Mrs Gaskell’s much-loved portrait of life in a small town and its female inhabitants.

When Max Hollein was tapped last year to became director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, it marked a new milestone in a fast-rising career that has seen many of them.

Lancashire, England, May 25--With the recent demise of Gaskell plc and the closure of Hugh Mackay Carpets’ Durham factory, it looked as though two of the biggest and best known brands in the ...