As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, Lyon & Turnbull stood as one of Scotland’s most established and respected auction houses. Built on the enterprise of its founders and strengthened through successive generations, the firm had grown in both scale and reputation. Yet this period would prove to be one of contrast — marked not only by professional success and remarkable discoveries, but also by profound personal loss and the gradual passing of an era. It was a time in which the auction room continued to flourish, even as the wider world brought challenges that would shape both the business and the people behind it.
Fine Art Auctions
When William E. Lyon died in 1895, his obituary described him as not only a capable businessman but a man of courtesy and amiability who was widely admired. Under his leadership the firm had grown considerably and had even opened its own Fine Art Gallery.
By the early twentieth century picture sales had become a regular feature of the firm’s work. Some were devoted to a single living artist, such as the Edinburgh landscape painter James Kinnear, whose works were sold in dedicated auctions in 1901 and 1908.
The Impact of WWI
Like so many institutions, Lyon & Turnbull was deeply affected by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The firm contributed £100 to the newly established National Relief Fund, which supported families affected by the war.
But the impact was also personal. Many staff enlisted, including Lieutenant William Elliott Turnbull, who had joined the firm and served with the 5th Royal Scots.
In April 1915 his regiment landed at Gallipoli as part of the Allied assault against Turkish forces. Within days news reached Edinburgh of heavy casualties. Turnbull was first reported missing, and soon afterwards it was confirmed that he had been killed on 28 April 1915, only three days after landing.
His commanding officer later wrote that he had been regarded as one of the regiment’s most capable and conscientious officers - a loss deeply felt both by his comrades and by the firm he had left behind
