Sydney Ayers



London
Graduate Fellow
2019

Engraving by P Begbie, ‘The works in architecture of Robert and James Adam’, (1774-75) Volume I, Part II, plate viii.

Engaging with Adam: The Adam Revival of British Furniture Makers, 1860-1890

Sydney’s research project focused specifically on Neo-Adam furniture and its makers in the period 1860 to 1890. This summer she investigated how Adam Revival furniture makers engaged directly with original Adam drawings through their visits to the Museum and the use of its collections. Sydney will return to the Museum in Fall 2019 to continue her research – after she submits her PhD thesis!

“I had such a lovely few weeks researching at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London. I was able to examine Visitor Books, the register of students, and the Curators Diaries, in support of my project ‘Engaging with Adam: the Adam Revival and British Furniture Makers, 1860-1890.’ While much of my initial reading and research proved fruitless, in my last few days I finally found what I was looking for – namely the visit of “dirty” decorators to the Soane Museum to view Adam’s drawings! I was also lucky enough to be there for both the Staff Study Day at Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor, and the opening of the new exhibit ‘Lumière Mystérieuse: Soane and the Architecture of Light.’ My time at the Soane was truly overflowing with art and architecture!” – Sydney Ayers, August 2019

Sydney is a graduate student of Art History at The University of Edinburgh.

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