Biography
William Downing Webster was born in 1868 in Greenwich, the son of Robert Burrow, potato dealer and Sarah Elizabeth Webster. He was raised in Lancashire where his family had extensive connections. Webster was a talented draftsman from an early age and trained as a stained glass window designer in Lancaster. He then travelled around Europe promoting his designs.
During the early 1890’s Webster became an ethnographic collector and dealer. He travelled the country buying from auction houses, direct from collectors and members of the armed forces recently returned from abroad. On the 14 May 1891 he married Agnes Harrison of Bowness, Cumbria. They continued to be based in Lancashire and had 2 daughters, Phyllis and Doris, both born in the 1890’s. Webster brought and sold extensively; contributing to many of the major collections both in Britain and around the world. In 1895 he began to issue ethnographic catalogues, initially every two months, later changing to quarterly publications. 17 were produced each with illustrations; later versions featured photographs taken by Robert Burrow Webster, possibly his brother. A total of 31 catalogues were produced with a second series of the catalogue being printed in 1911. These were later bound into 5 volumes;
Volume 1. Catalogues 1-10 price 30/- 1895-1896
Volume 2. Catalogues 11-17 price 20/- 1897-1898
Volume 3. Catalogues 18-23 price 25/- 1898-1899
Volume 4. Catalogues 24-27 price 25/- 1900
Volume 5. Catalogues 28-31 price 25/- 1901
By 1901 Webster was living in London, at 24 Palace Rd, Streatham Hill, it is suggested he had separated from his wife by this stage. He sold his collection through the ethnographic auction house, Stevens in 1904, possibly due to financial reasons. The collection was billed as the “probably the finest outside any Museum” (Stevens 1904) and took place over 5 days in November of 1904. The British Museum Anthropology library holds copies of the sale catalogues.
Webster died on 14 January 1913 in Pinner, Middlesex in a “coma of chronic alcoholism” and is said to have been buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. (Waterfield, H & King, J.C.H. 2009)
Waterfield, H & King, J.C.H. (2009) Provenance; Twelve collectors of Ethnographic art 1760-1990: Paul Holberton Publishing
Webster,W.D. (1895-1901) Illustrated catalogue of ethnographic specimens, European and Eastern Arms and Armour, Prehistoric and other Curiosities; 5 vols: Oxford and London
Stevens J.C. (1904) Ethnographic specimens. To be sold on the 14th and 15th November 1904. The first portion of the collection formed by Mr. WD Webster, probably the finest outside any Museum: London
Brief biography
ethnographic collector (1868 - 1913)
