Raphael Salaman
Raphael Salaman | |
---|---|
Born | Raphael Arthur Salaman 24 April 1906 Barley, Hertfordshire, England |
Died | 31 December 1993 Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England | (aged 87)
Nationality | British |
Education | Bedales School |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Occupation(s) | Tool collector, writer |
Political party | Labour |
Spouse |
Miriam Polianowsky (m. 1933) |
Children | 3; including Esther Polianowsky (sister-in-law) |
Raphael Arthur Salaman FSA (24 April 1906 – 31 December 1993) was an English engineer, collector, and writer. His work recorded the hand tools used in Britain during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
Biography
Family and education
R. A. Salaman, also known as Raph, was born in
The Salaman family were Ashkenazi Jews,[4] who, according to his father, migrated to Britain from either Holland or the Rhineland in the early 18th century.[5] His family were members of Bevis Marks Synagogue.[3] Salaman's interest in tools developed from watching craftsmen in rural Hertfordshire.[citation needed]
Salaman attended Bedales School and then studied engineering at the University of Cambridge.[6]
Career
After university Salaman set up his own light-engineering company in London. During the Second World War, he went to work for Marks and Spencer, organizing air-raid precautions (ARP) and fire-fighting.[7] After the war he continued to work for the retailer.[8] His job involved travelling around Britain, which gave him the opportunity to collect tools. He collected hand tools related to trades that were becoming less common, including those of wheelwrights, coopers, farriers, saddlers and dairy workers.
His interest in tools was more than a hobby, and he contributed to scholarly research in the subject. In 1959 he worked on a piece entitled, The Wheelwright's Art in Ancient China with Joseph Needham and Lu Gwei-djen.[9]
Raph retired early and dedicated himself to compiling two definitive books about hand tools[10] that have become standard reference works and are in the holdings of many libraries worldwide. The first, Dictionary of Woodworking Tools, was first published in 1975.[11] His other book Dictionary of Leather-working Tools, c. 1700–1950, and the Tools of Allied Trades first came out in 1986.[12]
Personal life and death
In 1933,
Salaman's elder brother Myer married Miriam's elder sister who became the writer
Salaman died in
Legacy
Salaman's collection of hand tools was bought by St Albans Museums Service. Part of the collection was on display for many years at the Museum of St Albans, but in 2010 it was removed from permanent exhibition.[8] The tools remain in the reserve collection of the Museum Service. Some of his catalogues, price lists, books and drawings featured in an auction sale organized by David Stanley and held in Loughborough in 1987.[15]
The Salaman Awards and Grants were established in memory of Raphael Salaman and are available to successful applicants through the Tools and Trades History Society.[16]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-521-31623-1.
- ISBN 978-3161532078. Archivedfrom the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Doherty, Rosa (19 June 2018). "Meet Jeremy Corbyn's devoted Jewish defender: Jenny Manson". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Morrison, Blake (11 October 2013). "Generation gap". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ISBN 978-0300168181. Archivedfrom the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Kessler, David (13 January 1994). "Obituary: R. A. Salaman". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Raphael Salaman - 1906-1993". www.harpenden-history.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.[title missing]
- ^ a b "On Raphael Salaman (1906-1993)". www.saulwordsworth.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2014.[title missing]
- ^ "The wheelwright's art in ancient China / Lu Gwei-Djen, Raphel A. Salaman and Joseph Needham". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ a b Wordsworth, Saul (15 January 2011). "The adventures of Miriam". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-879335-79-0.
- ISBN 978-1-879335-72-1.
- ^ "What It Feels Like to Be Me" (PDF). No. 104. Suburb News. 2010. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ISBN 978-3161532078. Archivedfrom the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Special Consignment Sale by Auction of Quality Antique Woodworking & Allied Trades, Tools, Treen & Bygones: To Include a Rare Collection of Early Catalogues, Price Lists, Books & Drawings from Mr R.A. Salaman, the Kings Head Hotel, High Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire: Tuesday 23 June 1987. Osgathorpe: David Stanley Auctions Archived 4 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ See Salaman Awards and Grants Archived 22 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine.