| Description | Papers of the Gaskin family.
These include correspondence from numerous friends and artists, mostly to Arthur Gaskin. The largest number of letters, many illustrated, are from his friend, the artist Joseph Southall. There is some correspondence from Arthur Gaskin to his daughter Joscelyne and some drawings and school reports belonging to her. There are also printed books, one illustrated by Georgie Gaskin, others with lettering by Joscelyne Gaskin. There are a small number of family photographs. |
| AdminHistory | Arthur Gaskin (1862 - 1928) was born in Birmingham, son of Henry Gaskin of Small Heath, decorative artist, and his second wife Emily, nee Brassington. His parents moved to Wolverhampton about 1865, and he attended Wolverhampton Grammar School. They returned to Birmingham about 1879, and in 1883 he enrolled at Birmingham School of Art. By 1892 he was living at 375 Coventry Road. On 21st March 1894, he married a fellow student, Georgie Evelyn Cave France, and they embarked on a long and successful working relationship together. Georgie France (1866 - 1934) was the daughter of William Hanmer France of Marl Green, Tyseley.
Arthur and Georgie Gaskin lived in Acocks Green, in Olton and in Edgbaston. They had two daughters, Joscelyne Verney, born 29 May 1903, and Margaret Cave, born 12 June 1907. Joscelyne was educated at Cheltenham Ladies College, Margaret at Edgbaston High School for Girls.
Arthur Gaskin taught at Birmingham School of Art from 1885 to 1903. He was then appointed headmaster of the Vittoria Street School of Jewellery and Silversmithing and worked there until he retired in 1924. He was a designer for William Morris's Kelmscott Press, a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, of the Birmingham Easel Club and the Birmingham Art Circle. He was a member of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society since 1890. From 1903 both Arthur and Georgie Gaskin devoted much of their attention to metalwork, enamelling and the designing of jewellery.
Some of their friends were Joseph Southall, Georgiana Burne - Jones and May Morris, who was godmother to Margaret. Laurence Hodson was godfather to Joscelyne.
Joscelyne married Austin Charlewood Turner in 1924 and their son John was born in 1927.
In 1924 Arthur and Georgie retired and moved to Chipping Campden. After Arthur Gaskin's death on 4 June 1928, Georgie moved to Kent, where she died in 1934. |