Antique Dealers: the British Antique Trade in the 20th Century

Thomas Joseph Larkin (1848-1915) was a leading specialist in Chinese works of art; the business was established in 1881 as 'The Japanese Gallery' at 28 New Bond Street, London, where they initially traded in contemporary Japanese paintings.  In the 1890s the gallery staged exhibitions of the artwork of the Japanese painter Watanbe Seitei (1851-1918), as well as hosting an exhibition of the work of the English artist John Varley Jnr (1850-1933) in the same period.  T.J. Larkin later became well known for selling antique and contemporary Japanese and Chinese works of art.