Crace, John

Five members of the Crace family practised as interior decorators from ca. 1750 to 1899. Edward Crace (1725 - 1799) founded a decorating firm in London ca. 1768. This business continued in unbroken succession as a partnership until 1899, headed by four of his direct descendants. Edward Crace was also appointed the Curator of the Royal Pictures from the mid-1770s until his death in 1799. John Crace (1754 - 1819), his son, went into the business in 1780 and was employed by Henry Holland and other leading architects of the day. Frederick Crace (1779 - 1859), the grandson of Edward Crace, worked almost exclusively for the royal family and was responsible for the decoration of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton from 1815 to 1822. John Gregory Crace (1809 - 1889), the great grandson of Edward Crace, was associated with A.W.N. Pugin from 1843. He designed furniture and stained glass as well as decorative schemes for the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition, 1857 and the London International Exhibition, 1862. John Dibblee Crace (1838 - 1919), the great great grandson of Edward Crace, worked on schemes in several styles but his work was predominantly influenced by his studies of Italian Renaissance art. The Crace firm closed in 1899 when John Dibblee Crace decided he could not continue to run the partnership single-handedly.

From the guide to the Crace family, interior decorators: papers, 1691 - 1992, (V&A Archive of Art and Design)