Thomas Chippendale: a 1920s silent ‘biopic'

In 2017 a set of film canisters were rediscovered in the V&A stores, which turned out to contain 1920s silent ‘biopics’ of the furniture designers Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton. Both films are imaginative re-enactments of scenes from their lives. They were probably made for the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1925.
The Chippendale film is particularly ambitious, charting his rise to prominence and major commissions. A cast of character actors in 18th-century costumes perform on studio sets dressed with antique furniture, and out on location. It includes scenes from two moments in his career: the first in 1760, when he was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Arts, and the second in 1772, the date of his major commissions for the actor David Garrick at Adelphi Terrace and for Edwin Lascelles at Harewood House in Yorkshire.
The films were transferred to the British Film Institute and are shown courtesy of the BFI National Archive.
Read more on our blog: www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-lif...

[@david11978]

Absolute Gem. It's quiet acting style, gives the impression that one is looking back in time.

[@bytheway1031]

🎂Thomas Chippendale 06-05-2022