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See & Do

George Frampton

Our archive of Sir George Frampton (1860-1928), one of the major figures associated with the New Sculpture movement, consists of around 400 photographs of his work as well as personal correspondence.

Portrait painting of a middle-aged man leaning against a small sculpture group. His clothing suggests he is a Victorian-era professor.

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Black and white photo of a young man in formal clothing, standing in a tidy art studio surrounded by figurative, relief and portrait sculpture.

Black and white photo of a sculpture of Peter Pan, who is playing a flute while stood on a hill, which is decorated with rabbits and fairies.

Black and white photo of a sculpture of a seated man, wearing robes and mitre that indicate he is of the Christian faith. He is making a blessing sign with his right hand and holding a staff with a bell in his left. Two women, also part of the sculpture, are seated at his feat, reading.

Photo of the 'Certificate of Baptism' for George James Frampton.

Black and white photo of a plaster portrait bust of a middle-aged man with short hair and a thick moustache. Text on the bust reads 'To William Strang, from Geo Frampton 1903'.

Black and white photo of a portrait bust of a royal figure, wearing a crown, earrings, a thick necklace made of pearls and military dress with medals.

Black and white photo of a plaster portrait bust of a young woman. Her hair is in braids and she is looking down demurely.

Black and white photo of a plaster portrait bust of a young woman. Her hair is in braids and she is looking down demurely. Text on the plinth reads 'Lady of the Isle of Avelyon'.

Black and white photo of a full-figure sculpture of a boy in upper-class Tudor-era clothing, possibly a prince, who is holding a small sceptre and a decorative orb.

Black and white photo of a relief sculpture depicting several figures, one of whom is ascending to heaven with angels.

A roughly sketched painting in black and white on cream paper, depicting two people on ladders painting a wall, with other people below.

About the artist

Sir George Frampton (1860-1928) was one of the major figures associated with the New Sculpture movement. He was known for combining unusual materials in his work, mixing components such as marble, bronze, ivory, glass and precious stones.

Frampton was born in London, and from a young age worked with his father, who was a woodcarver and stonemason. At the age of 18 Frampton started his own career in stone carving, working on the Hotel De Ville building in Paris.

After moving back to London, Frampton studied at the South London Technical School of Art for two years. He went on to the Royal Academy, where he won the prestigious gold award and was given a travelling scholarship.

After this period, Frampton began to teach at the Slade School of Art and also became the joint head of the Central School of Arts & Crafts. By the turn of the century Frampton was receiving significant commissions, including St Mungo as the Patron of Art and Music on the façade of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and for a sculpture of Queen Victoria in Kolkata.

What’s in the collection?

We have two collections of material related to George Frampton, comprising mostly of photographs of his work and some personal correspondence.

The first archive collection consists of around 400 photographs of Frampton’s sculpture, jewellery, medals and design work. Many of these show his studio and the sculptures before they were cast or sold. The collection is strong on Frampton’s portrait busts, many of which are in private collections, and Royal commissions. The printed material includes the official programme for the unveiling of his monument to Queen Victoria in Leeds, 1905.

The second collection of archival material includes the artist’s certificates of baptism, marriage and death, as well as several postcards of his work, a copy of his will and correspondence regarding copyright. There are also several portraits of the artist.