Benjamin Phillips was established as a dealer in the late 19th century. In 1899, in the administration papers of his brother, Isaac Phillips' estate he is recorded as a 'Fine Art Dealer'; in the Census records for 1901 he is recorded as a 'Silversmith and Art Dealer', and in the 1911 Census as 'Art Dealer and Jeweller'.
We are very grateful to Philip Beddows, a relation of the family of Benjamin Phillips, for the information on the ancestry of Benjamin Phillips.