CULMER, Alban Russell

1882 - 1970

Alban Russell Culmer was born at Islington, London on 20 April 1882, eldest son and second child of Thomas William Culmer (1851-12 April 1933), wholesale artist brush maker, and his wife Eliza Robertson Grinder née Kennedy (25 June 1856-16 October 1941), who married at Islington in 1879 and in 1939 Eliza was living at 8 Nelson Place, Lymington. In 1901, Alban was an 18-year-old artist brush maker, living at 2 Woodview Villa, Archway Road, Hornsey, Middlesex with his parents, 49-year-old Thomas and 44-year-old Eliza with five siblings, Mary 20, Michael 16, Harold 12, Arthur 9 and Grace 8. By 1911, they had moved to Ashington Hall, Ashington, Essex. Alban married at Rochford, Essex in 1912, Gwladis Maria May Barnes (23 March 1891-11 October 1971) and in 1921 Alban was a brush manufacturer living at The Red House, Totteridge, Middlesex with his wife and their four children, Peter Alban (1913-1997), John Selwyn (1914-1998), both born at Hornsey, Arthur Philip (1917-1999), born at Leigh-on-Sea and Audrey Helen (1921-2013), born at Totteridge, and they were still living there in 1939. The family firm of Culmak Ltd., had moved to Woodbridge, Suffolk in the 1920s. Alban was member of the Ipswich Art Club from 1946 until his death, exhibiting from The Old Rectory, Orford, Suffolk in 1946, two oil paintings 'Nocturne' and 'Band Concert in the Rain, Bruges', the following year he exhibited from Brook House, Woodbridge, two oils 'Orford Quay' and 'Mirror'd in the Water Clear' and a watercolour 'Orford. February 1947'; in 1948 he exhibited two oils 'The Old Tide Mill, Woodbridge' and 'Blakeney, Norfolk', in 1949 two oils 'Easter Fair, Woodbridge' and 'Tide Mill, Woodbridge' and a watercolour 'Eventide' and in 1950 two oils 'Boyton Dock' and 'Sky over the Deben'. A regular annual exhibitor and in 1967 he was exhibiting from Turn Lane Cottage, Woodbridge, his last posthumous showings were in the Centenary Show in 1974, two oils 'River Colne' and 'Gathering Seaweed' and he was also an exhibitor in London. Alban died at Turn Lane Cottage, Woodbridge, Suffolk on 22 May 1970. During the 1960s the company Culmak was sold to Addis Ltd., then one of the largest shaving brush manufacturers in England and moved from Woodbridge to Hertford.

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Works by This Artist