The Bamforth Collection

Kirklees Museums & Galleries have a collection of over 1500 items (excluding postcards) linked to Bamforth and Company, one of the best known and loved publishers of comic postcards.

Founded in Holmfirth in 1870 as a photographic studio by James Bamforth (image left), the firm expanded into magic lantern slides, film making and in 1903 postcard production, which soon became the major part of the business.

Initially the cards used photographic views but from around 1911 to 1990 Bamforth & Co. employed artists to draw designs. There were four main artists, who were trained in-house, leading to a consistent style.

This style was established by Douglas Tempest, who began working for Bamforth around 1912 and stayed until his death in 1954. He was joined by Arnold Taylor in 1926; Taylor remained until the studio closed in 1993. The two other main artists were Philip W. Taylor, from the  1930s to 1950s, and Brian Fitzpatrick, who joined the firm after Tempest’s death in 1954 and continued until he died in 1974.

This on-line archive features a selection of original artwork by Tempest, the Taylors and Fitzpatrick, and covers all stages in the process from sketches and doodles to finished, camera-ready paintings.

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