In Memoriam – John Parfitt
John Parfitt recently died, aged 85. Fellow member John Vanderpump has written about him for us.
John was born in Camberwell on 11 November 1939.
He began his career in the printing world long before leaving school—as a 13-year-old he assisted his father James, who was a photographer for the Keystone Press in Fleet Street—and worked in the industry until he retired aged 69.
John served a six-year apprenticeship in photo engraving with Wace & Co., which supplied copper plates for magazines such as Vogue. After leaving William Penn School in Dulwich, he attended the Camberwell School of Art and the London College of Printing, obtaining a City and Guilds qualification in photoengraving and photolithography.
In 1964 he joined Funnel Dyson & Gregory in Croydon, where he became the overseer in their litho department. He always strived for excellence, as well as embracing new technologies. In the mid 1960s he heard that Rowley Atterbury had founded The Westerham Press, that they were advanced in colour technology, and were going to develop film setting typography. John was very keen to be part of this new enterprise. When he heard a vacancy had arisen, he obtained an interview to work as a litho re-toucher. He left after the company was sold first to Burrups, and then the St Ives Group, but returned as a consultant in 1991 after they had moved to Edenbridge, and he remained there until he retired in 2008.
In that time, he acquired his reputation for faithful reproduction of fine art, and making facsimile copies of historical documents.
The most famous example of these was a facsimile edition of The Domesday Book. Produced at The Westerham Press over a period of two years, it is a fine example of his commitment to excellence: to ensure perfection of the project he obtained the last available supply of contone plates from South Africa. They were essential for the screenless printing that he deemed the only suitable process for such a prestigious project.
For his work on The Domesday Book, he was presented to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1986. Very few printers can claim to have achieved such an accolade, but John was presented for a second time whilst working with Prince Philip, producing printed material for the Westminster Abbey restoration appeal.
This was not the only of his royal connections, as he worked very closely with His Majesty King Charles III – then the Prince of Wales – reproducing his watercolours; as well as for Lord Snowdon reproducing his photographs; for Princess Diana on a children’s book; and also on a book for the Duchess of York!
You didn’t have to be a Royal personage to be a John Parfitt client, as he reproduced many other high quality facsimile books including The York Gospels, The Turner Wilson Sketch Book, Henry Moore Shelter Drawings, The Magna Carta for the British Library, Two East Anglian 15th century picture books, The Mappa Mundi, and The Bank of England Charter Commission and Subscription book (of which only three items were produced—one for Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, one for The Queen of Holland and the other for the Bank of England).
He was responsible for the Michelangelo and Leonardo de Vinci prints for The Royal Library.
He was also involved with the printing of The Highgrove Florilegium, which contains prints of original watercolours of plants and trees in the Highgrove garden by seventy-two leading botanical illustrators from around the world, commissioned by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. 175 numbered sets were produced over seven years. All royalties were donated to The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation. This was shown to the Society at The Art Workers’ Guild meeting in 2011.
Other books include the History of the Masons, the History of the Drapers, catalogues for The Tate Gallery, The National Gallery, The Clore Gallery, The Sainsbury Collection, The Queen’s Library, The Wallace Collection and the London Topographical Society.
Personal clients included Bridget Riley, David Hockney, Bill Brandt, John Piper, Ben Nicolson, Paul Mellon, Edward Ardizzone and Anne Cotterill.
He also worked on important documents, paintings and books in America, Russia, Sweden, France, Germany, Austria and Australia.
He was also responsible for the installation of a colour studio in the Public Records Office (to photograph the Domesday Book), and a colour studio in The Tate Gallery.
Apart from being a member of The Wynkyn de Worde Society, he was a fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, Typophiles of New York and the Double Crown Club.
In his youth John was a keen and very able cyclist, swimmer and wrestler! Later in life he was a frequent visitor to the West End theatres and not surprisingly art galleries. He also developed a taste for good food and fine wine.
John is survived by his wife Wendie, eldest son Jonathan and his brother James, who is continuing the Parfitt tradition in the fine printing industry running Westerham Print. We send them our very sincere condolences and sympathy at this very sad time.
A private family funeral service has already been held.