Frank Partridge & Sons was established in 1904 and was one of the world's leading dealers in antiques, with trading premises in London and New York. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989. In 2005 the family sold the business to Amor Holdings and in 2009 the company went into liquidation. Frank Partridge, the great-grandson of the founder of the firm, continues to trade in London under his own name.
Frank Partridge (1875-1953) was one of five brothers; he was born in Hertfordshire and in 1891 he went to the USA. The privately printed book, Memoirs of the late Frank Partridge, (G.B. Spencer, Essex,1961), suggests that Frank Partridge began working in his elder brother Robert Partridge's in antique shop in Great Portland Street, London at the age of 17 where he was soon joined by his younger brother Leonard. After his time in Chicago, Frank returned to England and began working again with his brother Robert in his new shop in Marylebone in the late 1890s. Frank took a shop of his own at 4 King Street, St. James's in November 1904; he wrote to his client William Hesketh Lever (1851-1925) on 28th November 1904; 'I have severed my connections with my brother Mr R.W. Partridge and I beg to inform you that I have opened the above [4 King Street] premises for my business purposes' (Lady Lever Art Gallery archive 17.4.A). Partridge moved to 26 King Street in 1910; Frank Partridge also opened a shop in New York, at 529 Fifth Avenue in 1912. He was one of the few survivors of the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, he was on board the ship while returning from a New York shopping trip. In 1921 Frank's son Leonard Partridge began managing the New York shop which by that stage was trading separately as Frank Partridge Inc. and was located at 6 West 56th Street.
By 1938 the business had been awarded a Royal Warrant, 'By Appointment to Queen Mary, Antique Dealers. On 16th April 1943 the King Street premises were destroyed by German bombing during WWII; Frank Partridge re-opened the following day in Bruton Street, with what remained of his possessions. Soon afterwards in 1944, Partridge moved to 144-146 New Bond Street, an art gallery which had been built by the architects Lanchester and Rickards in 1913 for the picture dealers Colnaghi and Obach. The business continued to be run by Frank Partridge until his death on 8th August 1953 when his younger son Claude A. Partridge became Chairman; at this date Leonard Partridge was running the New York business. When Claude died of cancer six years later on 8th April 1958 he was succeeded by his son John Arthur Partridge who remained as Chairman until 2005. Claude was elected president of the BADA in 1955.
Records in the archive of the Burrell Collection show that one of Partridge's earliest customers was the great art collector, William Hesketh Lever, the first Lord Leverhulme. Lord Lever (as he later became known) purchased Chinese porcelain from Partridge for over twenty years. In 1929 the business was incorporated as Frank Partridge and Sons Limited and soon had a host of well-known clients including the late Queen Mary, from whom Frank Partridge received a personal Royal Warrant as an antique dealer. Another important early client was Philip Kerr, the 11th Marquess of Lothian and owner of Blickling Hall - one of the first houses to be given to the National Trust. Frank Partridge purchased the Great Bed of Ware which was sold to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1931. Soon after he took over Chairmanship of the business, John Partridge bought the second half of the Chester Beatty collection of French furniture, the first half having been purchased by his father, Frank. John also sold several pieces over the years to Mr Paul Getty, some of which are on display in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Frank Partridge was one of the founding members of the BADA in 1918.
