Lifelong friend of William Blake, George Cumberland (1754-1848) was a man of artistic, antiquarian and literary tastes. Between 1793 and 1798, while living at Bishopsgate, Egham, Cumberland published seven works, including earlier works of poetry, A Plan for the Improvement of the Arts in England (1793), which included proposals for a national gallery of sculpture in Green Park; and other works illustrated by William Blake. Cumberland bought many of Blake's publications, pressed booksellers to take them, and found work for the artist. In 1803 Cumberland moved to Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, before settling at 1 Culver Street, Bristol, in 1807, where he lived until his death there on 8 August 1848. He was buried at St-Augustine-the-Less on 14 August 1848.
He became one of the earliest members of the informal group of artists which has become known as the Bristol School, and one of the first to take part in the group's excursions to sketch the scenery around Bristol. Cumberland helped many of the Bristol artists through recommendations and introductions to his influential friends. His landscape sketches and watercolours produced at this time have a simple directness of vision, reminiscent of those of his friend John Linnell.
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has a collection of George Cumberland's works.
Twelve of these George Cumberland watercolours were up for auction sale on 7th March 2019 (Lot 62), also the signed letter (see below) from Lord Frederic Leighton to Miss Frith (William Powell Frith's spinster daughter) regarding the famous painting 'A Private View at the Royal Academy, 1881', featuring Leighton, as President of the Royal Academy, in the centre of the painting.
'Kings Arbour, Lawrence Weston, near Henbury, Bristol' A similar scene, not in the collection. Auctioned by Christie's on 11 July 1989 'Fine Bristish Drawings and Watercolours', London. Extract scanned from my copy of the catalogue. (please see below for Christie's biographical notes on George Cumberland).
Could the man with the top hat and walking stick sitting in the arbour be ‘old Jenkins’, the same person depicted in the Lawrence Weston Flower Garden picture above? or a neighbour?
Reverse, including blind stamp (part). 'Warner & Co, Draw Paper' (or 'DRAW G PAPER'?). Smith, Warner & Co of 211 Piccadilly (1800-1820), and 208 Piccadilly (1821-1825).
The company was established by 1800 and was a leading supplier in the early 19th century, to artists such as JMW Turner, Eugene Delacroix, Samuel Palmer and John Linnell. Ref the National Portrait Gallery, 'British Artists' Suppliers 1650-1950'. From 1816 to 1822 the business operated its own paper mill at Iping in Sussex, which could give an indication of the date of the painting. Warner died in 1824, and the business relocated to Marylebone and was carried on by partner Charles Smith after that date. Although in some instances Smith continued to use the Warner name for business purposes, it seems unlikely that he would continue to manufacture paper with Warner's name on. The paper may have been manufactured at the Smith, Warner & Co paper mill, which operated in Sussex 1816-1822.
'Tombs on the Via Latina' (near Rome, Italy). Unknown artist. Initials JHW, THW or HW? Dated lower right- March 25 .69.
This would have been drawn not long after the tombs were discovered in 1857/58, but before they were expropriated by the Italian State in 1879.
A couple of publications on Archive.org provide additional useful background information which supports the likely date of the letter: WP Frith ‘My Autobiography and Reminiscences’ (1887, vol 1-3), and a book by his daughter Jane Ellen Panton (1847-1923) ‘Leaves from a Life’ (1908) . Another book, part of which is available online at Google Books is ‘William Powell Frith -Painting the Victorian Age’ by Mark Bills & Vivien Knight.
Frith’s Autobiography has a chapter on ‘The Private View’ (p441). He states on page 445 “… a great part of the year 1881, and nearly the whole of 1882 was spent on the picture “The Private View”.,,,”. We know from the letter that Leighton visited Frith at his home and studio in early/Spring 1882, maybe for a discussion, viewing or possibly for a sitting. On page 442 Frith states “ Sir F Leighton is in earnest conversation with Lady Lansdale, who sits on one of the ottomans in the gallery not far from Lady Diana Huddlestone, Baroness Burdett-Coutts, and others. …….(list of people). I received the kindest assistance from all these eminent persons, many of whom came to me at great sacrifice of time and engagements. Mr Gladstone was one of the first to come, but his first sitting was cruelly cut short, as he was obliged to attend another appointment.”
On page 409 “When I undertook my picture of the “Private View,” I was anxious to make it representative of some of the eminent men and women of the time, who might have been present. In that spirit I wrote to du Maurier (George du Maurier, Punch), and I append his reply.” Several short letters follow, including one on Valentine’s Day 1882, and 11 April 1882 trying to arrange a suitable date for sitting. ”My dear Frith, I cannot as yet give an answer about sitting next week, not knowing when I can spare the time, as the Water Colour Gallery will have its touching-up days…….”
Another example (page 412) is a letter from John Tenniel (political cartoonist for Punch and illustrator, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), dated February 19th 1882 “My Dear Frith, “Awfully proud, to be one of the crowd” in your picture, I will sit to you with very great pleasure any Wednesday afternoon you will kindly appoint. Next Wednesday, if you like, at, say, about three o’clock”….
Therefore we know that Frith organised sittings for the main characters in the painting, probably including Frederic Leighton. The early part of 1882 appears to have been a busy period for ‘sittings’ for the painting.
The book ‘William Powell Frith: Painting the Victorian Age’ (Mark Bills, Vivien Knight, 2007) (part available online) gives more useful information to help establish the date of the letter. Page 23- “But eventually she (Mary Alford) and the children did move into Pembridge Villas, and Frith’s unmarried daughters moved out. Agnes Alford was married from Pembridge Villas in 1882.” This took place in Q3 1882 (Jul/Aug/Sep), according to BMD records. It is likely that the unmarried Frith sisters (‘Misses Frith’) Louisa and Fanny moved out of Pembridge Villas and their father’s household before then, Again, more evidence that the letter to Miss Frith regarding Leighton’s visit and “The Private View”, hosted by Miss Frith, was likely written in the first half/second quarter of 1882 (but after 15 March 1882).
Another of Frith’s daughters, Jane Ellen, gives background and insight into the Frith siblings’ family life, particularly at Pembridge Villas, in her book ‘Leaves from a Life’ where they lived from 1852/53 to the 1880s. Regarding the period of interest (later years), she writes (page 127) “…and the next few years saw first the death of my brother (William Powell Frith 1847-1875); a marriage in the family none of us could bear; the death of my mother (1880); and the final crumble and fall of our once happy and distinguished household. The house itself did not pass from my father’s possession for some few years afterwards, but all the home atmosphere was gone, another evil influence came into force; my unmarried sisters started in a home of their own; and bit by bit the old life faded….” This would have been a reference to her father marrying his long-term mistress Mary Alford on 30 January 1881, about a year after the death of his first wife Isabelle, the Frith siblings’ mother, in January 1880.
This concurs with the census records researched, with the April 1881 census showing the two unmarried Frith sisters Louisa and Fanny as the senior female members of the household and still in Pembridge Villas (Mary Alford, although recently married to Frith kept her own establishment for a while), and the sisters had their own household by the 1891 census. W P Frith gave up Pembridge Villas in 1888, and in 1891 was living elsewhere in Dulwich/Camberwell with his second wife Mary and several of their children, who were all born from 1856 onwards while he was still married to Isabelle; his ‘second family’. On a happier note, she records (page 124) that “Sir Frederic Leighton used to come to Pembridge Villas in quite early days, and we girls one and all respectfully worshipped him, and to us, at any rate, he was known as “Cupid.”!
The two Frith sisters Louisa and Fanny remained spinsters all their lives and lived together until their deaths in 1931 and 1932; they were often referred to as the 'Misses Frith'. In the 1891, 1901 and 1911 census' they have their own household at 10 Pelham Crescent, Chelsea/Kensington and their occupations were listed as 'Decorators', also furnishers. London Street directories up to 1930 list their business premises as 18 Fulham Road, Kensington 'Mary Louise & Fanny Mary ('Misses Frith'). 'Decorators' sounds rather prosaic these days, I would think they were upmarket interior designers. They had several servants in their household, and the probate of Mary Louisa went to Sir Godfrey John Vignoles, baronet, and referred to both addresses/properties, so it is unlikely they were actually painting and decorating as we know it today.
Material researched and written by Dee Murray. Website compiled by Dee Murray. All rights reserved.
All images on this website are either scanned or photographed from the author’s own resources, appear with permission of owners/copyright holders, or are in the public domain in digital format via websites such as HathiTrust, Openlibrary.org, the Internet Archive (archive.org) or Google Books.