Home
Page
Engraving &
Etching
Hand Printing
and colouring
A "Peek" at
The Collection
History
Dealers &
Distributors
Contact us
The History of the firm of Ross
Portrait photo of Mr Ross Named after its founder the firm was, and is today a family owned concern. Over the years ownership has passed through four families, and today Thomas Ross Ltd is part of The Nutbrown Group, owned by the family of that name.

When Mr Ross started the business in London, copperplate printing was the normal practice, being the only high quality way to make prints of famous and sought after works of art. Numerous similar firms existed, particularly in London.

As mechanised printing commenced in the following decades, most firms wrongly believed there was no future in hand copperplate work. Adopting the newly invented methods, many sold their copper plates to the shrewd Mr Ross and his sucessors. In some cases whole businesses were aquired by the firm of Ross, and more recently, in the 1950's the even older firm of plate printers, P.N.McQueen joined forces with Ross's in a merger. By these acquisitions, The Ross Collection expanded until today, with works the company itself commissioned, it extends to over ten thousand copper & steel printing plates covering most topics.
Thomas Ross
(The founder)
Over the years, the work of many famous artists has been brought to Ross's for proofing and production. The extensive archive of the firm's accounting and work books is preserved, containing fascinating entries. In 1837 for example, the records show the account of J.M.W Turner, charged for proofing his plates worked by the engraver John Goodall. Photo of old Hampstead Rd works Since it was founded at 70 Hampstead Road, London, the firm has relocated three times. The first move, within London, was to Putney, in the 1960's. The subsequent move in the 1980's took the firm to Binfield in the county of Berkshire, and most recently the firm moved to it’s present location in rural southern Hampshire.

Meanwhile, Ross's established overseas distribution branches in Belgium and Italy. (click for details)
The original printing workshop
70 Hampstead Road, London.
While eagerly embracing modern business methods to provide good customer service, the actual processes of hand printing and water-colouring employed in producing the finest prints have been closely guarded at Thomas Ross, and remains largely untouched by the passage of time.

Indeed the traditional methods and skilled techniques are today major selling points for customers worldwide who continue to appreciate and demand fine hand made art prints rather than art reproductions produced by mechanised means.