Uncover the Origins of Fox-White: Fine Art & Antique Expertise

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Fox-White: A Legacy in Art, Antiques and Appraisal Since 1854

Our History

At Fox-White, our story begins in Victorian London, where Edward Fox White (1828–1900) established his picture gallery in 1854. From premises in Mayfair and later St James’s, Edward dealt in paintings, watercolours and prints by prominent artists of his time, including Gainsborough, Turner, Whistler and Tissot. His business also offered appraisal and valuation services, establishing a tradition of expertise that remains central to our identity today. Our historical archive preserves examples of nineteenth-century advertising, business cards and gallery labels.

Our founder’s place in the London art market is reflected in independent museum records. The National Gallery’s provenance documentation for John Constable’s The White Horse records the E. Fox White Gallery in the painting’s history. The National Portrait Gallery also held James Jacques Joseph Tissot’s portrait of Edward Fox White, painted around 1877. Edward bought and sold Tissot’s work and participated in the development of the artist’s British market.

Our Connection to the Art Trade

Our history belongs to the wider story of Britain’s historic art trade, including its relationship with Agnew’s, one of the country’s best-known art dealerships. Nineteenth-century records place Fox White and Agnew’s within London’s interconnected art market. The National Gallery’s archive of Agnew’s stock books provides valuable documentation of that market and its transactions. Our more recent activities have also brought us into contact with Agnew’s and the Old Master world, including at Frieze Masters.

A Family Heritage, a Modern Practice

Donald Gajadhar is the great-great-grandson of Edward Fox White. Today, through Fox-White and Associates, we continue this family heritage as an independent art and antiques appraisal and advisory practice. Our work supports collectors, families, estates, fiduciaries, legal professionals, and institutions with valuation services for purposes including insurance, charitable donations, estate planning, and equitable distribution.

Our work encompasses objects with unusual histories as well as traditional fine art and antiques. In 2023, we helped bring a sealed first-generation Apple iPhone to auction through Chicago’s Wright Auction. The phone sold for $40,320. The Wright Auction catalogue records its connection to Donald Gajadhar and Fox-White. The story attracted international attention, including coverage in The New York Times Style section. Read the original New York Times article on the 2007 iPhone auction. We also documented the episode in our own account, “The Story That Stretched Around the World”.

Defending the Historical Record: Our Dispute with the National Portrait Gallery

In 2023, Donald Gajadhar raised concerns about the caption accompanying James Tissot’s portrait of Edward Fox White at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London.

The caption suggested that compensation paid to Edward Fox White’s future father-in-law following the abolition of slavery had helped establish and sustain White’s art-dealing business. Donald challenged the assertion, arguing that the available family research did not demonstrate that the compensation money had financed the business. He sought evidence to support the claim and asked the Gallery to correct the historical record.

Following correspondence with Donald, the NPG acknowledged that there was insufficient direct evidence to establish that the compensation had benefited White’s financial circumstances or business. The Gallery amended the caption, removing the claim about the financial link. The episode attracted national media attention and raised wider questions about the importance of evidence, provenance and responsible interpretation in museum displays.

For us, the matter was about ensuring that historical claims concerning our family and business were supported by documentary evidence. We believe that historical interpretation must remain open to scrutiny and that corrections should be made transparently when claims cannot be substantiated.

Donald has documented the dispute and its subsequent developments in two first-hand accounts: My Protest at the National Portrait Gallery and Donald vs Goliath. The story was also reported by The Times: “National Portrait Gallery had ‘no evidence’ for art dealer’s slavery link”.

The experience reinforced our commitment to historical accuracy, careful research and the responsible treatment of provenance—principles that remain central to our work in art and antiques appraisal.

Institutional Appraisal

Our work extends beyond private collections. In 2025, Fox-White and Associates was awarded a professional-services contract by the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency relating to the appraisal of historic artefacts associated with the Loew’s Jersey Theatre project. The appointment is recorded in the JCRA’s October 2025 resolutions.

Continuing the Tradition

From Edward Fox White’s London gallery in 1854 to our present-day appraisal and advisory work, our history reflects a continuing engagement with art, antiques, provenance and valuation. We are proud of our family connection to the historic art trade and of the opportunity to apply that heritage to the needs of contemporary clients and institutions.

We understand 1854 as the beginning of our documented historical business lineage, rather than a claim that today’s legal entity has operated continuously under an unchanged corporate structure. Our aim is to carry forward the knowledge, independence and care associated with the Fox-White name while meeting the demands of the modern art and antiques market.