George Washington Henry Jack (8 August 1855 – 15 December 1931) was a British

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

designer and architect. Born in America, he grew up and trained in Scotland, before moving south to join the office of

Philip Webb Philip Speakman Webb (12 January 1831 – 17 April 1915) was a British architect and designer sometimes called the Father of Arts and Crafts Architecture. His use of vernacular architecture demonstrated his commitment to "the art of common ...

. A contemporary of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

, Jack designed furniture for Morris & Co., and was a member of the

Art Workers Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of a ...

and the Arts and Crafts Society. After the turn of the 20th century, he set up his own practice, which continued until his death.

Biography

Jack was born on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, New York, the son of an engraver of Scottish descent. On his father's early death in 1860, the young Jack was taken by his mother, a pianist, back to Scotland, where they settled in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. In 1869, Jack was

articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to the office of Horatio Bromhead, where he met Thomas Hamilton Crawford. He then moved on to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, first joining the practice of Charles Vinall, and then, in 1880, the office of

(1831–1915), the so-called "Father of Arts and Crafts Architecture". Webb introduced Jack to

(1834–1896), one of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and from 1885 Jack designed furniture for Morris & Co. He also developed skills in

wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

and other crafts, including

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s and

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

. He joined the

Central School of Arts and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a public art school, school of fine arts, fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central ...

on its foundation in 1896, teaching wood carving under the Principal,

William Lethaby William Richard Lethaby (18 January 1857 – 17 July 1931) was an English architect and architectural historian whose ideas were highly influential on the late Arts and Crafts and early Modern movements in architecture, and in the fields of con ...

. From 1900, Jack also taught at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

. He published the handbook ''Woodcarving, Design and Workmanship'' in 1903. After Webb's retirement in 1900, Jack continued his architectural practice, in partnership with Thomas Crawford from 1902 to 1907. In 1902, he purchased a house in Station Road, Church End, North London, which became his home, office and workshop. When

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out, Jack joined the architecture department of

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

, resuming his private practice after the war. Shortly before his death, aged 76 in December 1931, he was involved, with the architect

Charles Winmill Charles Canning Winmill FRIBA (14 January 1865 – 11 January 1945) was an English architect working in the Arts and Crafts style during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He spent much of his career in the London County Council's architec ...

, in the renovations of St Margaret's Church, Barking. Jack also designed mosaics for Seoul Anglican Cathedral, Korea. George Jack - Golders Green Crematorium

Jack was cremated at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

. In 2006, the

William Morris Gallery The William Morris Gallery is a museum devoted to the life and works of William Morris, an English Arts and Crafts designer and early socialist. It is located in Walthamstow at Water House, a substantial Grade II* listed Georgian home. The ext ...

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...

, hosted the first exhibition devoted to the work of George Jack.

References

External links

* * *

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a Virtual volunteering, volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the ...

e-book. * Contemporary review of Jack's ''Woodcarving, Design and Workmanship''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jack, George 1855 births 1931 deaths Arts and Crafts movement artists 19th-century British architects 20th-century British architects People from Long Island Architects from Glasgow