My friend John Makepeace, who has died aged 87, was an expert picture framer who, with his wife, Daphne, worked for many of London’s top galleries as well as a number of private clients. His framing scattered fairy dust over a painting – a form of alchemy that took the eye to what was important in the picture. Framing for him was not a job – it was a way of life.
John was born in Margate, Kent, to Ella (nee Everett) and Arthur, who ran a shop in central London repairing and dealing in clocks. After the second world war the family settled in Edgware, Middlesex, where John went to various secondary schools, after which he became an apprentice dental-technician, working at dental practices around London. He did national service later than was normal, at the age of 21, spending two years (1956-58) in Malaya.
