Creator Record

Metadata

Name

Ernest L. Brothers

Other names

Brothers
Brothers Brothers

Role

Designer

Dates & places of birth and death

b.1891, England
d.1974

Nationality

British

Occupation

Ernest L. Brothers (1891-1974) was a highly sought-after interior designer whose grandest projects were undertaken for New York and Newport elites in the second quarter of the 20th century-including visionary merchant and tastemaker Samuel H. Kress. Born in England to a family of antique dealers and decorators, Brothers embraced the business and arrived in New York via Paris in 1919 as branch manager for the French firm Carlhian & Co. He established his own business in 1927.

Brothers cultivated strong connections across the Atlantic and attracted clients who favored old-world elegance for their residences. His referrals came from established architects such as Delano & Aldrich and Horace Trumbauer. As a recognized authority on late-18th-century English and French design, Brothers was consulted on projects for Colonial Williamsburg and the Kennedy White House.