Established in 1933 by Frederick Victoria, Frederick P. Victoria & Son, Inc., has been run since 1980 by the founder’s son, Anthony. Having joined his father immediately after receiving an MBA from the Wharton Graduate School in 1969, Anthony continued the family’s tradition of dealing in unusual 18th century Western European Decorative Arts, especially those from France. In addition he took on the task of directing a corps of 8-10 craftsmen who both reproduced and executed original designs either derived from their antique inventory or conceived of by his father and himself.

Frederick P. Victoria was born in London in 1904 but grew up from an early age in New York City. His path from very humble surroundings in Little Italy to the Antique business was circuitous, to say the least. However his eye for design and proportion must have been natural gifts that he quickly honed: he was named Art Director of Cosmopolitan Magazine in the late 1920’s. His career there was cut short by the acquisition of the magazine by the Hearst Publishing Company. The depression was on and in the subsequent redundancy, he was let go in favor of a married employee.

From there, he found a position at the Bristol Company, which dealt in and imported primarily English antiques. Coincidentally enough, the Bristol Company was located at the same address where the Victoria family firm would be located from 1941 to 1999. His first major project came in the mid-thirties when he worked in Houston on the design and decoration of the Marcus Family’s first store, The Fashion, which eventually evolved into Nieman Marcus of today. This series of commissions led to others: The River Oaks Country Club and the Petroleum Club, to mention just two.

After World War II, he was on the first ship back to France (he was on one of the last ones to leave Europe, the Rex). It was a time when with a small amount of capital, a large amount of daring and, most importantly, a good eye a dealer could source astonishing things. As a result, Frederick Victoria’s clientele expanded. By the time he was joined by his son, Anthony, the roster included names like Windsor, Macy, Field, Baldwin, Duke, Stacey, Kelly, Astor, Gimble, Perrault, Whitney, Tree, Pahlman, Gibbons, Taylor, Hadley, Porter, Berlin, Hampton, and Kahane among others.

Anthony G. Victoria

In between the conclusion of his graduate studies and joining the Family firm, Tony spent a year working in various Parisian antique restoration ateliers. Not only did this give him a firm grounding in the area of 18th century French furniture construction techniques, it also gave him in depth experience in the area of the decorative bronzes that were so essential to France’s decorative arts of the period. These lessons served him well not only when selecting new stock for the firm after his father’s death, but also when he joined the Vetting Committees of New York’s prestigious International Fine Arts and Antiques Fair and the Winter Antiques Show and when he lectured students at the NYU School of Continuing Education and NY School of Interior Design.

Anthony Victoria has served on the Boards of both the Art and Antiques Dealers’ League of America and the National Art and Antiques Dealers Association of America. He also served as President of the latter organization from 1995-1998, representing it at the annual conferences of the International Association of Antique Dealers, C.I.N.O.A., during those years.

Frederick P. Victoria, II

The founder’s grandson, named after his late Uncle, has now joined the firm. Freddy graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in International Relations. He also managed to pick up some Italian and Japanese while spending time living in those respective countries.

After graduating, Freddy spent five years in the world of Finance. Most recently, and in preparation for his new career, he spent a year in London studying with Christie’s in the field of the Decorative Arts.

Frederick P. Victoria & Son, Inc. Today

As is immediately apparent, the stylistic range of our inventory has evolved from that of the 17th & 18th centuries. Our new concentration spans a period from 1890 to 1950, with special places held by the Viennese Secessionist Movement, English and European Arts and Crafts, the Art Nouveau Period, and what we feel are the best aspects of design from the Art Deco through to the Modernism of the 1950’s.

That being said, we have certainly not severed the links with our past. Our Collectors Section is proof that the Decorative Arts of the 18th and early 19th centuries in Europe are still well loved. In fact, whatever ability we have to select and edit our new collections derives from our visual and technical experiences in these more classical periods. Our FP Victoria Design section also highlights the continued links to our past. Here you will find just a few of the models from the Victoria Design Library (more on that below); which are custom made reproductions that we continue to offer and for which the firm is well known.

The Victoria Design Library

During the period 1940-1960, Frederick Victoria employed a very gifted draftsman full time. His job was to produce full size plans of every unusual piece that came through the doors on 55th Street or that the firm created for a client. Where possible we have kept these client attributions with their models. These drawings are exceptional: not just due to their having been done completely free hand or to their historical design significance, but because they contain every detail required for a piece to be created yet again. So far, over thousand drawings have been catalogued.

These “blue prints” represent the nucleus of the Victoria Design Library. But the Library also includes physical models and new designs that the firm has produced. In this respect the Library is constantly growing and becoming a more valuable resource for us and our clients. Starting in 2006, FP Victoria & Son’s goal for the Library is to place this extensive and unique resource at the service of both private and professional clients. We plan for the Library to serve the trade as a reference and inspiration source for new designs which we can create together.