Welcoming Tiffany Langford Collections Intern

Tiffany Langford, our newly appointed Collections Intern, talks about her research with the Wilberforce Institute and the Ferens Art Gallery and introduces Thomas Ferens, benefactor of both organisations and a committed Methodist and art collector.

I am honoured and elated to be joining the teams at Ferens Art Gallery and the Wilberforce Institute. I recently started my position as a Collections Intern working collaboratively with both institutions. In September 2023 I completed my master’s degree in history, with my research focused on European Art History and Material Culture.

My master’s dissertation focused on researching how religion, national identity, politics and personal beliefs affected the textiles and artwork purchased by individuals at British and French Courts. Similar approaches can be taken when analysing Thomas Ferens, chief benefactor of Ferens Art Gallery. How did Ferens’ Methodism, charitable commitments, Liberal politics, local identity and personal beliefs affect the artworks he collected for himself and the art gallery.

Prior to starting my Internship, I worked at a primary school as a Teaching Assistant, primarily supporting children with Special Educational Needs. Thomas Ferens himself, strongly supported expanding education by setting up the University of Hull, donating money and land to expand boys’ and girls’ schools across the country and opening the new buildings for Hull’s Institute for the Deaf. Having worked in an educational setting, alongside studying history for my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, helps me truly appreciate Ferens’ charitable commitment to supporting learning and arts for the people of Hull.

As 2027 approaches we move towards the joint centenary for the opening of Ferens Art Gallery and the founding of the University of Hull in 1927. The celebration of which, provides us with an opportunity to look more closely at Ferens’ life and his enduring legacy.

As a Liberal Member of Parliament for Hull, Ferens spoke out in the House of Commons about slavery in the British colonies alongside drawing Parliament’s attention to the trafficking of Chinese girls and women in Britain. This is something I hope to explore further in the joint project, drawing connections between Ferens’ awareness of colonial exploitation, how he spoke about slavery and how this connected to his charitable contributions and the artwork he purchased.

As a committed Methodist, Ferens gave away approximately ninety percent of his income. A large part of this income went to expanding Hull’s Art Gallery, and then founding Ferens Art Gallery. Ferens gifted £35,000 for the creation of Ferens Gallery, as well as forming a Ferens Endowment Fund, to which he regularly contributed. Ferens was a highly active collector, involved in personally purchasing or making final decisions regarding the paintings bought for the Gallery’s Permanent Collections. Ferens, throughout his lifetime, asserted that artwork could have a positive moral and spiritual impact on communities who viewed and engaged with it. Ferens perceived the power of artwork as something that could inspire personal growth especially regarding education and religiosity.

Ferens’ role as a discerning collector, is swiftly becoming a pivotal element of the joint project, with the research beginning to reveal more complex reasons for why he purchased artwork and, in some cases, actively blocked the Gallery’s Committee from purchasing others. I hope that through thorough research over the next year, we will uncover fully how his personal and political beliefs embedded themselves into his role as a collector.

This opens a multitude of intriguing avenues of inquiry. It is becoming evident that he had differing motivations for purchasing certain artworks. Did his decisions to collect certain paintings based on personal or political beliefs, come into conflict with artworks that were popular to the wider public? Do cross-purposes appear?

Ferens was key to Sub Committee meetings, where he advised the theme of collections and approved purchases. However, he was not the sole individual involved. I hope to uncover if his opinions clashed with the Gallery’s curator or the Sub Committee. Beyond those officially employed by the Ferens Art Gallery, Esther Field, who was married to Thomas Ferens shared his commitments to encouraging greater access to the arts in hopes of moral benefit. In the coming year I hope to uncover her role in Ferens charitable and cultural contributions.

All these questions for future research, will help us to understand in more depth, how Thomas Ferens’ decisions and actions, in all aspects of cultural, political and religious life impacted Ferens Art Gallery and the University of Hull. More widely it will increase our awareness of how Ferens’ legacy continues to shape the educational and cultural environment in Hull. As well as the lived experiences of our communities.