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Gordon Fraser

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Gordon Fraser was born in Roundhay, a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire on the 26th February 1911. He was educated at Oundle School and St Johns College, Cambridge followed by studies at Munich University, London School of Economics and Pitmans college. In 1935 he began his working life as a bookseller in Cambridge and his shop included a small gallery of art prints. His first Christmas cards appeared in 1938 and were well designed and at a reasonable price.

He played an active role during the Second World War and after a year with the Cambridgeshire Civil Defence he trained at Sandhurst, becoming an officer in the intelligence corps and using his knowledge of French and German. He also worked with the partisan underground in what was then Yugoslavia and was a member of Fitzroy Macleans British military mission.

When the war ended Gordon Fraser became director of UNESCOs radio division in Paris. He remained there until 1954. The Gordon Fraser Gallery moved from Cambridge to 126 Eastcotts Road, Bedford in 1946. Kellys directory for 1947 describes the gallery as Christmas card publishers. On his return from Paris Gordon Fraser began to develop his greetings cards business and in time introduced Easter, Valentine, mothers day, fathers day and other cards for occasions to his range. He chose all the artwork himself and was perhaps one of the first to use copies of old masters and original artwork for his distinctive designs. In 1965 extra accommodation for the firm was found at Chantry Estate Kempston

He was an innovative and discerning greetings cards designer and other card producers followed his lead. The Gordon Fraser Gallery became internationally known and his cards sold in many countries. A Gordon Fraser shop was opened in the Harpur Centre, Bedford in the late 1970s and remained there through the next decade finally closing in the early 1990s.

A Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust was established in 1966, which continues to support the arts and young people.

Tragically Gordon Fraser was killed in a car accident on 27th June 1981

In April 1990 the Gordon Fraser Gallery presented Bedford Central Library with a small collection of finely produced books on a variety of subjects. In 1993 Hallmark Cards acquired the company.

Some of the archives for the firm are held in the Archive of Art and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Sources

• Adrian Room Fraser, Gordon 1911 1981, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004
• Eight thousand years: a Kempston history edited by H. A Carnell, T. Booth and H. G. Tibbutt
• V & A Archives held by the archive of Art and Design, Gordon Fraser Gallery Ltd, books and greetings cards publisher, book division records, ca.1968 - 1988

Gordon Fraser by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2009

Page last updated: 22nd January 2014