Social England under the Regency, Vol. 2 (of 2)Ashton, John
History
Social England under the Regency, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Ashton, John
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Regency -- England
From Music to Art is but a short, and legitimate transition, and that
period was no mean one in the history of Art, which could produce
such a list of names as the following, which does not pretend to be
exhaustive: Sir George Beaumont, Sir William Beechey, R.A., Henry
Bone, R.A., the celebrated enameller, A. W. Callcott, R.A., A. W.
Chalon, R.A., R. Cosway, R.A., I. Constable, P. de Wint, W. Etty,
W. Finden, the engraver, Henry Fuseli, R.A., G. Hayter, W. Hilton,
R.A., E. Landseer, Sir Thomas Lawrence, R.A., C. R. Leslie, J.
Linnell, P. I. de Loutherbourg, R.A., W. Mulready, R.A., P. Nasmyth,
J. Northcote, R.A., H. W. Pickersgill, W. H. Pyne, P. Reinagle, R.A.,
H. Raeburn, R.A., R. R. Ramsay, A.R.A., M. A. Shee, R.A., H. Sass, T.
Stothard, R.A., J. M. W. Turner, R.A., W. Varley, C. H. Weigall, B.
West, R.A., D. Wilkie, R.A. and W. Wyon the medallist.
Then among Sculptors were some glorious names--W. Behnes, F.
Chantrey, R.A., J. Flaxman, R.A., J. Nollekens, R.A., W. Theed, P.
Turnerelli, and R. Westmacott, R.A.
There were, besides the Exhibition of Pictures of the Royal Academy,
which was held at Somerset House, or Somerset Place, as it was then
called, two Water Colour Exhibitions--"The Society of Painters in
Water Colours," and the "Associated Painters in Water Colours." And,
occasionally, there were, as now, collections of the works of some
one artist to be seen, as, for instance, in March, 1811, West's
pictures were shown; in May, 1812, Wilkie's pictures were exhibited;
and in May, 1813, a collection of Sir Joshua Reynolds' works was
made, and there was a supplementary exhibition for the sale of
pictures, called "the European Museum."
There was a craze for large Panoramas, and they generally followed
the progress of the war: thus in 1811 we find them of Malta, of
Cadiz, the Siege of Flushing, and a Panorama of Messina. In 1812 we
have one of Lisbon, and in 1815 we are treated to a view of Elba.
Miss Linwood ought to rank as an artist, and her exhibition of
Needlework was most popular, as may be judged by the fact that it
was on show at Saville House, Leicester Square, from 1800 till 1844,
when she died. It then filled up the place in public amusement now
occupied by Madame Tussaud's Exhibition. (By the way, Mrs. Salmon was
the wax-work woman of those days.)
Miss Linwood's work, although done with coloured wools, was as like
that awful Berlin wool-work of our day, as a picture by the President
of the Royal Academy would resemble a coloured wall-poster. They
were large and most faithful copies of some of the finest specimens
of art, both British and foreign. The South Kensington Museum
possesses some of them, notably a portrait of Napoleon. For one of
her pictures, the _Salvator Mundi_, after _Carlo Dolci_, she refused
three thousand guineas, and at her death left it as a legacy to the
Queen; but, when her collection was sold, it fetched very little,
somewhere about £1,000.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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