Notes

Albert Toft, a distinguished sculptor specializing in figures and portrait busts, hailed from Birmingham, England. He descended from a lineage of skilled Staffordshire artists and craftsmen, including his father, Charles Toft, and brother, J Alfonso Toft. Toft’s artistic journey began as he apprenticed as a modeler at the renowned Wedgwood pottery firm while attending evening classes in Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme. In 1880, he earned a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, studying under Édouard Lantéri. His impressive career led to his election as a fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors in 1938, with two notable works featured in RBS: Modern British Sculpture in 1939. Toft’s legacy includes the book Modelling and Sculpture (1911) and a prolific exhibition history, including showcases at the Royal Academy, Walker Art Gallery, and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts. He also left an enduring mark through public commissions like war memorials in Birmingham and Cardiff, Wales.

Literature

M H Spielmann (1901) British Sculpture and Sculptors of To-Day, Cassell: London, illustrated in black and white on page 132, online, https://archive.org/details/cu31924030669364/page/n131/mode/2up?view=theater, accessed 12 September 2023.