E. W. Godwin, Edward William Godwin, was an English architect and designer of the Victorian period, born in Bristol and best known for his pioneering Anglo-Japanese furniture and his role in the Aesthetic Movement. He began his career as a Gothic Revival architect, designing buildings including Northampton Guildhall, before turning increasingly to interiors, furniture, wallpapers, textiles and theatre design.
Godwin's furniture is distinguished by its spare, linear forms, ebonised finish, open framework and asymmetrical arrangements inspired by Japanese prints and architecture. His celebrated ebonised sideboard, with silvered fittings and panels of embossed Japanese leather paper, is regarded as a landmark of modern design. Much of his furniture was manufactured by William Watt, whose catalogue of Godwin's Art Furniture was published in 1877, and he also designed for Collinson & Lock and other firms. Godwin designed the White House in Chelsea for James McNeill Whistler, and his personal life included a long relationship with the actress Ellen Terry. Authenticated Godwin furniture is rare and highly valued, and many pieces in his style were made by other manufacturers, so careful attribution is essential.
