Art Copyright and Estates

Ernest Gambart was a pioneering art dealer and showman in Victorian England who uncovered the value of art copyright. His specialty was a triple play. First, he mounted an exhibition (typically a single painting such as William Powell Firth’s The Derby Day); second, the sold the work; and third, he produced prints for sale after securing the copyright. Unlike contemporary dealers, his biggest revenue generator wasn’t the sale of the painting. It was the prints and exhibition tickets.