which this author wishes to make: that the decorative arts produced by the Darbys sprang, in part at least, from traditions already in place before the decision was made by Francis Darby to begin decorative arts production in 1834. Among the standard items produced since as early as 1707, when Abraham Darby I had been given a patent for a new method of casting pots in sand, were cooking pots and other kitchen utensils. Later Darbys expanded into the production of other household goods, turning out bedframes, bookcases, fire grates, and stoves. Grates and stoves, in particular, provide an excellent look at artistic traditions already in place by the late18th century. As seen in Picture 1, grates from this time period had moved beyond mere function and into
Picture 1Left: Bathstyle hob grate ca. 1780.
Picture 1Right: Foreststyle grate ca. 1790 with Iron Bridge motif
Photos courtesy of Fearn, p.12.)
the realm of decorative art. While this was not entirely new in fireplace metal production, it laid the basis for Coalbrookdale to move into purely decorative arts. Both grates pictured in Picture 1 display decorative detailing, particularly the grate on the right with its Iron Bridge motif, a design which was trademarked by the Coalbrookdale Company. The progression to even more detailed decorative work is witnessed in the beautiful design of the grate from the 1 9th century shown in Picture 2 below. The groundwork was thus laid for the casting of purely decorative iron work by the Darbys.
(Picture 2Grate at Coalbrookdale Museum)
The catalysts for the fullscale production of decorative pieces came in the form of the economic climate after 1815 and in the person of Francis Darby. Despite the continued manufacture of iron products, the economic downturn which followed the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars led to a declining the fortunes of Coalbrookdale. To make matters worse, an aging infrastructure took its toll. Thomas Butler, an ironmaster from Yorkshire who visited the area in 1815, found "all the machinery old and clumsy . . . the works conducted upon old plans of forty years ago."' (Trinder, p. 57). In 1818 the blast furnaces at Coalbrookdale were blown out and the Coalbrookdale Company focused on its foundry to produce castings from pig iron produced elsewhere. Further reducing its prominence in iron making was the closing of forges in 1842-43.
In the midst of these changes, Francis Darby, son of Abraham 111, played a key role in reviving the fortunes of his family's business when he introduced the production of fine art castings in 1834. Francis was described by contemporaries as a man who showed good taste in high art and who spent a fair amount of money on paintings. This latter characteristic may help explain why we have a portrait of Francis Darby to show us the man's features, a break from his Quaker forefathers who, for religious reasons, didn't have their images
captured on canvas. Francis teamed up with his first cousins once removed, Abraham IV and Alfred, to expand production at Coalbrookdale. Abraham IV and Alfred, representing the fifth generation of Darbys in the ironworks, had been making reforms and changes in efficiencies regarding furnaces and forges owned by the family that were designed to both save money and increase output. They also built up the skilled labor force, so that by 1851 the Coalbrookdale Company, with its 3000 employees producing 2000 pounds ironwork per week, was probably the largest foundry in the world.
The year 1851 not only saw the Darby enterprises in better shape than at any time since at least the Napoleonic Wars, it also witnessed an event that brought together Britain's desire to showcase her industrial power with the fine art castings produced at Coalbrookdale: the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. When Francis Darby began the casting of decorative art in 1834, he realized that the resulting objects would be both durable and relatively inexpensive. This latter feature would give them an appeal to people unable to afford art typically made from more expensive wrought iron or bronze. But while his molders and pattern makers could reproduce the most intricate of designs, there was criticism that good taste and originality were being sacrificed by the repetition of patterns necessary to recoup investments in mold designs. The issue of mass production of art and good taste seemingly being at odds with one another was important enough that Parliament had formed a committee several years before the 1851 Exhibition to investigate how to extend the knowledge of art and design in Britain. Henry Cole, a member of the Society of Arts, hoped that the Great Exhibition would serve to educate both producers and consumers in good taste and production techniques.
The Crystal Palace, as the building which hosted the Great Exhibition was called, was itself a marvel of industrial methods of iron and glass production. Set up in London's Hyde Park, it drew six million visitors in six months as it displayed the industrial accomplishments of Britain and the world. Fine arts were allowed to be exhibited so long as they were connected with mechanical processes. Paintings, for example, were not allowed unless they were prints or lithographs, or if they were painted using improved manufactured colors. Art produced in castiron, as at Coalbrookdale, qualified as it was linked to industrial production. Sadly, Francis Darby died the year before the Exhibition gave his company the chance to showcase its castiron art. This is even more tragic as the Coalbrookdale Company made quite a sensation with the objects it displayed at the Crystal Palace.
Among the objects cast for display in 1851 were a set of ornamental gates (see Pictures 3 and 4), sixty feet wide, that stood at the entrance to the Crystal Palace's north transept. Each gate was cast in one piece at Coalbrookdale
Picture 3Coalbrookdale Gates at Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park)
under the direction of designer Charles Crookes. Not only did these gates signal entry into the Coalbrookdale display area, they so impressed the Commissioners for the Exhibition that Abraham Darby IV was invited to have them reerected in 1852 at the entrance to Kensington Gardens in London. Crookes successfully carried this out and the gates can be seen today, bearing the "Cast at Coalbrookdale" stamp along their base, near the Albert Memorial area of the park.
(Picture 4Detail: Top of Coalbrookdale Gate)
On the purely artistic side of things, Coalbrookdale drew both praise and criticism for the other castiron objects it displayed in 1851. John Bell, one of the bestknown sculptors of his time, was responsible for one of the most highly praised castiron sculptures exhibited: 'Andromeda.' The figure of Andromeda was portrayed with arms pinioned awaiting a sea monster. The statue and pedestal combination drew favorable comparisons to the Renaissance artist Cellini and caused one critic to conclude that it was 666 altogether a design of exquisite beauty."' (Trinder, p. 62) A further sign of its positive reception by influential viewers was its purchase, for L300, by Queen Victoria. Another Bell work, 'The Boy and Swan,' (see Picture 5) drew favorable responses as well. This statue and fountain combination, which today sits outside
Picture 5-Boy and Swan' at Coalbrookdale Museum
the Coalbrookdale Museum, along with 'Andromeda,' helped the Coalbrookdale Company earn a top prize medal at the Great Exhibition for their cast-iron statues and other products.
While the above-mentioned works brought praise to the Darbys and their designers, not all of their artwork fared as well in the eyes of the critics. Perhaps the most controversial piece displayed by Coalbrookdale in 1851 was the multi-pieced 'Eagle-Slayer.' This Bell and Crookes collaboration was pilloried by the press. Its design incorporated Bell's figure of an archer beneath a thirty-foot high dome designed by Crookes. What pushed the envelope of artistic sensibility was the slain eagle attached to the dome complements of an arrow shot by the archer. This led a commentator for the London Illustrated News to describe the work as "'an absolutely inexcusable piece of bad taste."' (Hopkins, History Today, p.23).
Despite the controversy generated by 'EagleSlayer,' the Great Exhibition, in the words of Darby ironworks historian Barrie Trinder, "brought more fame to the Darbys and the Coalbrookdale Company than any other event since the completion of the Iron Bridge." (Trinder, p. 61). There were also financial gains which accrued from the success of 1851 as Coalbrookdale Company products, ranging from statues to lawn furniture to balcony railings, could be found throughout Britain and parts of the Empire. And while praise for 'Andromeda' had pleased the company's owners and designers, they also sought to learn from their failures. In order to avoid producing future 'EagleSlayers,' Crookes established the Coalbrookdale Literary and Scientific Institute and the Coalbrookdale School of Art in the 1850s to further improve the artistic quality of their castiron art. And while future products, such as John Bell's 'Deerhound Hall Table' (see Picture 7), produced for the 1855 Paris International Exhibition, may seem just as much in bad taste as 'EagleSlayer' was to its critics, the continued fulltime employment of artists and modelers at Coalbrookdale brought a measure of satisfaction to those with anxieties
about artistic merit.
Picture 7: Deerhound Hall Table at the Coalbrookdale Museums
Alfred and Abraham IV were the last Darbys to actively manage the ironworks at Coalbrookdale. Their retirement to landed estates signaled a fading of family ties to the operations at Coalbrookdale. While the company would continue to make a name for itself by producing castiron grates, cake plates, furniture, and a host of other objects throughout the later 1800s, the retirement in 1925 of Alfred Darby 11 from the Coalbrookdale Company Limited ended the direct links between the family and the ironworks. It has been debated ever since the 1851 Great Exhibition as to whether Henry Cole's goal to raise the level of quality of massproduced art was achieved. What can be of no doubt, however, is that the Coalbrookdale Company met the demands of an evermore affluent society for affordable and beautiful decorative arts. The playful 'Boy and Swan' fountain, back home and operating at the Coalbrookdale Museum, the ornamental gates still standing in Kensington Gardens, and the purchase by Queen Victoria herself of 'Andromeda,' all stand as testaments to the quality and beauty of the decorative arts produced at Coalbrookdale.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bracegirdle, Brian, and Patricia H. Miles. The Darbys and the Ironbridge Gorge. London: David and Charles, 1974.
Fearn, Jacqueline. Cast Iron. Princes Risborough: Shire Publications Ltd., 2001.
Hopkins, David. "Art and Industry: Coalbrookdale and the Great Exhibition," History Today. February 2002.
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust Ltd. Coalbrookdale and the Museum of Iron. Jarrold Publishing, 1996.
Stegman, John. Victorian Taste: A Study of the Arts and Architecture from 18301870. Norwich: Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd., 1970.
Trinder, Barrie. The Darbys of Coalbrookdale. Chichester: Phillimore and Company, Ltd., 1974.
(All photographs, with the exception of Photo 1 cited to Fearn, were taken onsite by Robert Kerr.)