Jars of raw pigments from all over the world line the walls of London’s fine-art supply store L. Cornelissen & Son, which opened its doors in 1855. When the last member of the Cornelissen family passed away, Nicholas Walt bought the business in 1977. “No one was interested in acquiring an old, small, dusty Victorian shop that was out of step with the times,” he says. Today, the shop gets as many visits as some museums, and its materials are sought by locals, as well as by such notable names of past and present as Lucian Freud, Damien Hirst, and even King Charles, who has purchased watercolor brushes for travel. The store is also a consistent source of brushes for conservationists working with the Royal Collection of the British royal family. Situated one block from the British Museum, the store provides its patrons not only the opportunity to choose from a myriad of colors but to actually make them from scratch with gums, resins, glass mullers, and slabs. Almost every centimeter of the shop is filled with materials in shelves and meticulously labeled drawers, including such rarities as “refined liquid fish-glue,” rabbit skin glue, and handmade leather-bound mahl sticks used to steady an artist’s hand for fine detail while leaning over the work.

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WRITTEN BY JESSE GLASS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBBIE LOFTUS

This story appeared in the Fall 2026 issue of MILIEU.