Frank Partridge and William Hesketh Lever - National Museums ...

died when Frank was six. Frank’s eldest brother, Robert, 21, kept the shoebusiness going, but after two busy years he decided to go to Australia to try hisfortunes there. The eldest sister Emily decided to continue the business. Inspiredby her customers’ taste or her female intuition, she added an antique departmentnext to the big front window where she displayed the boots and shoes. In a smallglass case she kept a changing array of small antique china and jewellerypieces.Fig 1. Frank Partridge as a young man. © Partridge Fine Art Ltd.Frank was now about eight and, leaving his small private school, he might havebeen impressed by his sister’s business idea. However in 1883 Frank’s mother,Eliza, sent him to the London Orphans’ Academy at Watford. Would the highexpense of a private education pay off? He stayed for six years until he was 14years old and later recalled: ‘To me practice of knowledge is as essential as aknowledge of practice if a theory is to be understood and a job done well. Toemphasise theoretical knowledge to the exclusion of practice, as they did atWatford, seemed to me to be useless. Something of each I thought to berequired, a little theory and a lot of practice through which to thoroughly learn thetheory.’ 6In 1889 Robert returned from Australia after six years. He had tried many jobs,but none had satisfied him as he had hoped they would. He met Doris Cohenwho was the daughter of two London dealers and she introduced him to herfamily’s shop where Robert learnt about antiques. Shortly after they were6G. B. Spencer, 1961, p.p.12­13.2