Maurice Ashdown Audsley was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England on 8 January 1865 [1] and was the son of the architect and decorative designer George Ashdown Audsley (1838-1925). His occupation is given as Architect in the 1891 England Census, however, it is not known where or with whom he trained. It was possibly with his father or his uncle, William James Audsley (1833-1907), both of whom were elected Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1875.
No examples of M. A. Audsley's work as an architect have been traced and unlike his father and uncle, he appears not to have qualified in the profession. In 1892 he collaborated with his father in the production of The Practical Decorator and Ornamentist for the Use of Architects, Practical Painters, and Designers, a manual and guide containing 102 chromolithographic plates of Greek, Renaissance, mediaeval, oriental and Gothic patterns and motifs, which is considered one of the great nineteenth-century design books [2]
In 1892, with his father, M. A. Audsley emigrated to the USA. After living in North Plainsfield, Somerset, New Jersey from c.1895 to c.1905, he moved to Queens, New York City where he lived until at least 1915. By 1920 he had settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he lived for the rest of his life. He was declared a naturalized U.S. citizen on 16 April 1920. He died on 5 March 1958
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[1] ancestry.com contains two entries for Maurice Ashdown Audsley. In one, his date of birth is given as 8 January 1865 and date of death as 5 March 1958. In the other, his date of birth is given as 8 January 1866 and date of death as 5 March 1957.
[2] Brownell, Charles. The Audsleys, the Blackies and The Practical Decorator and Ornamentist. MA thesis, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010
Brownell, Charles. The Audsleys, the Blackies and The Practical Decorator and Ornamentist. MA thesis, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010