John Ednie
(1876 – 1934)
John Ednie was born at Gourlay Street, Glasgow in 1876 but grew up in Edinburgh. He studied architecture at Heriot Watt College and won a travelling scholarship which allowed him to visit several European cities. After completing an apprenticeship with Scott Morton and Company interior decorators, he joined the design department at Wylie and Lochhead in Glasgow where he worked alongside George Logan and E.A. Taylor. Ednie designed the dining room in the Wylie and Lochhead Pavilion at The Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901 and water colour designs for two rooms by him were exhibited in Turin 1902.
In 1906 he left Wylie and Lochhead to work freelance. Between 1905 and 1926 he is understood to have completed various architectural commissions and interior design work for houses and public buildings including cinemas and restaurants. He also produced designs for furniture and stained glass. Ednie held numerous teaching posts throughout his career and in 1908 was appointed head of the Decorative Art Department at The Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College. In 1926, he moved to London with his wife, then moved again to Cairo in 1928, taking up the position as Director at The Cairo School of Applied Art. He died from an animal bite in Cairo in 1934.
Glasgow Museums hold 53 attributed items, of which two pieces of furniture are displayed within the Glasgow Style Gallery. Illustrations of his work can be seen in The Studio, August 1901 (page 166) and August 1906, (pp 254-5).
Circa 1901. Image courtesy of Patch Rodgers.
Image courtesy of Patch Rodgers.
For Wylie and Lochhead, galleried back inset with a stained and mirrored glass panel. Image Courtesy of Lyon & Turnbull, Fine Art Auctioneers.
Carved and inlaid oak settle, displayed at the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901. Image from The Art Fund.
Pencil and watercolour, design for a Tea Room, 1901 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London