John William North ARA RWS
John William North ARA RWS1842 - 1924
John William North, illustrator, watercolourist and painter in oils, was born in Walham Green, Fulham, London on New Year’s day 1842. His father, Charles North (d.1890), was a draper married to Fanny, both parents had been born in Fulham and there they kept a modest shop. Charles and Fanny had three other children, Charles two years older than John, Fanny, a couple of years younger and, Alfred born in 1847. The household also contained North's Grandfather John North (b. Skipsley, Hertfordshire) and Eliza Knight who was described in the 1851 Census as a servant (b. Liss, Hampshire). According to North's biographer Herbert Alexander's his mother's maiden name was Knight, which may suggest that Eliza Knight was perhaps an Aunt. Alexander also states that North's maternal great - grandfather was a silversmith named Knight who worked in the City of London and became a master worker around 1780. By 1851, the family was living at No 1 Frederick Place in Fulham.
Not much is known of North's early life or schooling, although he later claimed that from the age of six he was fond of reading and by the time I was eight I had read most of the Waverley Novels, Arabian Knights, Sandford and Merton, Evenings at Home, Robinson Crusoe and every other book I could get hold of. From about 1850 North's parents began sending him on on a yearly holiday in the Country. The holidays lasted for about a month or six weeks in the summer. A sister of North's grandfather had married a farmer with the curious Saxon name Gathard and it was with them he stayed at their 100-acre farm not far from the Bedfordshire border. One incident is known - the young North was almost crushed to death in the crowds that lined the streets for the Duke of Wellington's funeral.
North's later childhood was marked by a series of traumatic upheavals. Maintaining a young family was placing a great strain on Charles and the drapery business and according To Herbert Alexander, the business failed in 1852 and Charles decided to start afresh in Worthing. Whether North went with the family is not clear and he may have stayed for a while with his Uncle Alfred a clothier in Fulham. Alexander states that North left school two years later at the age of 12 and was sent to work in his Father's shop (presumably at this time in Worthing?). However, he showed so little aptitude that his parents gave him up in despair. Alexander quotes Ann North: They didn't know what to make of him and let him go back to his sketching. It seems that, by 1854, a further failure in the drapery business occurred and Charles and Fanny's financial troubles became so serious that they decided to emigrate to Ottawa taking with them their youngest son, Alfred. Charles (14), John (12) and Fanny (10) did not accompany their parents abroad. It is likely that North divided his time with his Uncle Alfred at 12 Princes Parade, Walham Green and with Great Uncle Gathard on his farm in Hertfordshire. Alexander maintains that between 1856 and 1866 he also spent time with Uncles in Fulham, Brixton and Dartford. A sketch dating from 1854 was exhibited at the RWS Winter Exhibition in 1918 (No.173) - of Kimpton in Hertfordshire. It is known that North was reading 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' around 1856 which seems somewhat apposite given the disintegration of the family unit.
North's artistic ability was obvious from an early age, although little is know of any formal training. It has been suggested that he spent periods at Marlborough House School of Art and the Times obituary refers to a period at Lambeth. Herbert Alexander states that he received instructions from an artist named Hackman who kept a school near North's home in Fulham. A portrait of Alfred North and a still life both in oils said to have been mostly by this man but signed J.W.N. were noted by Alexander (now lost).
It is known that North did receive some training and by the age of 10, he had assimilated enough to execute an impressive watercolour painting - 'The Thames from Wandsworth.' The work of a red sailed barge and buildings beyond is now in the London Museum. North was obviously proud of the work and it was hung at the Royal Watercolour Society 1919 Winter Exhibition under the title 'Wandsworth in 1852' (No.223). He subsequently made a gift of the painting to Richard Lloyd of 103 Oakwood Court, London who presented it to the London Museum in 1927.
Herbert Alexander noted other sketches of Harpenden, Wandsworth and Richmond Park dating from 1855 and he states that North's first painting in oils from nature was completed in 1856 (and that it was at that time at Sheffield?). Alexander quotes Ann North: He did not talk to us about his work, he went out sketching and we went too to keep away the children who wanted to look at what he was doing. Alexander states that there were three of his watercolours from this period in Sheffield (?). At about this stage in his development, HA recalled that North was helped by an old painter whose name he could not ascertain and for whom he did odd jobs in return. Ann North remembered this man but believed him to have been J W Whymper, although Alexander thought this unlikely, as he was not at that time an old man. HA also noted a sketch of Chelsea and a large number of watercolour skies probably done at Walham Green. This is noteworthy because later critics have claimed that North had trouble with his handling of skies.
Several works dating from 1857 were subsequently exhibited: 'From the Downs behind Ventnor' (RWS Winter Exhibition in 1911), A pencil drawing 'Broadwater Rectory Farm, Worthing, Sussex' - Drawn on the spot, December, 1857 (RWS Winter Exhibition, 1916) 'View of Franks Sutton at Hone, Kent 1857' (RWS Winter Exhibition 1918).
Alexander recalls that North told him that from the age of sixteen he had earned his own living, so it must have been in 1858 that he started work for Josiah Whymper the successful London wood engraver. In 'The Life and Letters of Fred Walker' by H S Marks there is a description of Whymper's working arrangements. North, if engaged upon similar terms as Walker (and it is likely), would have worked for Whymper two or three days each week at a weekly wage producing drawings for the wood. The apprentice would have the remaining days of the week free for study or other work. Among North's fellow employees at Whymper's were Fred Walker and later George John Pinwell. North also established a friendship with Whymper's son Edward the famous Alpinist who became the first man to climb the Matterhorn. The two began making walking trips together and it is possible that they visited Switzerland together - Whymper was certainly there in 1860 and 1861. One or two of North's published drawings from this period depict Alpine scenes. In 1860, the eighteen year-old North and twenty- one year-old Whymper went on a walking tour of West Somerset.
Much of North's early black and white work for Josiah Whymper was destined for publications by the S.P.C.K. and the Religious Tract Society. Some illustrations were also published by Swain, but as yet, I have been unable to date them. His work (and probably his conscientious approach to commissions) was obviously well regarded in the trade and from 1862 to 1867, North worked as an illustrator for the Dalziel Brothers. There he gained a reputation for his sensitive interpretation of landscape subjects. He made designs for periodicals including Alexander Strahan's Good Words (in 1863 and 1866), Once a Week (between 1864 and 1867) and The Sunday Magazine (between 1865 and 1867). In addition, he contributed to A Round of Days (1866), Wayside Posies (1867) and Jean Ingelow’s Poems (1867). Following North's death Gilbert Dalziel wrote a short article recalling North's time with the Firm:
Much of (North's illustrative work) was drawn direct on the woodblock. Happily, when photography-on-the-wood became more perfect; he made his drawings on card or paper, and these were photographed on to the wood block and then engraved. Several of these originals are still in existence to testify to the refinement of North's work in black and white. In this connection, it is incorrect to speak of his pen- work; for never in his life did he use a pen. It was mainly all brush work; but if need be, he would at times use a hard pencil for very fine lines and minute detail. His finest work is unquestionably to be found in many of the guinea Gift Books produced by the brothers Dalziel during the sixties. Take for instance Wayside Posies published by Routledge in 1867 and on page 30 look at North's drawing to a poem entitled Reaping. Where could anything grander be found in black and white? Colour, execution, design with the very breath of Nature pervading the whole thing, makes it a wonderful achievement. Again, on page 62 of the same work, his illustration to the poem, A Vagrant's Song is a masterpiece of refined delicacy. The general effect of sunlight in the distance is quite remarkable. Dozens of similar examples could be quoted. His work in A Round of Days published by Routledge in 1866 is equally beautiful; while in Jean Ingelow's Poems published by Longman in 1867, North seems to have surpassed himself!
In 1860 North made a first visit to Somerset, discovered, and sketched Halsway Manor a crumbling C15 Manor House near Crowcombe under the western flank of the Quantock Hills. At that time the Manor was held by James Crang and farmed by his tenant William Thorne. Alexander recalls that he stayed on the first trip at Watchet and that Edward Whymper visited him there. He may have been accompanied by Pinwell. It is certain that Pinwell was in Somerset with North in 1863 because Alexander records a sketch of Pinwell by North lying in long grass at Axmouth. Several of Pinwell's illustrations feature Halsway and its environs. North was particularly drawn to Halsway Manor and soon made arrangements with Mrs Thorne, the tenant's wife, to rent a room in the splendidly dilapidated house. The Manor was originally built as a hunting lodge by Cardinal Beaufort, half-brother of Henry IV but had passed through many families and undergone many changes before ending up in the possession of James Crang. North stayed at Halsway on off for the next eight years until January 1869 when the Crang family again took possession and began the renovations that preceded its sale to Charles Rowcliffe, a solicitor, who lived at Cagley Court in nearby Sampford Brett. Mr and Mrs Thorne moved to the nearby village of Woolston and North decided to go along with them. The Halsway Manor that North discovered has undergone major renovation over the years and is today a Folk Music and Dance Centre.
The years between 1860 and 1867were successful for North, his illustrative work was in demand and regular commissions for 'Good Words' and 'The Sunday Magazine' provided a reasonable degree of pecuniary comfort. He divided his time between London and Somerset where he was beginning to develop his peculiar watercolour technique. According to R M Billngham, North completed a finished watercolour of Halsway Manor in 1865. This work, which is inscribed N.65, is (was?) in a private collection in London. The drawing of the same subject was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1909, and according to the catalogue entry, the figures were added by Pinwell. I have been told (but have yet to check), that a completed picture of a similar scene was sold at Christie's in 1985 for £30,240. In the same year, North completed a large watercolour landscape with poppies that was subsequently sold at Manchester in 1925 for a mere £18.
It was around 1866 that North's parents returned from Canada having failed to secure a living. According to Alexander, the responsibility for the whole family then fell on John. He took a cottage for his parents in Potter Street, Essex and he placed his younger brother Alfred at Rawdon Baptist College in Yorkshire to train for the ministry. In the same year, His elder brother, Charles, died of tuberculosis in Brixton, the burden of care again had been assumed by John.
1867 saw the publication by Routledge of Wayside Posies and by Longman of Jean Ingelow's Poems. This represents the pinnacle of North's achievement in black and white and, buoyed by the success, he determined to abandon illustration for painting in watercolours. The end of the year brought a setback for North as he failed in the elections for membership of the Old Watercolour Society (Royal Watercolour Society). Fred Walker wrote a consoling letter to his friend in Somerset conveying the regrets of Burton and John Gilbert who had both supported his election. Walker indicated that the reason North so narrowly missed going in was a certain opinion some of the members expressed, that there was a want of finish in parts of his work. This must have been a blow for North for he was painstaking in his methods and (as he pointed in later correspondence) he laboured assiduously over every work. In the same letter, Walker extended an invitation to North to come and stay and it is likely that this invitation was accepted. Walker was on the RWS hanging committee and it is hard to imagine North turning down the chance to further discuss the reasons for his failure in the election. He may have met William Graham on this visit. Graham was already acquainted with Walker, and a correspondence between North and Graham began in this year. Graham (later MP) would become one of North's main patrons. In April 1868 North returned the kindness and invited Fred Walker down to Halsway.
Fred Walker was on the up. He had already secured an impressive reputation for his early watercolours - the pre- Raphaelite influenced ‘Strange Faces’ exhibited at the RWS in 1862 and the more assured ‘Philip in Church' which appeared in the following year. At the age of 23, he had already been denounced by Ruskin for betraying his genius, for over experimentation and for refusing to learn from past masters. He had been awarded a medal at the Paris Exhibition and had won the admiration of William Hunt. His 1864 watercolour ‘Spring’ had been a smash hit and brought rapturous acclaim from all quarters. With the 1863 oil 'The Lost Path’ he had wowed the Royal Academy but created something of a critical storm with ‘Wayfarers’ in 186 and ‘The Bathers’ which appeared the following year. He was a visitor to Millais, Birket Foster and Tennyson; he socialised with Landseer and Lewis. Walker was 'in' - he was a celebrity - he was part of the artistic establishment. In the middle of this critical and social melee, Walker decided to visit old North in his Somerset retreat.
Between 1866 and 1884 North divided his time between Woolston Moor, a house built for him in Algeria and his London studio in Charlotte Street (now the site of the Telecom Tower). He visited Scotland on at least one occasion in the early 1870s, probably as a guest of his patron William Graham MP, and painted views on the River Tay at Stobhall.
In 1883 North was introduced to Richard Jefferies by J Comyns Carr, editor of English Ilustrated Magazine and involved with the Manchester Guardian. Jefferies visited Somerset in June of 1883 researching material for Red Deer and an article which appeared after his death Summer in Somerset (illustrated by North). North's youngest daughter Bessie Violet North (baptised at Nettlecombe 10/9/1897) later recalled that Richard Jefferies had stayed with North while collecting material for Summer in Somerset published posthumously. The two maintained a correspondence over the next few years and North visited Jefferies on at least one occasion. Jefferies health was in decline and in 1887, like Pinwell and Walker before him, he finally succombed to TB. North had been notified of the decline in Jefferies health and hurried to his dying friend's home in Goring but arrived too late for Jefferies had died only hours before his arrival. There he came upon a pitiful scene. The Author's grieving widow and two young children had been left destitute. North wrote to the Pall Mall Gazette to establish a fund for the widow and children. He spent much time upon this venture and secured a sum in excess of £1,500 for the widow. He also took an active role in petitioning Parliament for the grant of a pension for the family. Jefferies' widow and children then came to stay at Beggearn Huish House and North set about finding a school for Jefferies 12 year old son. Richard Harold Jefferies later recalled that he had great fun at Beggearn Huish House, especially playing in the splendid orchard...with its many varieties of apples and other fruit. The orchard was on a considerable eminence...at the rim of a railway cutting, where I could indulge one of my favourite pastimes, watching trains. These would have been the engines and mineral trucks passing along the nearby West Somerset Mineral Line carrying iron ore from the mines on the Brendon Hill to the nearby port at Whatchet.
On 19th February, 1884 North was married to the 21 year old Selina Weetch at Bicknoller Church. Selina was the daughter of Abraham Weetch a local farmer. The couple moved into Beggearn Huish House in Nettlecombe rented (according to Berta Lawrence) from the Wyndham family. In this comfortable sandstone house with its stables and orchards, they cared for North's widowed father and brought up six children, two other children having died in infancy. It was while he lived here that Herkomer came to study North's watercolour technique completing small watercolour portraits of North and Macbeth. Selina herself died in 1898. It seems as though, at this time North may have made at least one further trip to Algeria. As a widower North lived at Bilbrook, where Robert Macbeth had a house and then, from 1904 to 1914, at Withycombe.
In 1885 William Graham MP North friend and patron died, in the same year North finally sold the house in Algiers. In the same year he first exhibited at Manchester, giving his address as 148 New Bond Street, London which may have been a studio.
In 1888 N became one of the Consulting Committee at the New Gallery and wrote to C W Deschamps severing his connection with the Grosvenor Gallery.
North campaigned against the Game Laws writing letters to the local newspaper under the name John Lackland.
North’s watercolours of the 1860s owe something to his experience as a designer of illustrations, retaining a coherent and linear compositional structure, matched with intense colour and careful observation of detail. According to Walker, writing in December 1868, ‘each inch wrought with gem-like care.’ (J.G. Marks, Life and Letters of Frederick Walker, A.R.A., London, 1896, p.165) A personal and artistic sympathy existed between North and both Walker and Pinwell, each of who occasionally introduced figures to his landscape compositions, and
The purchase by the trustees of the Chantrey Bequest in 1891 of North’s sad and symbolical painting The Winter Sun (Tate Gallery, London), a work which Herbert Alexander claimed as influential on the rising generation of landscape painters, was said to have been due to the influence of Frederic Leighton. Hubert Herkomer, in his 1892 Slade lecture, claimed that North was the originator of the Idyllist style of landscape. North was perhaps embarrassed by this campaign to raise awareness of his art; a final rift occurred when it emerged that he had opposed Herkomer’s candidacy for the Presidency of the Royal Water-Colour Society
From 1895, North devoted time and money to a business making drawing papers, and particularly one called ‘O.W. Paper’. Its failure left him virtually destitute and he depended in old age on a small pension from the Royal Academy.
North died on 20 December 1924, at Stamborough, a farmhouse high in the Brendon Hills that was his last home. He was buried in Nettlecombe cemetery.
lSelected Reading
Hubert Herkomer, ‘J.W. North, A.R.A., R.W.S.: Painter and Poet’, Magazine of Art, 1893, pp.297-00, 342-8
J.G. Marks, The Life & Letters of Frederick Walker, London, 1896
Herbert Alexander, ‘ John William North, A.R.A., R.W.S.’, Old Water-Colour Society’s Club Fifth Annual Volume, 1927-8
R.M. Billingham, ‘A Somerset Draw for Painters - Victorian Artists at Halsway Manor’, Country Life, 18 August 1977, pp.428- 30
Berta Lawrence, ‘A Painter in West Somerset’, Exmoor Review, 1983, pp.55-8
Scott Wilcox and Christopher Newall, Victorian Landscape Watercolors, exhibition catalogue, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, 1992
Paul Goldman, Victorian Illustrated Books 1850-1870 - The Heyday of Wood-engraving, London, 1994
Allen Staley et al, The Post Pre-Raphaelite Print, exhibition catalogue, Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York, 1995
Paul Goldman, Victorian Illustration - The Pre- Raphaelites, the Idyllic School and the High Victorians, Aldershot, 1996
A link to more information about J W North and the Idyllists.
Steve Milton smilton@salisbury.gov.uk
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John North 1842 - 1924 |
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The Winter Sun
The Winter Sun: North's Masterpiece.
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