Charlotte Isabella Newman (1836-1920), née Gibbs, also known as Mrs Philip Newman, was the first woman to be admitted to the Guild of Goldsmiths and is widely regarded as the pre-eminent English female jeweller of the 19th century, paving the way for other women in what had historically been a male-dominated profession.
As a young woman, Charlotte Isabella was educated at the prestigious Somerset House in London, now known as the Royal College of Art, and at South Kensington. There, under the influence of the founder of the V&A, Sir Henry Cole, she began designing a variety of decorative items, including carpets, ceramics and textiles. Charlotte travelled across Europe, visiting museums and drawing inspiration from them. Upon her return to England, she began her professional career at the jeweller’s workshop of John Brogden in London. Brogden jewellery was influenced by archaeological finds and Renaissance aesthetics, and Charlotte was deeply fascinated by it. The Victoria and Albert Museum has a book of the firm’s designs, which features many of Mrs Newman’s works.
The Brogden Album (E.2-1986) contains 1,593 jewellery and goldsmith’s designs dating from 1848 to 1884, including these earrings, designed by Charlotte Newman.
In 1860, Charlotte married the draughtsman Philip Harry Newman (1840–1927), and became Mrs Philip Newman. Unusually for Victorian England, her marriage did not prevent her from pursuing a professional career. John Brogden recognised Charlotte’s talent and exhibited jewellery designed by her at the Paris exhibitions of 1867 and 1878. The 1878 exhibition brought Charlotte a medal of honour as a “collaborator” and Brogden received the Cross of the Legion of Honour.
After Brogden’s death in 1884, Charlotte set up her own business under the name of Mrs Newman, employing many of Brogden’s craftsmen. Her shop, Mrs Newman’s, was located in the busy West End, at 18 Clifford Street. The firm’s products were marked with the stamp “Mrs N” or “N”. This emphasised the main difference between her firm and all others: her jewellery was designed by a woman for women. This was unusual and was noticed by the press. The shop attracted the attention of fashion magazines, the firm’s reputation grew, business was booming, and orders came in from all over. There was even a commission from the French government to design twelve gold medallions for the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna (1899).
In 1897, Mrs. Newman moved her business to 10 Savile Row. Her cases were marked “Mrs. Newman, Goldsmith and Court Jeweller, 10 Savile Row, London.” She continued to produce jewellery in historical styles, using granulation, enamel and coloured gemstones in decoration. Her work at the end of the 19th century shows the influence of the increasingly popular Arts and Crafts movement. Her distinctive feature was that she rarely made two identical pieces. Almost all of them were unique.
After Mrs. Newman retired in 1910, the business continued to operate under the management of her daughter and granddaughter until the outbreak of World War II.
Despite numerous obstacles, including being banned from membership in some artistic societies due to her gender, Charlotte was able to achieve recognition. In 1884, she was given the honour of delivering a lecture on jewellery at the Royal Society of Arts. She died in January 1920, leaving behind her reputation as the first recognised ‘lady jeweller’ of the Victorian era, paving the way for such talented craftswomen as Sybil Shepherd and Dorrie Nossiter.
