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presentefc 
to 

Gbe  Xibrarp 


of 


(Eollege 


of  (Toronto 


professor  Hlfrefc  JBafter 
5anuari?  15,  1941 


JAMES  HOLMES  AND  JOHN  VARLEY 


JAMES    HOLMES. 


From  a  crayon  drawing  by  Edward  Holmes. 


JAMES    HOLMES 


AND 


JOHN   VARLEY 


BY 


ALFRED    T.    STORY 

AUTHOR   OF    THE    '  LIFE   OF   JOHN    LINNELL' 


LONDON 
RICHARD    BENTLEY    AND    SON 

in  ^rtrittarjj  to  $cr  fftajrgtjj  tfje  ©u«n 
1894 


All  rights  reserved 


JAN  2  ?  13 


10444 


TO 

MR.  GEORGE  AUGUSTUS  HOLMES 

THIS    BOOK 
IS    RESPECTFULLY    DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 
JAMES    HOLMES 

CHAPTER    I 


PAGE 


INTRODUCTION         ......         3 

CHAPTER    II 
EARLY  CAREER        .  .  6 

CHAPTER    III 
BEAU  BRUMMELL    ....  .15 

CHAPTER    IV 

HENRY  RICHTER     .....  24 

CHAPTER   V 
RICHARD  AND  WILLIAM  WESTALL  .  .  -35 

CHAPTER   VI 

PORTRAITS  OF  BYRON         .  .  .  .  .48 


James  Holmes 


CHAPTER    VII 

PAGE 

OPINION  OF  BYRON 

CHAPTER   VIII 
THE  LEIGH  FAMILY 

CHAPTER   IX 

HOLMES  A  COURTIER 

CHAPTER   X 

ARISTOCRATIC  FRIENDS  AND  OTHERS  .     97 

CHAPTER   XI 

SOME  OF  THE  ARTIST'S  CIRCLE      .  .107 

CHAPTER   XII 

SIR  HENRY  MEUX  AND  COMPANY 

CHAPTER   XIII 

A  FAMOUS  SMUGGLER          .  .  .  .     134 

CHAPTER   XIV 

AN  UNLUCKY  AND  A  LUCKY  ARTIST  .  .  .     145 

CHAPTER    XV 

BOYDELL,  OWEN,  AND  OTHERS         .  .  .  .     155 

CHAPTER    XVI 
BARON  DE  BODE      .  .  .  .171 


Contents  ix 


CHAPTER   XVII 

PAGE 

ARISTOCRATIC  FRIENDS  AND  PATRONS  .     180 


CHAPTER   XVIII 
THE  END  188 


JOHN    VARLEY 


CHAPTER    I 
FIRST  BEGINNINGS  .  .  .  .  .  .199 

CHAPTER    II 

THE  GROWING  MAN  .  .  .  .213 

CHAPTER    III 

CORNELIUS  VARLEY  .  .  .  .  .221 

CHAPTER    IV 

WILLIAM  MULREADY  AND  SONS       .  .  .  .     229 

t 
CHAPTER   V 

VARLEY  AS  ASTROLOGIST     .  .  .  .  .242 

CHAPTER   VI 
BLAKE  AND  LINNELL  .  .  .  .  -259 


John  Varley 


CHAPTER   VII 

PAGE 

CHARACTER  OF  VARLEY       .....     269 

CHAPTER    VIII 

CLOSING  SCENES      .  .  .          .  .  .  .281 

CHAPTER   IX 
CONCLUSION  ......     294 


JAMES    HOLMES 

ARTIST  AND  COURTIER  (OF  GEORGE  IV) 


CHAPTER   I 

INTRODUCTION 

IN  the  following  pages  I  have  endeavoured  to 
reproduce,  in  as  faithful  a  manner  as  possible,  the 
life  and  surroundings  of  a  man  who  cut  a  consider- 
able figure  in  his  time,  not  on  account  merely  of  his/ 
art,  but  by  reason  of  the  society  into  which  he  was 
thrown,  and  the  many  famous  and  otherwise  dis- 
tinguished men  and  women  whom  he  met.  As 
regards  himself,  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy 
circumstance  was  the  genial  bonhomie  which  caused 
his  society  to  be  courted  on  every  hand,  and  made 
him  everywhere  a  welcome  and  honoured  guest. 
His  appears  to  have  been. one  of  those  frank  and 
buoyant  natures  that  throw  off  care  and  radiate  the 
sunshine  of  a  kindly  heart  wherever  they  go. 
Although  born  in  a  humble  sphere  of  life,  and 
compelled  to  climb  an  arduous  and  uphill  path  to 
competence  and  such  fame  as  he  acquired,  yet, 
while  still  a  young  man,  he  was  a  favoured  guest  at 


Life  of  James  Holmes 


Court,  the  intimate  friend  of  the  greatest  poet  of  his 
time,  and  the  chosen  companion  of  many  others  who 
played  important  parts  in  the  social  and  political  life 
of  their  day. 

It  is  the  milieu  in  which  his  life  was  cast  that 
makes  the  reminiscences  of  James  Holmes  chiefly 
valuable  to-day.  By  saying  this,  I  do  not  wish 
in  any  sense  to  depreciate  the  subject  of  my 
biography,  nor  by  any  means  to  belittle  his  work. 
But  the  story  of  a  man  the  incidents  of  whose  life 
relate  chiefly  to  the  beginning,  finish,  and  sale  (if 
he  have  such  luck)  of  his  pictures,  does  not 
present  much  of  interest  to  the  biographer  or  the 
public,  beyond  the  brief  record  of  his  struggle  and 
his  achievement.  It  is  different,  however,  when  his 
studio  is,  as  it  were,  an  ante-chamber  to  the  saloons 
of  the  great,  and  we  behold  pass  through  it — and  as 
they  move  across  the  stage  get  a  glimpse  of — the 
figures  of  men  and  women  whose  every  action  is  of 
interest  to  us  to-day.  And  even  in  the  case  of  those 
who  may  not  in  the  highest  sense  be  regarded  as 
historical  personages,  we  cannot  be  altogether  indif- 
ferent, for  they  too  had  their  respective  places  and 
parts,  and  lent  colour  and  life  to  the  passing  show. 

It  is  these  considerations  that  have  induced  me 
to  put  together  this  life  and  these  reminiscences. 
They  enable  us  in  a  way  to  realise  the  life  of  our 


Introduction 


fathers'  and  grandfathers'  days,  and  show  us  in  what 
our  times  are  different  from  theirs,  and  in  what 
respects  we  have  improved,  and  in  what  perhaps 
retrograded.  Sometimes  it  will  seem  hard  to  bring 
ourselves  to  believe  that  little  more  than  half  a 
century  divides  us  from  scenes  which  are  herein 
described,  while  in  other  instances  hardly  so  many 
as  fifty  years  have  elapsed  since  the  occurrence  of 
events  that  would  have  seemed  more  in  place 
amongst  the  records  of  the  Dark  Ages. 

I  ought,  perhaps,  to  say  that  in  the  compilation 
of  the  following  pages  I  have  been  greatly  indebted 
to  the  artist's  two  surviving  sons,  Edward1  and 
George  A.  Holmes,  but  particularly  to  the  latter, 
who,  when  letters  and  other  documents  did  not 
serve,  had  recourse  to  a  very  long  and  retentive 
memory,  which  recalled  persons  and  scenes  with  a 
vividness  and  point  that  seemed  to  suggest  some- 
thing of  yesterday's  occurrence  rather  than  of  years 
and  years  ago. 

1  Since  writing  the  above  Mr.  Edward  Holmes  has  passed  away.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  modest  and  retiring  of  men,  and  gifted  beyond  common  as  a 
portrait  and  landscape  painter.  His  delight  was  in  landscape ;  and  some  of 
his  works  won  the  admiration  of  those  best  able  to  judge  of  the  quality  of  such 
art.  But  he  was  one  of  those  who  "never  had  a  chance,"  as  he  complained 
shortly  before  his  death.  The  chance  did  not  come  to  him,  and  he  was  not 
able  to  take  it  sword  in  hand.  But  it  does  not  matter  now  :  those  who  knew 
him  best  will  ever  remember  him  as  the  kindly  soul  who  loved  the  quiet 
chimney  corner  and  a  wet  day. 


CHAPTER   II 

EARLY  CAREER 

JAMES  HOLMES  was  born  in  the  year  1777.  His 
father  was  a  dealer  in  diamonds  and  precious  stones, 
and  lived  in  Clerkenwell,  which  is  still  a  district 
noted  for  its  manufacturers  and  dealers  in  that  line 
of  business ;  and  one  of  the  child's  earliest  recollec- 
tions was  of  playing  with  the  bright  jewels,  which 
he  handled  and  pushed  about  upon  the  table,  regard- 
ing them  as  so  many  very  bright  and  pretty  stones, 
and  which,  perhaps,  first  laid  the  foundation  of  that 
love  of  and  taste  for  colour  which  afterwards 
distinguished  him. 

His  recollections  of  his  father,  however,  were 
only  slight,  as  he  died  when  the  boy  was  still  very 
young,  not  more  than  seven  or  eight  years  of  age 
at  the  most. 

His  next  strongest  and  earliest  remembrance 
was  of  being  at  school,  where  he  was  constantly 
making  drawings  of  what  he  saw  about  him  in- 


Early  Career 


stead  of  learning  the  lessons  that  were  set  him. 
He  was  often  taken  to  task  for  neglecting  his 
proper  studies  ;  but  finally  the  good-natured  and 
—as  we  must  account  him  —  wise  schoolmaster, 
perceiving  that  a  gift  for  drawing  was  his  ruling 
passion,  gave  him  a  book  of  sEsop's  Fables,  and 
set  him  to  making  careful  drawings  after  the  wood- 
cuts. Many  of  these  he  copied  with  great  spirit, 
and  they  were  admiringly  preserved  by  the  school- 
master, who  once  at  least  encouraged  the  young 
artist  with  some  trifling  present.  This  may  be  said 
to  have  been  his  first  commission. 

His  mother,  noting  this  talent  for  drawing,  and 
following  the  advice  of  friends  who  were  anxiously 
consulted  on  the  subject,  decided  to  make  an 
engraver  of  him.  Accordingly  he  was  apprenticed 
to  Meadows,  the  well-known  engraver,  and  with 
him  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-one. 

Meanwhile  many  influences  were  being  brought 
to  bear  to  develop  the  boy's  genius  and  mould  his 
character.  First  and  foremost  amongst  these  must 
be  reckoned  the  example,  and  to  some  extent  the 
training,  of  an  educated  Frenchman. 

Shortly  after  the  father's  death  occurred  the 
outbreak  of  the  French  Revolution,  followed  by  the 
gruesome  years  of  the  Reign  of  Terror,  which 
compelled  so  many  to  flee  to  this  country  for  safety. 


Life  of  James  Holmes 


Among  these  was  a  certain  Abbe  de  la  Touze,  who — 
probably  through  the  recommendation  of  some  one 
connected  with  the  church  Mrs.  Holmes  attended, 
she  being  a  Catholic — became  an  inmate  of  her 
house,  and  so  remained  during  a  considerable  portion 
of  young  Holmes's  boyhood. 

From  the  venerable  Abbe  he  learned  French,  a 
language  which  he  always  spoke  and  read  with  great 
ease  and  fluency.  One  imagines  also  that  he  may 
have  imbibed  from  him  some  of  the  gaiety  of  heart 
and  suavity  and  courtliness  of  manners  for  which  in 
after  years  he  was  distinguished,  and  which  served 
him  to  such  good  purpose  all  through  life.  In  later 
days  he  always  spoke  of  the  Abbe  as  being  of  a 
most  kindly  and  considerate  disposition,  never 
speaking  crossly  to  him  or  chiding  him,  even  though 
he  had  been  rude  or  played  some  impish  trick  upon 
him,  but  always  addressing  him  gently,  and,  if  in 
reproof  for  any  naughtiness,  with  a  winning  kindli- 
ness of  disposition.  The  influence  of  such  a  nature 
upon  a  mind  like  Holmes's  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated ;  it  was  a  liberal  education  in  itself. 

The  youth's  progress  as  an  engraver  was  so 
rapid  under  Meadows'  excellent  tuition  that  the 
entire  management  of  the  plates  was  ere  long  placed 
in  his  hands  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  Richard 
Westall's  " Storm  in  Harvest"  and  Sir  Thomas 


Early  Career 


Lawrence's  portrait  of  the  Duke  of  Leeds  were 
almost  wholly  engraved  by  him.  In  1800,  that  is, 
when  about  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  engraved 
in  stipple  the  portrait  of  Thomas  Clio  Rickman,  after 
Hazlitt,  which  proved  to  be  a  work  of  great  merit. 

Heaphy,  the  figure  painter,  and  one  of  the 
early  members  of  the  Old  Water  Colour  Society, 
was  a  fellow- apprentice  under  Meadows,  and  he 
and  Holmes  in  consequence  became  fast  friends. 
Woolnoth,  the  painter,  was  also  a  fellow-apprentice. 

Another  man  with  whom  the  young  engraver 
became  intimately  acquainted  during  these  years 
was  William  Westall,  who,  together  with  his 
brother  Richard  above  mentioned,  became  his  life- 
long friend. 

Encouraged  probably  by  these  men,  Holmes  had 
during  his  apprenticeship  devoted  much  time  to 
drawing  in  water  colours,  with  the  result  that,  by  the 
time  he  was  twenty-one,  he  had  become  so  proficient 
that  he  decided  henceforth  to  relinquish  engraving 
for  the  pursuit  of  the  more  entrancing  art.  The 
decision  was  no  doubt  quickened  by  the  encourage- 
ment he  received  and  the  stimulus  he  obtained  at 
the  Academy  Schools,  in  which  he  studied  for  some 
time  under  Hinton,  who,  on  seeing  his  drawing, 
passed  him  at  once  into  the  life  class.  Meadows 
was  so  annoyed  at  his  abandoning  engraving  that 


io  Life  of  James  Holmes 

he  vowed  he  would  never  let  another  apprentice  of 
his  join  the  Academy  Schools,  as,  said  he,  it  always 
finished  by  making  painters  of  them. 

Holmes  had  from  his  youth  exhibited  a  marked 
talent  for  music,  and  had,  concurrently  with  his 
studies  in  art,  given  sufficient  attention  to  the  flute 
to  become  an  expert  performer  on  that  instrument. 
So  much  ability,  indeed,  did  he  show  in  this  line 
that  Mr.  Novello,  later  the  founder  of  the  well- 
known  publishing  firm  of  that  name,  and  the  father 
of  Clara  Novello,1  whose  acquaintance  he  had  made, 
advised  him  to  give  up  art  and  devote  himself  to 
music  as  a'  profession,  promising  him  that  he  would 
make  more  out  of  it.  This,  however,  he  refused  to 
do,  much  to  Novello's  chagrin.  Novello  had, 
indeed,  gone  so  far  as  to  recommend  him  to  the 
principal  of  a  large  school  as  teacher  of  the  flute,  so 
highly  did  he  esteem  his  playing.  But  the  young 
artist  was  destined  for  better  things  than  flute 
teaching ;  although  music  remained  throughout  a 
long  life  his  chief  recreation,  and  was  the  means, 
somewhat  later,  of  securing  him  influential  friends. 

John  Linnell  once  asked  him  why  he  devoted  so 
much  time  to  music.  "  Oh,"  said  Holmes,  "only 
because  I  like  it."  "An  artist,"  was  Linnell's  reply, 

1  Clara  Novello  was  accounted  in  her  day  one  of  the  best  exponents  of  the 
music  of  Handel  on  the  concert  stage. 


Early  Career  1 1 


"  should  never  do  anything  but  paint."  The  dictum, 
however,  was  one  which  Linnell  disregarded  in  after 
years,  giving  himself  much  to  the  writing  of  poetry 
and  other  literary  pursuits. 

Whilst  speaking  of  Holmes's  devotion  to  music, 
reference  may  as  well  be  made  to  a  man  with  whom 
he  was  brought  a  great  deal  in  contact,  and  from 
whom  he  learned  much  in  regard  to  the  flute.  This 
was  Mr.  Rudall,  a  person  of  considerable  means  and 
an  admirable  flautist,  afterwards  the  leading  partner 
in  the  firm  of  Rudall  and  Rose  (now  Rudall,  Rose, 
and  Carte).  This  gentleman  was  fond  of  making 
experiments  with  the  flute,  gradually  enlarging  the 
holes  of  the  instrument  in  order  to  improve  its  tone. 

•! 

The  flute  as  we  now  know  it  owes  much  to  his  taste 
and  ingenuity. 

One  reason  for  the  artist's  rejecting  Novello's 
suggestion  was  that  the  sale  of  several  small  water- 
colour  studies  had  led  to  an  introduction  to  two 
maiden  ladies  named  Jeffrey,  of  Worcester,  by 
whom  he  was  invited  to  go  to  that  city  and  give 
lessons  in  art.  He  accepted  the  invitation  and 
remained  at  Worcester  for  several  months,  making 
the  acquaintance  there  of  the  Lechmeres,  the  well- 
known  bankers  of  Worcester,  which  resulted  in  an 
almost  lifelong  friendship  and  many  portrait  com- 
missions. 


1 2  Life  of  James  Holmes 

On  his  return  to  London  he  soon  became  one 
of  the  most  popular  instructors  in  water-colour 
painting;  but  he  was  now  gaining  so  much  atten- 
tion through  his  portraits  in  miniature  that  he 
resolved  to  give  up  teaching.  With  this  end  in 
view  he  increased  his  fee  from  one  to  two  guineas 
an  hour.  But  even  with  this  charge  he  received  so 
many  requests  to  continue  his  instructions  that  he 
used  to  say  he  felt  ashamed  to  take  the  money. 

Meanwhile  he  had  become  one  of  the  "  Associ- 
ated Artists,"  a  society  composed  of  a  number  of 
men  who  clubbed  together  to  rent  a  room  in  Bond 
Street  in 'which  to  exhibit  their  works.  He  ex- 
hibited with  that  body  first  in  1 808  ;  he  became  a 
member  in  1809,  and  continued  to  exhibit  as  one 
until  the  dissolution  of  the  society  in  1812.  In  all 
he  had  twenty-two  works  hung  in  the  society's 
gallery,  six  of  which  were  portraits. 

Among  his  works  in  the  last  exhibition  of  the 
Associated  Artists  was  the  picture  which  first 
brought  his  name  into  prominence,  namely,  "The 
Doubtful  Shilling."  It  shows  the  interior  of  a 
butcher's  shop,  the  dramatis  persona  being  a 
woman  with  a  child  in  her  arms  and  a  boy 
clinging  to  her  skirts  with  a  piece  of  bread  in  his 
hand,  which  the  dog  is  watching.  The  butcher 
is  testing  the  coin  which  constitutes  the  motive  of 


Early  Career  13 


the  story.  The  picture  was  at  that  time  remarkable 
for  its  realism.  All  the  accessories,  the  joints  of 
meat,  the  weights,  the  scales,  and  so  forth,  were 
carefully  studied  in  detail,  and  separate  drawings 
made  of  them  before  the  subject  as  a  whole  was 
commenced.  But  for  all  that  it  was  lacking  in  what 
we  now  understand  as  realism.  Not  only  are  all 
the  figures  disproportionately  tall,  but  the  artist 
has  still  found  it  impossible  to  free  himself  from 
the  desire  to  get  something  of  a  classic  fold  in  his 
draperies — in  short,  to  escape  from  the  classic  con- 
vention of  the  period,  of  which  we  see  so  much 
in  the  pseudo-classicists  of  the  time,  like  Cristall, 
Heaphy,  and  to  some  extent  Glover  and  others. 

But,  these  faults  notwithstanding,  the  picture 
made  its  mark.  Its  fine  drawing,  its  harmonious 
colouring,  and  perhaps  more  than  all,  the  slight 
element  of  pathos  suggested  by  the  poor  woman, 
whose  dinner  maybe,  and  that  of  her  children, 
depends  upon  his  decision,  anxiously  awaiting  the 
result  of  the  tradesman's  investigation,  caused  it  to 
be  greatly  admired.  The  Duchess  of  York,  on  be- 
holding it,  is  said  to  have  shed  a  tear  ;  and,  what  was 
then  more  to  the  purpose,  commissioned  its  purchase. 
The  intermediary  in  the  affair  was  the  famous  Beau 
Brummell,  between  whom  and  Holmes  the  acquaint- 
ance thus  formed  soon  ripened  into  an  intimacy 


14  Life  of  James  Holmes 

which   continued    until    the    "Beau"    was    finally 
obliged  to  quit  England. 

"The  Doubtful  Shilling"  is  a  good  specimen  of 
Holmes's  work.  There  was  nothing  ideal  about  it, 
but  it  had  a  strong  flavour  of  homely  humour,  it  was 
sincere,  and  it  was  natural.  Reproduced  afterwards 
in  aquatint  and  finished  by  hand,  it  sold  in  consider- 
able numbers,  and  was  for  a  time  extremely  popular. 


CHAPTER   III 

BEAU  BRUMMELL 

IT  strikes  one  at  first  sight  as  being  very  odd  that 
a  man  of  Holmes's  disposition,  an  artist — and  one 
of  almost  feverish  industry — could  have  found  any 
point  of  contact  or  of  sympathy  with  an  individual  of 
Brummell's  known  character  and  antecedents.  But 
the  surprise  vanishes  when  we  fully  appreciate  the 
sort  of  person  Holmes  was.  He  seems  to  have  been 
a  man  as  nearly  without  prejudices  as  it  is  possible 
for  a  human  being  to  be.  He  had  too  a  keen  insight 
into  character,  and  probably  found  out  for  himself, 
as  a  witty  Frenchman  afterwards  put  it,  that  the 
more  men  differ  in  appearance,  the  more  nearly 
they  are  alike  at  heart.  In  short,  he  was  gifted 
with  very  broad  sympathies  and  could  appreciate  a 
man  for  the  good  that  was  in  him,  and  not  condemn 
him  altogether  because  of  mere  foibles  and  weak- 
nesses. Then  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Beau 
Brummell  was  a  man  of  genius  in  his  way.  He 


1 6  Life  of  James  Holmes 

could  not  have  become  the  arbiter  of  fashion  that 
he  was  for  long  years  unless  he  had  been  possessed 
of  an  exquisite  taste  in  dress,  and  also  in  manners, 
as  regards  externals.  That  he  was  all  this,  the 
devout  flattery  of  imitation  which  was  accorded 
him  on  all  sides  sufficiently  proves.  But  in 
addition  to  this  he  was  a  man  of  wit,  was  gifted 
with  a  fine  sense  of  humour,  and  over  and  above 
all,  he  had  a  nice  taste  for  art,  and  could  draw  and 
paint  with  more  than  common  ability.  Captain 
Jesse,  his  biographer,  states  that  he  not  only  "drew 
well,"  but  that  he  ".was  not  ignorant  of  music,  and 
his  voice  'was  agreeable  in  singing  as  well  as  in 
speaking ;  he  also  wrote  vers  de  socie'td — one  of  the 
accomplishments  in  vogue  in  his  day — with  facility." 
Jesse  adds  that  "  his  dancing  was  perfect."  Holmes 
spoke  of  him  as  also  possessing  a  fine  vein  for 
caricature. 

In  short,  the  artist  found  in  Brummell  a  man  of 
exceptional  abilities,  who,  had  the  fates  been  pro- 
pitious, might  almost  have  become  anything,  but 
who  was  spoiled  by  the  shallowness  and  fripperies 
of  his  time.  Everybody  in  what  is  called  the 
higher  walks  of  life  was  devoted  to  the  worst 
banalities  of  fashion  and  frivolity ;  they  seemed 
to  regard  nothing  as  serious ;  and  here  was  a  man 
as  it  were  tossed  to  the  surface  of  society,  who  in 


Beau  Bmmmell  r  7 


his  person  pointed  the  moral  of  their  lives,  and 
who  fluttered  through  society  like  a  gay,  painted 
butterfly,  the  object  of  admiration  and  envy,  content 
to  amuse  and  be  amused,  until  the  hard,  stern,  in- 
evitable seriousness  of  life  struck  him  to  the  core, 
and  he  was  left,  as  all  such  as  he  in  the  end  are, 
alone  and  in  person  to  face  the  inexorable  facts. 

Holmes  saw  all  this — saw  his  weakness  and  his 
folly,  and  yet  found  something  to  like  and  to  pity  in 
the  man.  He  certainly  had  an  abundant  pity  for 
him  in  the  misery  of  his  later  days.  But  when  they 
first  met  the  shadow  over  his  path  was  but  a  hand 
in  breadth,  and  BrummeU's  natural  gaiety  was 
hardly  the  least  overclouded. 

I  have  already1  told  the  story  of  the  artist's 
calling  on  the  Beau  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  finding  him  at  breakfast,  of  which  he  invited 
his  friend  to  partake  with  him.  Thanking  him, 
Holmes  replied  that  he  had  already  dined.  "Oh, 
have  you  ?  "  exclaimed  Brummell.  "  What  an  early 
bird  you  must  be  !  Why,  this  is  my  break  of  day." 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  amongst  the  anecdotes 
which  Holmes  used  to  relate  of  Brummell,  was  one 
to  the  effect  that  the  dandy  was  wont  to  justify  his 
late  hour  of  rising  by  saying  that  he  preferred  not 
to  get  up  until  the  morning  was  well  aired.  Can  it 

1  Life  of  John  Linnell,  Bentley  and  Son. 


1 8  Life  of  James  Holmes 

be  that  this  well-known  witticism  of  Charles  Lamb 
was  an  unconscious  plagiarism  of  the  Beau  ? x 

The  artist  had  many  anecdotes  showing  his 
friend's  ready  wit  and  droll  humour.  One  was  as 
follows  :  A  young  gentleman  once  called  upon  him 
with  an  introduction,  and  said  that,  as  he  was  just 
beginning  life,  he  had  ventured  to  call  upon  him, 
thinking  he  would  be  able  to  give  him  wise  and 
valuable  advice.  He  explained  that  he  had  inherited 
a  little  money,  that  he  had  squandered  some  of 
it,  besides  getting  into  debt,  and  that  he  would  like 
to  know  what  was  the  best  to  do  with  the  rest  of  it. 
"  My  advice  to  you,"  said  Brummell,  "  is,  don't  go 
and  muddle  it  away  by  paying  your  debts." 

He  did  not  always  act  up  to  his  own  precepts, 
however.  Towards  the  close  of  his  career  he  was 
indebted  to  Holmes  in  the  sum  of  seventy  guineas. 
Being  one  day  with  Brummell,  the  artist  mentioned 
the  circumstance,  without  the  least  thought  of  press- 
ing the  matter,  and  without  any  idea  of  ever  receiving 
the  amount.  "  I  suppose  you  would  consider  that  a 
debt  of  honour?"  remarked  the  Beau.  "Yes,  I 
think  so,"  replied  Holmes.  "Then  I  will  give  you 
a  cheque,"  said  the  other,  adding,  after  a  short 

1  When  told  that  the  joke  was  in  the  Essays  of  Elia,  both  the  Holmes 
brothers  were  astonished,  and  said  they  had  often  heard  their  father  give  it  as 
a  saying  of  Brummell's. 


Beau  Brummell  19 


pause,  "  but  I  fear  it  is  of  no  value.  I  have  already 
given  several  cheques,  and  there  is  not  much  left  to 
pay  with.  However,  take  a  hackney  carriage  and 
get  to  the  bank  as  quickly  as  you  can,  and  you  may 
be  all  right."  Holmes  took  his  advice,  and  some- 
what to  his  surprise  the  cheque  was  cashed. 

Another  humorous  story  of  Brummell  is  perhaps 
old,  though  I  do  not  remember  to  have  met  with 
it  anywhere  in  print.  He  was  walking  out  one 
day  when  a  poor  boy  asked  him  for  a  halfpenny  to 
buy  something  to  eat.  "  A  halfpenny  ?  "  queried 
Brummell,  "A  halfpenny?  I  have  heard  of  the 
coin,  my  lad,  but  I  never  saw  one.  But  here  is  a 
sixpence  ;  perhaps  that  will  do  as  well." 

Another  characteristic  witticism  of  his  was  this. 
A  coolness  had  arisen  between  him  and  a  friend, 
and  an  acquaintance  of  the  two  tried  to  discover  the 
cause  of  the  breach  and  to  heal  it.  "  It  is  impos- 
sible," said  Brummell.  "  How  can  I  have  a  man  for 
my  friend  who  calls  for  two  servings  of  soup  ?  " 

The  story  of  his  not  eating  vegetables  is  perhaps 
pretty  generally  known.  Holmes,  however,  gave 
it  somewhat  differently  from  the  ordinary  version. 
According  to  him,  Brummell  was  asked  by  a  lady  at 
table  if  he  had  never  eaten  vegetables.  "Oh  yes, 
oh  yes,  my  dear  madam,"  he  replied;  "I  once  ate 
a  whole  pea." 


2O  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Most  people  have  heard  of  his  superstition,  and 
how  he  attributed  his  final  misfortune  and  ruin  to 
the  accidental  loss  of  a  sixpence  with  a  hole  in  it 
which  he  had  carried  for  years,  and  at  last  gave  to  a 
hackney  coachman  in  mistake.  He  advertised  for 
it,  but  though  twenty  needy  persons  came  with 
"  lucky  "  sixpences  for  his  inspection,  none  of  them 
proved  to  be  his  own.  "If  I  could  only  recover  it, 
I  know  all  my  luck  would  return,"  he  once  said 
when  deploring  its  loss. 

On  one  occasion,  when  on  his  way  to  Watier's— 
a  club  noted  for  its  gambling — he  suddenly  recol- 
lected that  he  had  not  his  lucky  coin  with  him,  and 
he  drove  back  to  Chesterfield  Street,  where  he  then 
lived,  to  get  it. 

After  his  break  with  the  Regent  he  used  to  be 
much  at  Oaklands,  the  seat  of  the  Duke  of  York, 
where  he  was  always  given  the  warmest  of  welcomes 
by  the  Duchess,  who  remained  to  the  end  his  sincere 
friend.  Holmes  was  once  at  Oaklands  when 
Brummell  was  there — perhaps  taken  by  him. 
Someone  asked  the  Beau  what  was  the  real  cause  of 
the  coldness  between  him  and  the  Prince.  "  Oh,  a 
very  small  affair,"  replied  Brummell  with  a  smile. 
"  Lady preferred  me  to  him." 

When  walking  one  day  in  the  country  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Oaklands  with  other  guests,  the 


Beau  Brummell  2 1 


conversation  turned  on  the  fragrance  of  the  hay  and 
what  not,  and  he  was  asked  if  he  did  not  admire  the 
sweet  smells  of  the  country.  "  Greatly,"  replied 
Brummell,  "  all  except  that  of  the  country  folk. 
That  is  the  one  drawback  to  the  country."  He 
used  to  say  the  country  people  would  be  admirable 
if  they  would  only  wash  more.  He  himself  was 
noted  for  his  exquisite  cleanliness. 

Apropos  of  his  gift  as  a  portrait-painter,  a  well- 
known  lounger  about  town,  named  Ball  Hughes — 
sometimes  called  "  The  Golden  Ball" — once  re- 
marked to  Holmes,  when  Brummell  was  known  to 
be  on  his  last  legs,  "  I  hear  it  is  all  up  with 
Brummell."  The  artist  replied  that  he  feared  it 
was.  "  I  am  told  he  paints  very  well,"  continued 
the  man  of  fashion.  "  He  is  very  clever  at  it,"  said 
Holmes.  "  He  had  best  take  to  painting  then," 
replied  Hughes ;  "  it  would  be  better  than  doing 
nothing."  "Anything  would  be  better  than  idling 
about  town  as  some  do,"  Holmes  acquiesced,  with  a 
sly  dig  at  the  fashionable  idler. 

As  his  difficulties  increased  and  became  more 
and  more  known,  Brummell  wras  gradually  dropped 
and  given  the  cold  shoulder  by  his  aristocratic 
acquaintances.  But  the  cut  that  hurt  him  most  of 
all  was  the  one  given  to  him  at  Cassiobury,  the  seat 
of  the  Earl  of  Essex,  near  Watford.  Here  he  had 


22  Life  of  James  Holmes 

always  been  well  received  and  treated  with  excep- 
tional kindness.  But  the  last  time  he  went  he 
remained  no  more  than  an  hour  or  two,  and  never 
forgot  the  reception  he  had. 

Holmes,  who  knew  that  he  had  gone  out  of 
town,  was  surprised  to  meet  him  near  his  residence 
(which  was  in  Chapel  Street,  Mayfair),  and 
exclaimed,  "  What,  back  again  so  soon  ?  But  I  am 
glad  to  see  you." 

Brummell  replied  sadly,  "  I  have  just  returned 
from  Cassiobury." 

Holmes  observed  that  his  stay  must  have  been 
unusually  short ;  but  the  Beau,  hardly  noticing  the 
remark,  went  on  to  say — 

"  You  know  that  picture  I  painted  and  gave  to 
the  countess  ?  " 

Holmes  said  he  did.  It  was  a  miniature  of  her 
ladyship  on  ivory. 

"I  told  you  how  they  honoured  it  by  having  it 
mounted  on  a  small  screen  in  the  drawing-room,  so 
that  it  was  seen  by  everybody  immediately  they 
entered." 

"  Yes,"  returned  Holmes. 

"  Well,  when  I  arrived  there  yesterday  I  found 
that  the  screen  had  been  turned  with  its  face  to  the 
fire.  I  felt  that  it  was  a  slight — a  hint  that  I  was 
not  wanted  any  more — and  I  came  away." 


Beau  Brummell  23 


Such  was  the  way  in  which  the  poor  man,  once 
the  arbiter  of  fashion,  was  cold-shouldered  out  of 
society — the  society  for  which  he  had  prostituted 
exceptional  powers  and  talents  even  of  a  high  order. 

Amongst  the  numberless  portraits  of  celebrities 
that  Holmes  painted  during  his  long  career  was  one 
of  the  Beau.  It  was  executed  for  his  only  sister,  a 
Mrs.  Blackyers.  It  would  be  interesting  to  learn 
what  has  become  of  this  portrait. 

When  Brummell's  furniture  and  effects  were 
sold  by  Christie  in  1816  some  pictures  by  Holmes 
were  sold  with  the  rest,  amongst  the  number  being 
one  entitled  "A  Family  Dinner  Party,"  which 
fetched  eighty-five  guineas,  probably  a  commission 
given  by  the  Beau  in  his  better  days. 


CHAPTER    IV 

HENRY    RICHTER 

WHEN  in  1813  the  constitution  of  the  Old  Water 
Colour  Society  was  changed  so  as  to  admit  painters 
in  oil,  Holmes  became  a  member,  and  continued  his 
membership  until  1821,  when  another  radical  change 
took  place  and  the  Society  went  back  to  its  old 
principle  of  water  colours  alone.  To  the  first 
exhibition  of  the  Society  under  the  new  regime 
Holmes  sent  two  pictures,  "Hot  Porridge"  and 
"The  Married  Man,"  and  each  year,  so  long  as  he 
remained  a  member,  he  continued  to  exhibit  a  sub- 
ject picture  or  two,  and  generally  after  the  first 
year  one  or  two  portraits,  sometimes  more. 

In  the  second  year  of  his  connection  with  the 
Society  he  removed  from  No.  9  Delancey  Place, 
Camden  Town,  where  he  had  lived  for  some  years, 
to  No.  i  Upper  Titchfield  Street,  Fitzroy  Square, 
the  change  in  all  probability  being  necessitated  by 
his  marriage,  which  had  taken  place  the  year  pre- 


Henry  Richter  25 


vious.  Next  year  another  move  was  made,  this 
time  to  No.  9  in  the  same  street,  and  then,  in  1817, 
to  No.  9  Cirencester  Place,  where  he  remained  until 
his  removal  to  Wilton  Street  in  1828. 

In  1816  amongst  his  exhibits  in  the  Society's 
rooms  were  portraits  of  Lady  Drummond  and  Major 
Wood  (of  the  loth  Hussars).  In  1817  his  only 
portrait  was  of  Lord  Byron.  Two  years  later  he 
exhibited  portraits  of  the  Duchess  of  Argyle  and  the 
Countess  of  March. 

Holmes  had,  long  before  this,  become  a  recog- 
nised portrait  -  painter,  his  miniatures  on  ivory 
especially  being  greatly  admired  for  the  taste  and 
beauty  of  colouring  they  displayed. 

As  regards  colouring,  it  may  be  claimed  for 
him  that  he  showed  a  marked  advance  upon  his 
predecessors.  To-day  this  matter  of  colour  in 
drawing  is  but  as  a  tale  that  is  told.  But  if  we  go 
back  to  last  century  and  to  the  early  years  of  this, 
and  examine  the  drawings  of  the  water-colourists, 
Paul  Sandby,  Cozens,  and  others,  we  shall  see  how 
pale  and  watery-looking  they  were  ;  and  it  is  one  of 
Holmes's  distinctions  that  he  saw  the  possibility  of 
an  advance  on  these,  and  distinctly  achieved  this 
advance. 

So  fine,  indeed,  was  his  eye  for  colour  that 
Benjamin  West  once,  on  seeing  a  drawing  of  his, 


26  Life  of  James  Holmes 

asked  if  he  had  any  scheme  or  method  of  colour 
of  his  own;  "for,"  said  he,  "  the  colour  of  this 
drawing  is  equal  to  Titian."  This  was  great  praise, 
and  not  undeserved  when  the  strength  and  rich- 
ness of  his  colouring  are  considered.  Many  of  his 
contemporaries,  and  among  them  John  Linnell, 
acknowledged  their  indebtedness  to  him  in  this 
respect. 

The  latter — Holmes's  junior  by  fifteen  years- 
was  for  a  long  time  his  near  neighbour  in  Ciren- 
cester  Place.  It  was  here  that  an  intimacy  was 
begun  between  the  two  artists  which  lasted  for  some 
years,  until,  indeed,  they  went  to  live  wide  apart. 
On  Linnell's  going  to  reside  in  Cirencester  Place 
in  1818,  he  was  already  beginning  to  be  known  as  a 
portrait-painter  ;  but  although  they  were  competi- 
tors, Holmes,  with  that  generosity  for  which  he  was 
ever  distinguished,  instructed  the  younger  artist 
in  the  art  for  which  he  himself  was  more  especially 
noted,  namely,  miniature  painting.  Linnell  refers  to 
this  fact  in  an  autobiography  which  he  left  behind 
him,  wherein  he  says  that  he  obtained  his  first  hints 
in  miniature  painting  on  ivory  from  James  Holmes. 
He  also  relates  that  all  he  gave  in  return  for  the 
instruction  was  two  small  water-colour  drawings. 

This,  however,  concerns  a  later  period  than  that 
at  which  we  have  arrived. 


Henry  Richter  27 


During  the  earlier  years  of  his  artistic  career,  as 
already  stated,  Holmes  was  brought  much  in  contact 
with  the  Westalls,  and  doubtless  learned  much  from 
them  ;  but  an  artist  who  exercised  more  influence 
over  him  in  regard  to  his  art  was  Henry  Richter ; 
at  least  there  was  more  in  common  between  the  aims 
of  these  two  than  betwixt  himself  and  any  other  of 
his  contemporaries.  He,  in  all  probability,  became 
acquainted  with  Richter  during  the  time  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  Associated  Artists,  in  whose  gallery 
in  Bond  Street  Richter  was  a  prolific  exhibitor. 
Richter  was  one  of  the  first  "to  go  to  nature"  ;  he 
carefully  took  pattern  of  nature  in  everything ;  and 
if  by  so  doing  he  did  not  become  a  famous  painter, 
it  was  not  the  fault  of  his  great  exemplar. 

Holmes  was  indebted  to  Richter  for  many  useful 
hints — possibly,  amongst  others,  for  hints  in  regard 
to  colour ;  for  Richter,  likewise,  was  noted  for  the 
advances  his  drawings  showed  on  his  predecessors 
in  regard  to  colouring. 

But  the  point  on  which  Holmes  was  chiefly 
indebted  to  Richter  was  the  careful  study  he  was 
led  by  him  to  make  of  each  part  of  his  subject 
separately.  When  painting  his  "  Doubtful  Shilling  " 
he,  as  we  have  seen,  prepared  careful  drawings  of 
the  butcher's  shop,  and  of  the  joints  of  meat,  and  what 
not,  to  be  depicted  in  it,  also  of  the  draperies  to  be 


28  Life  of  James  Holmes 

used.  But  in  addition  to  this,  he  adopted  another 
method  of  study,  whereby  to  obtain  the  right  effect 
of  light,  as  well  as  the  proper  pose  of  the  figures. 
This  was  to  construct  little  models  in  clay  or  wax, 
to  represent  the  figures  he  wished  to  introduce  into 
his  picture,  so  as  to  be  able  to  arrange  them  and  get 
their  proper  relative  positions  before  he  began  to 
paint.  He  also  draped  the  figures  when  necessary. 
He  claimed  that  by  this  method  the  work  of  com- 
position was  aided,  and  a  more  natural  relative 
position  of  the  figures  obtained. 

This  also  was  a  suggestion  of  Richter's,  who 
employed  the  method  himself. 

The  practice  is  one  that  cannot  be  too  strongly 
recommended  on  account  of  the  grasp  it  gives  a 
painter  over  his  subject,  which  no  sketches,  either  in 
colour  or  black  and  white,  can  possibly  do.  The 
relative  distance  or  tone  of  any  figure  can  thus  be 
more  accurately  studied,  and  any  change  in  com- 
position more  rapidly  determined  upon  than  by  the 
making  of  fresh  studies. 

Holmes  found  the  practice  so  useful  and  excellent 
in  the  results  obtained  that  he  advocated  the  teach- 
ing of  modelling  in  all  schools  of  art. 

The  drapery  of  the  models  he  found  to  be  best 
done  with  a  very  thin  material,  dipped  in  any  colour 
requisite,  and  afterwards  wetted  with  starch,  and 


Henry  Richter  29 


while  moist  arranged  in  the  necessary  folds,  which 
will  stiffen  in  drying  and  remain  so. 

Richter  first  suggested  these  methods  to  Holmes 
when  he  was  engaged  on  his  "  Boys  going  to 
School,"  which  was  exhibited  in  the  Water  Colour 
Society's  room  in  Spring  Gardens  in  1818.  He  at 
once  adopted  them,  and  had  put  the  model  of  one  of 
the  boys  in  a  fighting  posture,  when  Richter,  hap- 
pening to  call,  advised  a  more  vigorous  attitude, 
and  showed  what  he  meant  by  extending  the  arm 
of  the  boy  in  question.  Holmes  saw  at  once  that 
it  was  an  improvement  and  painted  his  figure  ac- 
cordingly. 

But  Richter  was  not  always  equally  happy  in  his 
suggestions.  His  own  pictures  were  often  marred 
by  the  violence  of  the  attitudes  in  which  he  placed 
his  figures  ;  and  Holmes  seems  to  have  followed  his 
example  to  his  detriment  in  some  of  his  works. 

But,  despite  some  of  his  mannerisms,  Richter 
was  one  of  the  most  original  of  the  painters  of  his 
time,  as  well  as  one  of  the  oddest.  He  showed  his 
originality,  however,  in  other  ways  more  than  in 
his  pictures. 

He  took  common  everyday  subjects  for  his 
pictures,  and  many  of  them  enjoyed  an  enormous 
popularity.  This  was  especially  true  of  his  "  School 
in  an  Uproar,"  which,  besides  being  reproduced  to 


Life  of  James  Holmes 


an  enormous  extent  by  engravings,  was  at  last 
printed  on  pocket-handkerchiefs.  When  the  picture 
achieved  this  distinction  Holmes  complimented  the 
artist,  and  remarked,  "  Now  your  fame  will  be  blown 
all  over  the  world." 

Richter  exhibited  his  first  pictures  at  a  very  early 
age,  having  two  landscapes  in  the  Academy  in  1 788, 
when  he  was  only  sixteen  years  old.  Subsequently 
he  exhibited  chiefly  with  the  Associated  Artists  in 
Bond  Street,  where  his  works  were  said  to  be 
characterised  by  "  a  strange  mixture  of  extravagance 
and  genius."  The  most  popular  of  his  works  at 
this  period  appears  to  have  been  "A  Brute  of  a 
Husband,"  which  was  declared  by  critics  to  be  the 
"  champion  of  the  exhibition."  The  wife  is  repre- 
sented showing  the  bruises  the  "  brute  "  has  inflicted, 
and  the  magistrates  are  greatly  interested  in  the 
exhibition. 

In  1812  Richter  attempted  a  higher  flight  than 
he  had  yet  taken,  and  exhibited  a  picture  in  oil 
entitled  "Christ  Giving  Sight  to  the  Blind,"  which 
was  purchased  by  the  trustees  of  the  British  Insti- 
tution for  500  guineas. 

In  1816  he  exhibited  a  replica  of  the  "Christ 
Giving  Sight  to  the  Blind."  It  was  described  as  an 
attempt  to  improve  upon  a  former  picture.  One  or 
other  of  these  was  afterwards  placed  over  the  altar 


Henry  Rickter  31 


of  Greenwich  New  Church,  and  has  been  twice 
engraved.  Among  other  works  exhibited  at  Spring 
Gardens  were  "  Don  Quixote  and  Mambrino's 
Helmet"  and  "  Falstaff  acting  the  King."  The 
latter  and  several  other  of  his  chief  works  were 
painted  for  Mr.  W.  Chamberlayne,  M.P.  One  of 
them,  "  The  Tight  Shoe,"  has  been  engraved. 

Richter,  however,  was  something  more  than  an 
artist.  Painting  was  a  pursuit  that  occupied  only 
part  of  his  thoughts.  There  was  another  side  to  his 
mind,  due,  in  all  probability,  to  his  German  descent, 
his  father  having  been  an  engraver  who  came  over 
from  Saxony  with  the  Marquis  of  Exeter,  and  was 
introduced  by  him  to  George  III.  He  was  an 
ardent  and  faithful  disciple  of  Emanuel  Kant,  and 
the  study  of  abstruse  and  transcendental  philosophy 
was  his  chief  passion  and  engaged  his  attention  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  Sometimes  his  abstract 
speculations  got  themselves  mixed  up  with  the 
practice  of  his  art,  as,  for  example,  in  a  picture 
exhibited  in  Bond  Street  in  1810,  with  the  suggest- 
ive title,  "A  Logician's  Effigy." 

The  article  on  "  Metaphysics  "  in  the  Encyclo- 
pedia Londinensis  was  written  by  Richter,  who  also 
published  a  small  work  on  "  Daylight"  (1817).  It 
is  further  styled  "  A  Recent  Discovery  in  the  Art 
of  Painting,  with  Hints  on  the  Philosophy  of  the 


Life  of  James  Holmes 


Fine  Arts,  and  on  that  of  the  Human  Mind,  as  first 
dissected  by  Emanuel  Kant." 

In  this  volume  the  author  sets  forth  certain 
theories,  more  especially  contending  that  painters 
have  failed  to  observe  the  blueness  of  the  light 
which  descends  vertically  from  the  sky.  The 
argument  takes  the  form  of  a  dialogue  between  the 
writer  and  the  set  of  ghosts  of  old  masters  whom  he 
meets  one  evening  in  the  British  Gallery. 

One  of  Richter's  pet  theories,  arising  out  of  these 
studies,  was  that  painters  hitherto  had  been  on  the 
wrong  tack,  and  that  pictures  ought  to  be  painted  in 
full  sunlight.  He  essayed  to  carry  out  his  theory, 
especially  in  the  "  Christ  Giving  Sight  to  the  Blind," 
which  was  painted  on  the  top  of  the  house  in  which 
he  then  lived  in  Newman  Street  in  a  blaze  of 
sunlight.  Mr.  Chamberlayne,  for  whom  the  first 
picture  was  executed,  joked  him  on  the  exposure  of 
his  models  to  such  fierce  sunshine,  and  said  he  was 
gradually  roasting  them  alive. 

With  Rembrandt  Richter  had  no  patience  at  all. 
He  declared  that  his  principle  was  entirely  wrong, 
and  that  his  colours  were  taken  from  the  farm-yard. 
"  They  are  nothing  but  dung,  sir  !  "  he  would  exclaim. 

He  must  have  been  a  very  amusing  companion, 
as  well  as  a  man  of  great  originality,  not  to  say 
oddity,  of  thought  and  manners.  One  day  when 


Henry  Richter  33 


Holmes  and  he  were  walking  out  together,  Richter 
said,  "  Let  us  call  and  see  the  portraits  of  So-and- 
so,"  naming  an  artist  whose  works  had  been  com- 
mended to  his  attention.  They  proceeded  to  the 
house  and  were  ushered  into  the  studio.  The  artist, 
not  knowing  either  Holmes  or  his  friend,  and 
thinking  perhaps  there  might  be  a  sitter  in  one  of 
them,  began  to  extol  his  own  works,  which  were  all 
portraits  of  dissenting  ministers  in  black  coats  or 
gowns  and  Geneva  bands,  and  all  very  wooden. 

"  Look  at  this  portrait,  sir !  Look  at  this 
portrait !"  said  the  artist.  "You  can  not  only  see 
its  excellence,  but  feel  it.  Pray,  pass  your  hand 
over  it — pass  your  hand  over  it,  sir.  You  will  find 
it  as  smooth  as  glass — as  smooth  as  glass,  sir  ! " 

"  Truly  it  is,"  replied  Holmes,  doing  as  he  was 
asked. 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  "  exclaimed  the  painter.  "  Those 
are  portraits  if  you  like,  sir.  No  such  portraits 
painted  nowadays  ! " 

On  regaining  the  street  Holmes  observed  to 
Richter  with  a  smile,  "Most  interesting  performances, 
those.  Glad  I  have  seen — and  felt  them." 

"It  appears  to  me,"  rejoined  Richter  in  his  dry 
sententious  manner — "it  appears  to  me  as  if  some 
ingenious,  or  rather  I  would  say,  some  very  inge- 
nious monkey  had  been  at  work.". 

3 


34  Life  of  James  Holmes 

For  many  years  towards  the  end  of  his  days 
Holmes  lost  sight  of  Richter.  Happening  to  be 
walking  out  one  day,  however,  when  in  London,  he 
met  his  old  friend,  and  they  had  a  long  chat  together 
about  old  times  and  old  friends.  On  parting 
Holmes  asked  Richter  where  he  was  living,  and 
being  told,  said,  "  I  shall  do  myself  the  pleasure  of 
calling  upon  you,  Richter,  one  of  these  days." 
"  Well,"  replied  the  old  man  in  his  pompous  manner, 
"  if  you  do  I  will  receive  you." 

Holmes  used  to  recount  this  anecdote  with  a 
good  deal  of  amusement.  He  would  add  :  "It  was 
just  like*  him ;  he  was  always  as  precise  as  an  old 
maid,  and  as  formal  as  a  logician." 

This  was  the  last  time  they  met.  A  few  months 
after  his  lifelong  friend  saw  the  announcement  of 
Richter's  death  in  the  papers. 


CHAPTER   V 

RICHARD    AND    WILLIAM    WESTALL 

I  DO  not  claim  for  Mr.  Holmes  that  he  was  the  only 
artist  who  studied  faithfully  from  nature  at  this  time, 
but  he  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  advanced  guard 
who  had  such  a  healthy  influence  upon  art.  The 
well-known  confession  of  Fuseli,  that  "  he  did  never 
look  upon  de  nasty  natur  but  it  did  put  him  out," 
touched  a  failing  common  to  most  of  the  artists  of 
his  time ;  and  it  is  to  those  who  were  not  afraid  to 
approach  "de  nasty  natur,"  but  went  to  it  with 
sincerity,  and  copied  it  with  inflexible  diligence, 
that  the  art  of  to-day  owes  so  much. 

Holmes  was  one  of  the  very  few  who  sought 
nature  for  everything ;  and  his  patience  and  care  in 
this  respect  once  caused  Richard  Westall,  a  man 
who,  like  Fuseli,  preferred  to  work  from  his  inner 
consciousness,  and  had  learned  by  experience  the 
faultiness  of  the  method,  to  exclaim — 

"  Ah,  Holmes,  you  are  quite  right  to  go  to  nature 


36  Life  of  James  Holmes 

for  everything  ;  by  so  doing  you  will  gain  your  end 
a  great  deal  better  and  in  half  the  time  you  other- 
wise would.  I  never  went  to  nature  for  anything, 
and  I  have  found  out  my  mistake." 

This  may  account  for  Westall's  failure  in  later 
life,  when  his  income,  from  being  something  like 
three  thousand  a  year,  fell  to  next  to  nothing.  The 
fact  is,  a  new  generation  had  arisen, — a  generation 
of  artists  who  studied  nature  more,  and  a  generation 
of  art-lovers  who  were  no  longer  satisfied  with  the 
school  of  pseudo-classicists. 

In  the  early  part  of  his  career,  that  is,  before  his 
commissions  were  sufficient  either  in  number  or 
importance  to  take  up  his  whole  time,  Holmes  did  a 
good  deal  of  work  for  Richard  Westall,  who  was  at 
that  time  a  popular  favourite,  and  executed  many 
large  works,  in  which  he  got  the  younger  artist  to 
assist  him.  In  some  cases  Holmes,  being  an 
especially  fine  draughtsman,  worked  in  the  entire 
picture  from  the  small  original  sketch. 

Some  of  Westall's  more  popular  drawings  were 
extensively  multiplied  by  copper-plate  in  what  is 
known  as  aquatint,  and  then  coloured  by  hand. 
On  these  too  Holmes  worked,  particularly  on  the 
heads,  being  especially  gifted  in  head-drawing. 

Westall's  studio  was  at  this  time  in  Charlotte 
Street,  Fitzroy  Square,  a  region  especially  affected 


Richard  and  William  Westall  37 

by  artists  in  those  days.  An  incident  which  hap- 
pened during  this  period  of  what  might  now  be 
called  " ghost"  work  greatly  impressed  Holmes, 
and  he  used  often  to  narrate  it  in  after  years. 
Westall  had  one  evening  given  him  a  five-pound 
note  in  payment  for  some  work,  and  he  had  slipped 
it  into  his  pocket,  and  gone  some  distance  on  his 
way  home,  when  it  suddenly  occurred  to  him  to  see 
if  he  had  got  it  safe.  He  felt  in  his  pockets,  and  to 
his  dismay  discovered  that  he  had  lost  it.  Retracing 
his  steps,  and  carefully  examining  every  foot  he  had 
traversed,  he  had  almost  reached  Westall's  door 
when  he  espied  a  bit  of  paper  on  the  ground,  and 
picking  it  up,  found  it  was  his  lost  note. 

The  young  artist  was  at  this  time  living  at 
Camden  Town,  then  quite  a  country  region,  and  of 
nights,  in  the  cheerless  season,  not  particularly  safe 
to  go  to  alone,  the  region  of  Tottenham  Court  Road 
and  Hampstead  Road  in  especial  being  infested 
with  foot-pads.  On  this  account  he  and  a  brother- 
artist,  whose  studio  was  near  Fitzroy  Square,  but 
whose  residence  was  also  at  Camden  Town,  used  to 
accompany  each  other  home  for  the  sake  of  safety. 
The  brother-artist  in  question  was  George  Dawe, 
afterwards  the  Academician,  but  then  a  struggling 
beginner  like  himself.  Like  Holmes,  Dawe  had 
been  brought  up  to  the  engraver's  art,  and  like  him 


38  Life  of  James  Holmes 

had  relinquished  it  when  out  of  his  apprenticeship, 
taking  to  historical  painting,  and  then  to  portraiture, 
in  which  he  was  successful,  in  the  monetary  sense, 
beyond  most  men  of  his  time. 

Dawe  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  terrible 
skinflint,  and  lived  in  a  most  miserable  way,  hardly 
allowing  himself  decent  food.  Once  he  is  said  to 
have  purchased  a  pig's  paunch  for  twopence  and 
given  it  to  his  sister,  with  whom  he  lived,  to  cook 
for  his  supper.  On  another  occasion  he  was 
annoyed  beyond  anything,  and  did  not  get  over 
his  vexation  for  weeks,  because  his  sister,  being 
unable  to  procure  anything  else,  bought  some 
mutton  chops  for  dinner.  This,  to  him,  was  an 
unheard  -  of  extravagance.  There  may  be  some 
exaggeration  in  these  stones,  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  he  was  of  a  very  miserly  disposition. 

A  more  amusing  anecdote  of  his  stinginess  is 
the  following  :  When  he  was  painting  his  picture 
of  a  "  Negro  overpowering  a  Buffalo,"  which 
obtained  a  premium  at  the  British  Institution  in 
1811,  he  promised  the  negro  who  served  him  as 
model  that  he  would  remember  him  if  he  sold  it. 
The  reason  of  this  was  that,  being  behindhand, 
and  fearing  that  he  should  be  too  late  for  the 
exhibition,  he  worked  the  poor  fellow  night  and 
day.  The  picture  sold  well,  besides  gaining  the 


Richard  and  William  We  stall  39 

prize,  and  the  negro,  meeting  Dawe  one  day  after 
the  event,  reminded  him  of  his  promise.  "Oh  yes, 
I  remember,"  replied  Dawe  ;  and  putting  his  hand 
into  his  pocket  and  drawing  forth  a  coin,  he  said, 
"  Here,  take  this;  I'm  glad  you  reminded  me." 
The  model  looked  at  it  with  a  comically  rueful 
countenance,  and  observed,  "  I  hope  you  won't 
miss  it,  Massa  Dawe."  "  Oh  no,  thank  you  ;  you  are 
quite  welcome,"  replied  Dawe.  It  was  a  sixpence. 

Dawe  went  to  Russia  in  1819,  and  remained 
there,  painting  portraits  for  the  Court,  with  the 
exception  of  some  two  or  three  months,  to  within 
a  few  weeks  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  London 
in  October  1829.  During  his  stay  in  Russia  he 
amassed  a  fortune  of  something  like  a  hundred 
thousand  pounds ;  but  at  the  time  of  his  decease  it 
had  been  reduced  to  about  a  fourth  of  that  amount, 
partly  by  unwise  speculation,  and  in  part,  it  was 
said,  by  a  legacy  to  a  Russian  lady,  of  whom  he 
had  become  enamoured.  The  surprising  thing  to 
those  who  knew  him  was  that  he  should  have  had 
it  in  him  to  fall  in  love  with  any  one. 

But  Holmes's  great  friend  at  this  time  was 
William  Westall.  As  already  stated,  they  had 
become  acquainted  with  each  other  during  Holmes's 
apprenticeship.  Subsequently  their  intercourse  was 
interrupted  for  several  years,  during  which  Westall 


40  Life  of  James  Holmes 

led  a  most  adventurous  career.  He  joined,  as 
draughtsman,  the  expedition  —  ill  fated  so  far  as 
the  commander  was  concerned — under  Captain 
Flinders,  for  the  exploration  and  survey  of  the 
coast  of  Australia,  sailing  in  the  Investigator  in 
1 80 1,  and  being  absent  nearly  four  years.  The 
adventures  he  went  through  in  that  time  would 
have  made  the  fortunes  of  a  novelist  of  to-day. 

After  nearly  completing  her  labours  the  In- 
vestigator became  unseaworthy,  and  it  was  found 
necessary  to  return  with  her  to  Port  Jackson. 
Here  the  ship  was  pronounced  incapable  of  repair, 
and  Captain  Flinders  was  given  the  Porpoise,  an 
old  Spanish  prize  attached  to  the  colony,  in  which 
to  return  to  England  for  a  new  vessel.  She  put 
to  sea  on  August  10,  1803,  in  company  with  the 
East  India  Company's  ship  Bridgewater,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Palmer,  and  the  Cato  of 
London.  Standing  to  the  north  on  the  i7th,  both 
the  Porpoise  and  the  Cato  struck  on  a  reef,  after- 
wards known  as  Wreck  Reef.  The  Porpoise  stuck 
fast,  but  the  Cato  rolled  over  and  sank  in  deep 
water,  her  men  having  barely  time  to  scramble  on 
shore.  Westall  used  to  say  that  it  was  a  miracle 
that  many  did  not  lose  their  lives,  as  when  the 
catastrophe  happened  nearly  all  the  men  were 
playing  cards  in  the  forecastle. 


Richard  and  William  Westall  41 

The  Bridgewater  sailed  away,  abandoning  them 
to  their  fate. 

Leaving  the  greater  number  of  the  men  on  the  reef, 
Captain  Flinders  sailed  for  Port  Jackson  for  succour 
in  one  of  the  boats,  and  happily  arrived  there  in  safety. 

Westall  was  one  of  those  who  remained  on  the 
reef,  and  he  was  wont  to  describe  with  much 
humour  the  life  they  lived  there  until  the  com- 
mander's return.  Once  a  boat's  crew  went  to  the 
mainland  to  explore,  and  see  if  anything  of  the 
nature  of  food  was  to  be  had.  A  little  way  inland 
several  men  fell  in  with  a  family  of  kangaroos,  and 
none  of  them  having  ever  seen  or  heard  of  such 
creatures  before,  they  were  almost  terrified  out  of 
their  wits,  and  tore  back  to  the  boat,  exclaiming 
that  they  had  seen  the  devil. 

Westall  managed  to  save  most  of  his  effects 
from  the  wreck,  but  in  the  disorder  which  ensued 
he  lost  a  small  silver  palette,  which  was  a  prize 
awarded  to  him  for  drawing  by  the  Society  of 
Arts,  and  bore  his  name.  He  valued  the  article 
very  much,  and  was  greatly  annoyed  at  the  loss 
of  it,  but  all  his  efforts  to  find  it  were  in  vain. 
When  he  got  back  to  England  he  applied  to  the 
Society  in  the  hope  that  they  might  be  induced 
to  let  him  have  another  made  like  it ;  but  this 
they  refused.  However,  some  time  afterwards, 


42  Life  of  James  Holmes 

going  along  Holborn  and  happening  to  look  into 
a  pawnbroker's  window,  Westall  saw  something 
so  much  like  his  lost  palette  that  he  went  in  and 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  look  at  it.  He  found,  to 
his  joy,  that  it  was  the  missing  article,  and  of  course 
straightway  purchased  it.  It  had  undoubtedly  been 
stolen  by  one  of  the  sailors  during  the  disorder  con- 
sequent upon  the  wreck,  and  secreted  amongst  his 
effects  till  he  got  back  to  London,  when  he  pawned  it. 
But  this  was  not  the  strangest  thing  connected 
with  this  adventurous  voyage.  On  Captain  Flinders' 
arrival  at  Port  Jackson,  the  Rollo,  bound  to  China, 
was  sent  to  the  relief  of  the  castaways.  Two 
schooners  accompanied  her,  one  to  take  back  to 
Port  Jackson  those  who  preferred  that  course,  and 
the  other,  the  Cumberland,  of  29  tons,  to  carry 
Flinders  to  England  for  another  vessel.  On  his 
way  home  the  latter  put  in  at  Port  Louis, 
Mauritius,  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  French, 
who  were  then  at  war  with  England,  and  kept 
there  for  nearly  seven  years,  not  being  released 
until  June  1810.  In  the  interim  he  had  been 
almost  forgotten.  Setting  to  work,  however,  on  the 
record  of  his  expedition,  he  finished  it  by  1814,  but 
was  denied  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  consumma- 
tion of  his  work  in  its  issue  to  the  public,  as  he  died 
on  the  very  day  it  was  published. 


Richard  and  William  West  all  43 

One  more  incident  connected  with  this  expedition 
is  worthy  of  record,  as  it  rounds  off  the  story  with  a 
sort  of  dramatic  or  poetic  consistency,  beloved  of 
both  reader  and  narrator.  When  the  Bridgewater 
sailed  away,  leaving  the  crews  of  the  Porpoise  and 
the  Cato  to  their  fate,  there  was  one  man  on  board 
who  charged  Captain  Palmer  with  his  inhumanity, 
and  prophesied  that  punishment  for  such  misconduct 
must  surely  follow.  History  does  not  preserve  the 
name  of  this  man,  but  he  was  either  the  purser  or 
one  of  the  mates  of  the  vessel.  Moreover,  so  wroth 
was  he  at  such  conduct,  or  so  convinced  that  the 
ship  was  accursed,  that  he  quitted  her  at  Calcutta. 
Sailing  thence  in  due  course  for  England,  the 
Bridgewater  was  never  more  heard  of,  neither  she 
nor  any  of  her  passengers  or  crew. 

Westall  sailed  with  the  Rollo  to  China,  and  after 
an  adventurous  career  there,  returned  home  by  way 
of  India.  He  stayed  some  time  in  India,  however, 
and  met  there  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  then  General 
Wellesley,  who  suggested  his  accompanying  him  in 
the  campaign  (his  last  in  India)  for  which  he  was 
then  making  preparations.  Westall  used  to  regret 
afterwards  that  he  did  not  do  so ;  but  after  being 
away  so  long,  he  was  home-sick  and  eager  to  get 
back. 

A  fellow-shipmate  of  Westall's  in  the  Investigator 


44  Life  of  James  Holmes 

was  Professor  Inman,  astronomer  to  the  expedi- 
tion, whose  acquaintance  led  indirectly  to  one  with 
the  Rev.  Richard  Sedgwick,  whose  daughter  Ann 
Westall  subsequently  married. 

The  Westalls  were  altogether  a  remarkable 
family.  Besides  Richard  and  William,  there  were 
several  sisters,  two  of  whom  married  brothers  of  the 
same  profession  as  their  own  brothers.  These  were 
William  Daniell,  R.A.,  and  Samuel  Daniell,  both 
of  whom,  like  William  Westall,  were  great  travellers. 
William  accompanied  his  uncle,  Thomas  Daniell, 
R.A.,  to  India,  where  they  remained  many  years, 
helping  him  with  drawings  and  sketches  for  his 
grand  work  on  "  Oriental  Scenery."  He  saw  a 
great  deal  of  the  India  of  that  time,  and  went  through 
many  hairbreadth  escapes.  On  one  occasion,  on 
ascending  a  hill,  he  was  met  face  to  face  by  a  hyaena. 
Both  he  and  the  wild  beast  were  greatly  surprised, 
and  appeared  equally  at  a  loss  for  a  moment  or  two 
to  know  what  to  do.  Daniell  saw  the  creature's 
glistening  white  teeth  and  terrible  jaws,  and  naturally 
thought  he  was  to  be  the  beast's  predestined  dinner. 
Trembling  with  fear,  for  he  was  without  weapon  of 
any  kind,  he  yet  had  presence  of  mind  enough  to 
debate  for  an  instant  whether  to  go  down  on  his 
knees  and  say  his  prayers  or  to  run.  As  it  would 
seem,  the  hyaena  was  in  a  similar  dilemma,  and  for- 


Richard  and  William  We  stall  45 

tunately  decided  to  run — to  the  unspeakable  relief  of 
the  artist,  who  straightway  took  to  his  heels  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

Richard  Westall,  it  may  not  be  generally  known, 
had  the  honour  of  being  the  teacher  of  the  Queen, 
while  still  a  child,  in  drawing  and  painting,  and 
won  the  sincere  admiration  and  esteem  of  both  Her 
Majesty  and  the  Duchess  of  Kent  by  his  amiability 
of  manners  and  the  care  and  address  with  which  he 
directed  Her  Majesty's  early  efforts  in  art. 

He  was  a  very  proud  man,  and  would  not  as  a 
rule  condescend  to  give  instruction,  but  he  consented 
to  teach  the  Princess  Victoria  on  the  express  con- 
dition that  he  should  receive  no  pay. 

Unlike  his  brother  William,  Richard  never 
married  ;  unlike  William,  too,  who  left  a  consider- 
able fortune  to  be  divided  amongst  his  sons,  he 
appears  never  to  have  saved  anything,  and  so  in  his 
later  days  fell  into  difficulties.  It  is  said  that  when 
the  Duchess  of  Kent  and  the  Princess  heard  of  this, 
a  message  was  conveyed  to  him  in  the  most  delicate 
way  inquiring  if  he  needed  any  help.  He  replied 
that  he  did  not.  But  as  his  end  drew  near,  he 
became  troubled  about  a  blind  sister,  who  was 
dependent  upon  him,  and  whom  he  feared  to  leave 
unprovided  for. 

He  therefore  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Duchess  of 


46  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Kent,  telling  her  of  his  poverty  and  his  consequent 
inability  to  make  any  provision  for  his  sister,  and 
asking  for  her  and  the  Princess's  consideration  on 
her  behalf.  He  gave  directions  that  the  letter 
should  be  posted  immediately  after  his  death.  This 
was  done,  and  the  Duchess  received  it  the  morning 
following  his  decease,  and  before  the  news  of  the 
event  had  reached  the  palace. 

Knowing  the  handwriting,  the  Duchess  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh,  here  is  a  letter  from  Mr.  Westall," 
and  immediately  opened  it  to  read  its  contents  to 
the  Princess,  who  was  always  delighted  to  hear  from 
her  old  teacher. 

Both  were  naturally  very  much  surprised  to  learn 
the  contents  of  the  letter.  It  need  hardly  be  added 
— so  well  is  Her  Majesty's  sympathy  and  bounty  in 
such  cases  known — that  the  dying  Academician's 
request  was  nobly  responded  to,  Miss  Westall 
being  at  once  granted  a  pension  of  ^100  a  year 
from  Her  Majesty's  private  purse,  which  she  con- 
tinued to  receive  until  her  death  at  an  advanced  age 
at  Brighton,  where  she  lived.  As  Westall's  death 
occurred  in  December  1836,  this  act  of  generosity 
on  Her  Majesty's  part  took  place  when  she  was  in 
her  eighteenth  year. 

Another  intimate  artist  friend  of  Holmes's  was 
Luke  Clennell,  who,  unfortunately,  afterwards 


Richard  and  William  Westall  47 

became  insane.  He  started  life  as  a  wood-engraver, 
being  an  apprentice  of  Bewick's,  but  subsequently 
gave  up  that  branch  of  art  for  painting.  In  1814 
he  received  from  the  Earl  of  Bridgewater  a  com- 
mission for  a  large  picture  to  commemorate  the 
banquet  given  to  the  Allied  Sovereigns  at  the 
Guildhall.  He  experienced  great  difficulty  in 
getting  the  distinguished  guests  to  sit  for  their 
portraits,  and  in  other  ways  suffered  many  worries 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  work.  Finally,  when  he 
seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  success,  his  mind  gave  way, 
and  he  had  to  be  placed  under  restraint.  After  a 
short  time  in  the  Asylum,  he  regained  his  reason  ; 
but  no  sooner  did  he  return  home  and  set  to  work 
again  upon  his  unfinished  picture  than  his  malady 
reappeared,  and  his  family  found  him  throwing  his 
palette  and  brushes  at  the  canvas,  in  order  "  to  get 
the  proper  expression,"  as  he  said.  This  was  in 
1817,  and  though  he  lived  till  1840,  he  was  never 
again  able  to  resume  his  profession. 


CHAPTER   VI 

PORTRAITS    OF    BYRON 

REFERENCE  has  already  been  made  to  the  portrait 
of  Lord  Byron  exhibited  by  Holmes  in  1817.  But 
this  was  not  the  first  portrait  he  had  painted  of  his 
lordship.  He  had  in  1815  executed  a  miniature  of 
the  poet — just  then  in  the  heyday  of  his  popularity— 
which  subsequently  became  famous.  Nor  was  this, 
it  is  believed,  the  first  portrait  of  him  that  he  had 
done.  It  is  known  that  he  painted  several,  but  the 
one  in  question  was  so  remarkable  for  its  likeness 
that  Byron  preferred  it  to  all  others.  In  his  own 
phrase,  it  was  "inveterate."1  Some  years  later  he 

1  The  phrase  occurs  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Murray,  dated  Ravenna,  March  1821. 
It  runs :  "  I  wish  to  propose  to  Holmes,  the  miniature  painter,  to  come  out 
to  me  this  spring.  I  will  pay  his  expenses,  and  any  sum  in  reason.  I  wish 
him  to  take  my  daughter's  picture  (who  is  in  a  convent),  and  the  Countess  G.'s, 
and  the  head  of  a  peasant  girl,  which  latter  would  make  a  study  for  Raphael. 
...  It  must  be  Holmes  :  I  like  him  because  he  takes  such  inveterate  like- 
nesses." In  another  letter  dated  Ravenna,  i6th  August  1821,  Byron  writes: 
"I  regret  that  Holmes  can't  or  won't  come;  it  is  rather  shabby,  as  I  was 
always  very  civil  and  punctual  with  him.  But  he  is  but  one  .  .  .  more.  One 
meets  with  none  else  among  the  English." 


Portraits  of  Byron  49 

wrote  the  following  letter  to  the  artist  apropos  of 
this  portrait : — 

DEAR  SIR — I  will  thank  you  very  much  to  present  to  or 
obtain  for  the  bearer  a  print  from  the  miniature  you  drew  of  me 
in  1815.  I  prefer  that  likeness  to  any  that  has  been  done  of  me 
by  any  artist  whatever.  My  sister,  Mrs.  Leigh,  or  the  Hon. 
Douglass  Kinnaird,  will  pay  you  the  price  of  the  engraving. — 
Ever  yours,  NOEL  BYRON. 

To  JAMES  HOLMES,  Esq. 

Although  this  is  the  earliest  known  portrait  of 
the  poet  by  Holmes,  his  sons  are  of  opinion  that  he 
executed  one  as  early  as  1812  or  1813,  at  which 
time  they  were  already  well  acquainted  with  each 
other.  But  whether  that  be  so  or  not,  it  is  certain 
that  the  acquaintance  when  once  formed  soon 
ripened  into  intimacy,  and  the  artist  became  a 
trusted,  if  not  exactly  a  confidential,  friend  of  the 
poet.  He  saw  much  of  him,  and  there  were  few  of 
his  friends  that  he  did  not  meet  at  one  time  or 
another.  Byron's  circumstances  and,  so  to  speak, 
his  inner  life  became  so  well  known  to  him  that, 
despite  his  many  failings  and  the  wild  revel  of  his 
life  in  Italy,  Holmes  never  ceased  to  regard  him 
with  the  highest  respect  and  the  most  sincere 
admiration.  For  his  aberrations  he  pitied  rather 
than  blamed  him,  and  in  his  treatment  by  English 

4 


50  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Society  he  always  considered  him  more  sinned 
against  than  sinning.  In  his  nature,  side  by  side 
with  the  noblest  aspirations,  and  a  will  the  most 
splendid  and  purposeful,  there  was  a  weak  nervous 
strain  of  an  hysterical  diathesis,  that  at  times  gave 
the  appearance  of  a  touch  of  insanity,  or  of  "  sweet 
bells  jangled." 

Thus  when  he  was  sitting  for  his  portraits,  he 
could  seldom  continue  seated  or  be  still  for  more 
than  a  minute  or  two  at  a  time.  He  would  be 
for  ever  moving  about,  now  rising  and  going  to  the 
window,  now  suddenly  taking  up  a  stick  and 
beginning  to  fence.  When  the  artist  remonstrated 
and  said  he  could  not  paint  while  he  was  moving 
about  like  that,  he  would  exclaim  with  a  frown, 
"O  blood  and  guts,  do  get  on!"  and  resume  his 
seat  for  a  brief  space. 

Holmes  confessed  that  at  times  he  was  a  little 
afraid  of  him  when  in  his  most  unsettled  moods,  and 
thought  him  half  mad.  But  these  feelings  were 
only  occasional  and  transient.  For  the  poet  pos- 
sessed so  many  noble  traits  and  altogether  such 
generous  impulses,  that  nobody  who  knew  him  well 
could  help  loving  him.  Holmes  had  abundant 
opportunities  of  knowing  the  many  kindnesses  he 
did,  always  performed  in  the  most  delicate  manner 
and  without  the  slightest  taint  of  show  or  ostentation, 


Portraits  of  Byron  5 1 

but  rather  the  reverse.  He  himself  more  than 
once  had  personal  experience  of  such  kindness. 
On  one  occasion  he  happened  to  mention  that  a 
certain  person,  whom  Byron  knew,  had  not  paid  for 
a  commissioned  miniature  portrait.  The  poet  asked 
what  was  the  price  of  it,  and  when  informed  that  it 
was  thirty  guineas,  he  at  once  sat  down  and  wrote  a 
cheque  for  that  amount,  saying  the  person  was  poor 
and  perhaps  ill  able  to  pay  it,  or  words  to  that 
effect. 

As  to  the  temptations  thrown  in  his  way,  few 
knew  better  than  Holmes  how  numerous  and  insidi- 
ous they  were.  He  was  not  only  well  acquainted 
with  the  infatuation  of  the  notorious  Lady  Caroline 
Lamb  for  his  lordship,  but  he  knew  the  lady 
intimately  herself.  He  was  an  eye-witness  of  the 
scene  at  Lady  Bessborough's,  when  Lady  Caroline 
drew  a  dagger  from  her  bosom  and  made  a  feint  of 
stabbing  herself,  and  fell  with  much  dramatic  cir- 
cumstance at  Byron's  feet.  It  naturally  caused  the 
wildest  scandal.  Nor  was  this  the  maddest  of  her 
escapades. 

One  morning  when  Holmes  called  on  the  poet 
at  his  lodgings  in  the  Albany,  he  found  him  in  a 
cross  and  despondent  mood.  Asking  what  was  the 
matter,  Byron  replied  that  her  ladyship  had  been 
again. 


52  Life  of  James  Holmes 

He  knew  of  course  that  Lady  Caroline  was  meant. 

"What,  again!"  exclaimed  Holmes. 

"  Yes,  again,"  was  the  savage  reply. 

"  How  did  she  come  this  time  ?  " 

"  Dressed  up  as  a  page  boy,"  returned  the  poet 
ruefully. 

Holmes  could  not  help  smiling,  which  caused 
Byron  to  exclaim,  "  It's  all  very  well  for  you  to 
laugh,  but  it  is  no  laughing  matter  to  me,"  at  the 
same  time  breaking  out  into  a  hearty  laugh  himself. 

"  How  did  you  get  rid  of  her  ?  "  asked  Holmes. 

"  I  had  to  send  for  a  hackney  carriage  and  have 
her  driven  home." 

This  lady,  who  was  possessed  of  a  singular  beauty 
and  charm,  and  undoubtedly  exercised  considerable 
powers  of  fascination  over  the  poet,  on  another 
occasion  presented  herself  at  the  door  of  Byron's 
brougham,  as  he  was  stepping  into  it  to  go  home 
either  from  the  theatre  or  from  some  fashionable 
gathering,  in  the  character  of  a  flower-girl.  At  first 
he  was  deceived  by  the  poverty  of  her  clothing  and 
the  hat  which  covered  her  pale  golden  hair,  and  was 
about  to  give  her  money  in  exchange  for  her  flowers, 
but  a  mischievous  twinkle  in  her  large  brown  and 
really  spirituel  eyes  revealed  his  somewhat  impish 
adorer,  and  he  at  once  put  her  in  his  carriage  and 
took  her  home. 


Portraits  of  Byron  53 

Whatever  doubts  he  may  occasionally  have  had 
about  Byron's  sanity,  Holmes  had  none  as  to  Lady 
Caroline  being  of  unsound  mind  long  before  Lord 
Melbourne  finally  got  a  separation  from  her. 

One  morning  he  had  occasion  to  call  on  her 
towards  noon.  The  maid  went  upstairs  to  announce 
him,  and  he  heard  her  ladyship  inquire  sotto  voce, 
"  Who  is  it  ? " 

The  maid  replied,  "  Mr.  Holmes." 

"Which  Mr.  Holmes?" 

There  was  another  Mr.  Holmes — a  whipper-in 
of  his  party,  or  something  of  the  sort. 

"  Mr.  Holmes,  the  artist." 

"  Oh,  show  him  up,"  said  Lady  Caroline. 

Holmes  was  ushered  into  her  bedroom,  where 
he  found  her  ladyship  in  bed,  with  her  face  covered 
with  leeches.  She  said  she  was  not  well,  and  the 
doctor  had  ordered  her  the  leeches. 

"  How  terrible!"  said  the  artist,  disgusted  at  the 
sight  of  her  face  covered  with  the  crawling  creatures. 
"  Suppose  now  I  were  to  take  a  sketch  of  you  just 
as  you  are." 

"Oh,  you  must  not,  Mr.  Holmes!  Oh,  you 
will  never  be  so  cruel !  Whatever  would  people 
say  if  they  saw  me  such  a  fright  ?  And  Byron — he 
rould  be  so  disgusted  that  he  would  never  look 
it  me  again  !  " 


54  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Lady  Caroline  used  to  have  a  queer  school  of 
blue-stockings  about  her,  who  came  to  worship  at 
the  feet  of  the  clever  little  lady,  whom  they  regarded 
as  the  most  wonderful  bit  of  she-talent  of  the  time. 
Amongst  the  number  the  most  respectably  endowed 
was  the  well-known  Lady  Morgan,  of  whom  one  of 
the  squibs  of  the  time  ran — 

How  delightful  'tis  to  meet 
Lady  Morgan  in  the  street, 

And  then  to  make  game  of  her 

In  the  Examiner •, 
In  an  article  short  and  sweet. 

Holmes  once  called  on  Lady  Caroline  when  a 
lot  of  these  dames  were  drinking  tea  with  her.  He 
did  not  stay  many  minutes,  and  as  he  was  going 
the  witty  lady  said  to  him  at  the  door,  "  They  are 
my  tabbies.  What  do  you  think  of  them  ?  "  "  They 
are  better  suited  for  tabbies  than  toasts,"  the  artist 
replied  with  a  smile.  "  More  witty  than  kind,  Mr. 
Holmes,"  was  Lady  Caroline's  rejoinder. 

The  intimacy  between  Byron  and  Holmes  was 
such  that  when  the  poet  left  England  for  the  last 
time,  he  asked  the  painter  if  he  would  go  and  stay 
with  him  in  Italy.  Holmes  objected  that  he  was 
now  a  family  man,  and  had  to  think  of  those  depend- 
ent upon  him. 

"  Of  course — of  course  !  "  said   Byron.      "  But 


Portraits  of  Byron  55 

naturally  I  don't  want  you  to  go  for  nothing.  -  What 
would  you  want  to  accompany  me  ? " 

The  artist  knew  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
do  as  his  lordship  suggested,  and  so  named  a  thousand 
pounds  a  year. 

"  Oh,  that's  quite  moderate,"  replied  Byron  with 
a  laugh. 

Subsequently  he  several  times  wrote  from 
Venice  asking  Holmes  to  join  him.  He  wished 
him  specially  to  paint  the  portrait  of  the  Countess 
Guiccioli. 

Amongst  the  friends  of  Byron  with  whom 
Holmes  was  specially  acquainted  was  the  Hon. 
Scrope  B.  Davies,  of  whom  he  painted  a  miniature 
portrait.  He  met  him  first  at  Byron's  rooms, 
where  they  were  accustomed  to  have  boxing  bouts 
together.  He  used  also  to  meet  Jackson,  the  pugi- 
list, there. 

One  day,  while  sitting  for  his  portrait,  Scrope 
Davies,  who  was  a  small  thin  man,  but  extremely 
handy  with  his  fists,  told  Holmes  of  an  adventure 
he  had  had  at  one  of  the  coal  wharves  on  the 
Thames,  whither  he  had  gone  on  some  business 
or  other.  Some  of  the  coal-heavers  and  others 
about  the  wharf,  seeing  the  dapper  little  gentleman 
got  up  in  the  most  dandified  manner,  began  to 
make  fun  of  him.  Davies  replied,  and  from  the 


56  Life  of  James  Holmes 

bandying  of  words  there  soon  came  threats,  and 
before  the  smart  gentleman  well  knew  where  he 
was,  he  found  himself  confronted  by  a  big  broad- 
shouldered  fellow,  squaring  up  to  him  in  lusty 
anticipation  of  soon  putting  him  hors  de  combat. 
"  I  knew,"  said  Davies,  "that  a  blow  from  his  big 
fist  would  do  for  me,  and  took  my  precautions 
accordingly.  He  made  a  lunge  at  me,  which  I 
warded,  and  then  let  him  have  one  with  all  my 
might  in  the  wind.  He  instantly  fell  all  in  a  heap. 
His  friends  crowded  round  him,  thinking  he  was 
dead,  and  I,  while  their  attention  was  thus  occupied, 
took  to  my  heels  and  ran  for  my  life." 

Holmes  was  at  Lady  Richmond's  when  the  first 
news  of  Byron's  death  came  to  hand,  and  he  used  to 
cite  an  incident  which  then  occurred  as  an  instance 
of  the  blind  unreasoning  hatred  with  which  the  poet 
had  come  to  be  regarded  by  the  very  society  which 
had  at  one  time  almost  prostrated  itself  at  his  feet. 
The  intelligence  caused  a  profound  sensation.  For 
a  moment  or  two  a  deep  silence  fell  upon  the 
company,  but  it  was  presently  broken  by  the 
imbecile  voice  of  a  youthful  "  My  Lord,"  saying, 
"  There  is  one  who  has  gone  to  hell." 

"  What  did  you  say  when  you  heard  that  ? " 
Holmes  was  once  asked. 

"  What  could  one  say  or  do,  except  to  set  the 


Portraits  of  Byron  57 

fellow  down  for  a  fool,  which  he  was ! "  was  his 
answer. 

The  artist  always  made  a  point  of  avoiding 
entering  upon  controversial  questions,  which  was, 
perhaps,  one  reason  of  his  popularity. 

It  may  be  as  well  to  summarise  here  all  that 
I  have  been  able  to  gather  respecting  Holmes's 
portraits  of  Byron.  As  I  have  already  stated,  his 
sons  believe  that  he  painted  four  distinct  portraits, 
one  of  them  being  as  early  as  1813,  if  not  earlier. 
Their  belief  is  based  upon  the  circumstance  that  the 
artist's  acquaintance  with  his  lordship  had  com- 
menced as  early  as  that  date,  if  not  earlier,  and  they 
naturally  enough  suppose  that  it  arose  out  of  a 
portrait  commission. 

Of  one  of  his  portraits  there  is  a  proof  engraving 
in  the  British  Museum.  It  is  said  to  be  "from  an 
original  miniature  in  the  possession  of  Lieut. -Colonel 
Leicester  Stanhope,  which  was  taken  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one." 

To  have  been  taken  at  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
Holmes  must  have  painted  it  in  1809. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  Colonel  Stanhope  may 
have  made  a  mistake  in  attributing  so  early  a  date 
to  it.  According  to  the  artist's  sons,  Colonel 
Stanhope — "  Long  Stanhope,"  as  they  remember  him 
being  called — gave  their  father  several  commissions 


58  Life  of  James  Holmes 

for  replicas  of  portraits  of  the  poet.  This  was  just 
after  his  return  from  Greece,  "when,"  says  Mr. 
George  Holmes's  note,  "  he  came  with  his  arm  in  a 
sling." 

Another  portrait  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Falke,  and  was  lent  by  him  to  the  Burlington  Fine 
Arts  Club  in  1889.  It  is  inscribed  at  the  back, 
"Taken  by  James  Holmes,  i2th  April  1816." 

Of  these  two  portraits  there  are  several 
engravings.  One,  in  stipple,  by  Meyer,  forms  the 
frontispiece  to  the  Life,  Writings,  Opinions,  and 
Times  of  the  Right  Hon.  George  Gordon  Noel  Byron, 
Lord  Byron,"  3  vols.  8vo,  published  by  Hey,  1825, 
where  it  is  described  as  "the  last  his  lordship  ever 
sat  for." 

Another,  engraved  by  H.  Meyer,  was  published 
by  Henry  Colborn  in  1828  ;  and  a  third,  by  H.  T. 
Ryall,  was  published  on  September  i,  1835  (for 
Mr.  Holmes),  by  F.  G.  Moor.  On  the  same  plate 
was  a  facsimile  of  the  note  to  Holmes  given  above. 
It  was  undoubtedly  of  this  portrait  that  Byron  wrote 
to  a  friend  from  Genoa,  May  19,  1823  :  "  A  painter 
of  the  name  of  Holmes  made,  I  think,  the  best  one 
of  me  in  1815  or  1816,  and  from  this  there  have 
been  some  good  engravings  taken." 

In  a  list  of  portraits  of  Byron  given  by  Mr. 
Richard  Edgcumbe  in  Notes  and  Queries,  6th  Series, 


Portraits  of  Byron  59 

vi.  422,  is  mentioned  a  miniature  by  Holmes,  1815, 
painted  for  Scrope  B.  Davies,  Esq.,  belonging  to 
Mr.  Alfred  Morrison,  and  considered  by  the  poet's 
friends  an  excellent  likeness  ;  also  a  replica  belonging 
to  Mrs.  Leigh. 

Mr.  Falke's  miniature  was  purchased  from  the 
painter's  son  and  had  been  long  in  the  possession  of 
Mrs.  Leigh.  None  of  the  above-mentioned  prints 
appear  to  be  of  earlier  date  than  Byron's  letter. 

Of  one,  if  not  more,  of  his  miniatures  of  the 
poet,  Holmes,  according  to  his  sons,  made  a  number 
of  replicas.  Mr.  George  Holmes  has  one  in  his 
possession,  but  he  is  not  sure  whether  it  was  made 
by  his  father,  or  commenced  by  him  and  finished  by 
his  son  Henry,  or  indeed  wholly  by  the  latter. 

Another  portrait  of  the  poet  after  Holmes  appears 
in  the  Forget-me-not  annual  for  1832,  in  a  print  by 
W.  Finden,  representing  "  Don  Juan  and  Haidee." 
His  style  was  very  popular  for  a  time  for  this  class 
of  work.  Amongst  others  I  have  found  the  follow- 
ing. In  The  Keepsake  for  1829  there  is  a  print  of 
his  "  Country  Girl,"  engraved  by  C.  Heath.  The 
Amulet  for  the  same  year  contains  a  print  of  his 
"  Water-Cress  Girl,"  by  H.  C.  Shenton.  In  the 
same  annual  for  1830  appears  "The  Gleaner," 
engraved  by  Finden.  The  Literary  Souvenir  for 
1831  contains  a  print  of  "The  Seaside  Toilet" 


60  Life  of  James  Holmes 

(E.  J.  Portbury),  and  that  for  1834  "  The  Fisher's 
Wife"  (P.  Lightfoot).  The  Forget-me-not  for  1832 
contains,  besides  the  "  Don  Juan  and  Haidee,"  a 
print  of  "  La  Pensee,"  being  a  portrait  of  Mrs. 
Hamilton.  The  same  annual  for  1833  has  an 
engraving  by  S.  Devonport  of  "  Count  Egmont's 
Jewels,"  after  Holmes.  The  last  print  of  the  kind 
that  I  have  been  able  to  find  appears  in  Heath's 
Book  of  Beauty  for  1840,  being  a  portrait  of  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  George  Anson,  one  of  the  celebrated 
beauties  of  the  time.  The  engraving  is  by  W.  H. 
Mote. 


CHAPTER  VII 

OPINION    OF   BYRON 

IT  is  not  surprising,  when  we  come  to  consider  the 
matter  closely,  that  Holmes  not  only  conceived  a 
great  personal  liking  for  Byron,  as  well  as  an 
unbounded  admiration  for  his  poems,  but  that  he 
considered  him  one  of  the  few  really  great  men  of 
his  time.  He  was  brought  into  personal  contact 
with  him  soon  after  the  publication  of  the  Eng- 
lish Bards  and  Scotch  Reviewers,  which  had  com- 
pletely electrified  society.  The  effect  it  produced 
was  like  nothing  that  had  happened  within  the 
memory  of  man ;  and  nothing  similar  in  the  realm 
of  letters  has  taken  place  since.  It  is  literally  true 
to  say  that  the  appearance  of  the  work  was  like  a 
thunder-clap  out  of  a  clear  sky.  Society  was  at 
once  astonished  and  delighted ;  it  laughed  and 
applauded ;  and  from  these  it  went  to  feting  and 
caressing  the  poet.  What  the  people  saw  in  this 
bright  and  stinging  satire  was  power — that  which 


62  Life  of  James  Holmes 

always  first  strikes  the  popular  mind.  It  was  the 
spectacle  of  a  young  and  courageous  combatant 
turning  upon  his  persecutors  and  utterly  overwhelm- 
ing and  routing  them. 

In  the  case  of  society,  that  is,  of  his  own  class, 
there  was  an  added  joy.  It  had  been  thrown  at 
them  again  and  again  as  a  reproach  that  they  were 
intellectual  drones,  that  they  had  never  produced  a 
man  of  genius,  that  such  competency  was  not  in 
them.  The  best  that  they  could  do  in  that  line  was 
a  superfine  dandy :  when  it  came  to  the  production 
of  genius,  the  despised  middle  or  lower  classes  only 
were  "in  the  running."  Hence  all  the  best  and 
richest  fruits  of  civilisation  had  proceeded  from  the 
lower  strata  of  society. 

What  wonder  therefore  that  the  classes  were 
delighted — that  they  pointed  with  pride  to  this  scion 
of  the  aristocracy  as  to  one  who  had  taken  away 
this  reproach — the  reproach  of  intellectual  barren- 
ness !  They  felt  that  he  was  in  a  manner  their 
salvation,  that  it  could  never  again  be  said  that  they 
had  not  produced  genius,  and  so  forth. 

Their  pride  and  adulation,  in  consequence,  knew 
no  bounds.  The  poet  was  for  a  time  their  pet. 
They  ran  after  him ;  women  fell  madly  in  love  with 
him.  Others  besides  the  half-mad  Lady  Caroline 
Lamb  did  this.  Nor  is  it  to  be  wondered  at. 


Opinion  of  Byron  63 


Human  nature  is  the  same  in  every  age,  and  bright 
intelligence,  physical  beauty,  and  the  advantages  of 
rank  and  fortune  always  tell.  And  here  was  a  man 
with  all  these — with,  in  especial,  a  kind  of  intelligence 
that  ever  seems  to  the  ordinarily  gifted  to  have 
something  of  divine  in  it,  with,  beyond  and  above 
this,  a  personal  appearance  that  put  all  manly  beauty 
of  the  time  into  the  shade. 

Thus  he  became  the  idol  of  society,  and  was 
beset  at  a  youthful  age  with  every  possible  tempta- 
tion. One  need  not  be  greatly  surprised  if  he  fell ; 
the  surprise  is,  that  in  a  society  so  corrupt  as  that 
of  the  Georges,  a  scandalized  voice  should  have 
been  raised  against  him.  But  the  fact  is  that  the 
society  that  had  made  such  a  pet  of  him  on  the 
appearance  of  the  first  scintillating  effort  of  his 
genius,  soon  began  to  perceive  that  there  were 
qualities  in  him  they  had  little  dreamed  of — 
powers  that  would  carry  him  far,  that  were  not  to 
be  tied  down  to  the  narrow  limits  of  their  artificial 
lives  and  their  selfish  views,  that  would,  indeed,  lead 
him  to  revolt  against  the  vapid  conventionality  and 
hollow  hypocrisy  by  which  he  was  surrounded. 
Then  those  who  had  so  greatly  admired  began  to 
dread  him,  and,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  what  they 
dreaded  they  commenced  to  rend  and  revile.  When 
the  tide  was  once  turned  there  was  nothing  too 


64  Life  of  James  Holmes 

vile  to  be  said  against  him,   hardly  anything  too 
mean  to  be  done. 

Is  it  surprising  with  such  a  nature,  in  which, 
as  Mr.  Holmes  perceived,  there  was  something 
demonic,  something  so  out  of  the  common  that 
we  regard  it  as  almost  supernatural,  that  the  poet 
should  fly  off  at  a  tangent  and  say,  "You  give 
me  credit  for  being  all  that  is  vile — you  treat 
me  as  though  I  were — why  should  I  not  justify 
you?  " 

The  fact  is,  Byron's  greatest  sin  was  in  being 
too  frank,  too  open.  He  did  not  cultivate  enough 
the  essentially  British  virtue  of  hypocrisy,  of  putting 
the  white  sheet  over  the  ghastly  sepulchre,  as  others 
of  his  profession — profiting  probably  from  his  ex- 
perience— have  done  so  effectually,  to  the  end  that 
the  British  public  has  taken  them  according  to  the 
measure  of  their  own  pages.  And  yet  they  too 
had  their  Italian  period. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  I  wish  to  palliate 
Byron's  faults,  or  to  besmear  him  with  the  white- 
wash brush.  No  :  rather  let  him  stand  as  he  is— 
one  of  the  brightest  and  most  effulgent  spirits  of 
the  century,  denied  his  rightful  place  in  our  literary 
history  because  of  faults  that  were  largely  those 
of  his  blood  and  race  and  of  his  surroundings.  And 
yet,  what  does  it  matter  though  the  low-trailing 


Opinion  of  Byron  65 

lights  of  a  decadent  literature  and  a  faineant  criticism 
belittle  and  misesteem  ?  Are  not  his  record  and 
glory  written  upon  the  literatures  of  Europe? 
Were  not  his  poems,  faulty  though  they  be  in  their 
art,  as  a  trumpet-blast  sounding  through  the  night 
of  struggling  freedoms  ?  Yes,  they  are  faulty  in 
rhyme  and  rhythm,  and  go  often  enough  but  lamely 
upon  their  feet.  But  what  of  that,  Messieurs  his 
puny  successors  ?  The  strength  of  an  uttered  word 
is  in  its  power  to  move  and  to  stir,  not  in  its  perfect 
art,  which,  like  ripe  fruit  bordering  upon  rottenness, 
always  touches  upon  the  artificial.  It  was  truly  not 
in  him  to  write  with  the  consummate  art  you  do. 
But  did  it  ever  occur  to  you  to  go  back  to  his 
day,  put  yourselves  in  his  place  in  time,  and  then 
try  to  measure  the  magnitude  of  his  thought  ? 
That  is  now,  and  has  long  been,  our  inheritance — 
heirs,  as  we  are,  to  all  the  ages  and  to  previous 
men's  achievements — so  that  we  cannot  with  ease 
justly  appraise  its  power  and  influence.  But  go 
to  the  Continent  and  ask  those  who  know,  those 
who  have  watched  the  rise  and  development  of 
their  peoples — ask  them  what  were  the  influences 
that  helped  most  to  break  up  the  state  of  things 
that  existed  at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  and  to 
produce  the  new  renaissance  of  thought  and  of  life, 
and  they  will  place  you  Byron — our  Byron — upon  a 


66  Life  of  James  Holmes 

pinnacle  almost  side  by  side  with  Napoleon,  the 
scourge  of  kings. 

They  will  tell  you  that  no  Englishman  since 
Shakespeare  has  exerted  such  an  influence— I  will 
not  say  upon  European  thought,  but  upon  European 
sentiment ;  and  where  the  movements  of  peoples 
are  concerned,  sentiment  is  often  more  potent  than 
thought,  that  is,  than  thought  in  the  abstract  sense, 
as  distinguished  from  the  thought  that  is  based  upon 
sentiment. 

There  is  hardly  a  continental  writer  of  the  first 
rank,  belonging  to  the  last  generation,  that  has  not 
borne  witness  to  his  influence.  Goethe,  speaking 
for  Germany,  says  :  "  A  character  of  such  eminence 
has  never  existed  before,  and  probably  will  never 
come  again.  The  beauty  of  Cain  is  such  as  we 
shall  not  see  a  second  time  in  the  world.  .  .  .  Byron 
issues  from  the  sea  waves  ever  fresh.  I  did  right 
to  present  him  with  that  monument  of  love  in 
Helena.  I  could  not  make  use  of  any  man  as  the 
representative  of  the  modern  poetic  era  except  him, 
who  is  undoubtedly  to  be  regarded  as  the  greatest 
genius  of  our  century."  Again:  "The  English 
may  think  of  him  as  they  please ;  this  is  certain, 
they  can  show  no  (living)  poet  who  is  to  be 
compared  with  him." 

Goethe's  verdict   is   the  verdict   of   the   entire 


Opinion  of  Byron  67 

continental  world  of  letters.  Dr.  Elze  places  the 
author  of  Don  Juan  and  Childe  Harold  among 
the  four  greatest  English  poets,  and  traces  to  his 
inspiration  some  of  the  strongest  and  sweetest 
voices  that  followed  him  in  France,  in  Spain,  in 
Italy,  and  in  Germany  and  Russia.  Tourgenief 
bears  testimony,  in  more  than  one  of  his  novels,  to 
his  awakening  influence  in  the  lands  of  the  White 
Tsar.  Speaking  for  his  own  country,  Castelar 
exclaims,  "  What  does  not  Spain  owe  to  Byron  ? 
From  his  mouth  come  our  hopes  and  fears.  He 
has  baptized  us  with  his  blood.  There  is  no  one 
with  whose  being  some  song  of  his  is  not  woven. 
His  life  is  like  a  funeral  torch  over  our  graves." 
Mazzini  might  be  quoted  to  the  same  purpose  in 
regard  to  Italy.1  So  spake  Stendhal,  Taine, 
Sainte-Beuve,  in  France,  or  to  a  similar  effect :  so 
others  all  over  the  Continent.  But  all  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  European  literature  of  the 
earlier  two-thirds  of  the  century  are  sufficiently 
aware  of  the  stamp  Byron's  writings  have  placed 
indelibly  upon  it. 

And  this  much  more  must  be  said  :  that,  despite 
his  faults,  despite  his  sins  if  you  will,  he  retained  to 

1  "At  Naples,  in  the  Romagna,  whenever  he  saw  a  spark  of  noble  life 
stirring,  he  was  ready  for  any  exertion,  or  danger,  to  blow  it  into  flame.  He 
stigmatised  baseness,  hypocrisy,  and  injustice,  whencesoever  they  sprang." — 
Byron  and  Goethe, 


68  Life  of  James  Holmes 

the  last  his  greatness  of  soul.     It  would  have  been 
better  if  we  could  have  looked  back  upon  him  as 
more  immaculate,  as  a  noble  example  of  a  well-spent 
life ;  and  yet,  with  all  his  errors,  he  might  be  taken 
as  an  example  by  many  of  those  who  are  readiest  to 
judge,  who  are  for  ever  going  about  with  uplifted 
hands  and  a  "fie!  fie!"  upon  their  lips — with  all 
their   piety,  whited   sepulchres,    who   dare   not   be 
true  to  their  professed  creed  and  "judge  not."     For 
he  was  unselfish  as  men  go ;  to  the  last  he  worked 
for  his  ideal ;    to  the   last,   too,    he  preserved   his 
reverence   and   devotion  for  all  that  is   great  and 
noble  and  best  worth  striving  and  giving  one's  life 
for ;    and   when   the   condition   of    Greece   was    a 
European   scandal,    and    the   world    looked   on    in 
apathy  and  indifference,  he  took  up  her  cause  and 
sacrificed  his  life  for  humanity  and  freedom.      In 
that  deed,  the  closing  one  of  a  sad  but  far  from 
ignoble  career,  he  did  more  for  the  independence 
of    Greece    than    all    the    statesmen    and    all  the 
sovereigns  of  Europe.     And  he  did  more,  too,  for 
the  ideal  for  which  men  should  strive. 

In  all  this  I  am  but  reiterating  James  Holmes's 
oft-repeated  defence  of  the  poet  whom  he  had 
known  so  intimately  and  loved  so  well.  He  could 
never  understand  the  doubt  that  in  his  old  age  had 
come  over  men's  minds  as  to  his  former  friend's  true 


Opinion  of  Byron  69 

greatness,  and  imagined  that  the  newer  generation 
must  be  composed  of  men  of  punier  faith  and 
weaker  insight.  However,  the  disparagement 
which,  led  by  Carlyle,  with  his  "  screeching  meat- 
jack  "  theory — fitter  one  for  an  ever-groaning  dys- 
peptic— prevailed  so  long,  bids  fair  to  give  place 
at  last  to  a  more  discriminating  appreciation ; 
though  there  are  still  bleating  voices  raised  against 
him  who  remains  to-day,  as  he  was  regarded  in  his 
lifetime  by  those  who  were  able  to  judge,  one 
of  the  Titans  of  the  century.  Perhaps  the  close  of 
the  century  may  see  him  accorded  by  his  countrymen 
that  place  in  the  realm  of  letters  which  alike  his 
genius  and  its  influence  imperatively  demand. 

I  may  add  that  almost  to  his  latest  days,  when- 
ever Byron  was  spoken  of,  and  his  character  and 
genius  were  referred  to,  Holmes  used  to  quote  the 
noble  concluding  stanzas  of  the  poem  written  on 
the  completion  of  the  poet's  thirty-sixth  year,  in 
vindication  of  his  memory  : — 

Awake  !  (not  Greece — she  is  awake  !) 

Awake,  my  spirit !     Think  through  whom 
Thy  life-blood  tracks  its  parent  lake, 
And  then  strike  home  ! 

Tread  those  reviving  passions  down, 
Unworthy  manhood  ! — unto  thee 
Indifferent  should  the  smile  or  frown 
Of  beauty  be. 


70  Life  of  James  Holmes 

If  thou  regret'st  thy  youth,  why  live  ? 

The  land  of  honourable  death 
Is  here  : — up  to  the  field,  and  give 
Away  thy  breath. 

Seek  out — less  often  sought  than  found — 

A  soldier's  grave,  for  thee  the  best ; 
Then  look  around,  and  choose  thy  ground, 
And  take  thy  rest. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    LEIGH    FAMILY 

THROUGH  his  acquaintance  with  Lord  Byron,  Holmes 
came  to  know  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Leigh,  his  half-sister, 
the  innocent  subject  of  Mrs.  Beecher-Stowe's  wild 
accusations.  A  lifelong  friendship  between  him  and 
the  Leighs  ensued,  the  two  families  visiting  and 
seeing  a  great  deal  of  each  other. 

Mrs.  Leigh,  through  having  been  a  maid -of - 
honour  to  Queen  Charlotte,  enjoyed  the  privilege 
of  living  in  apartments  in  St.  James's  Palace.  They 
were  in  the  inner  court.  Here  Holmes  and  his 
family  used  to  visit  the  courtly  dame  and  meet  her 
sons  and  daughters.  The  younger  members  of  the 
two  families  may  be  said  to  have  grown  up  together, 
the  sons  especially  being  in  constant  companionship 
from  early  youth  to  manhood.  One  of  the  Holmes 
boys — indeed,  the  youngest,  as  it  would  appear,  and 
the  younger  of  the  two  still  living l —  had  the  honour 

1  As  already  stated,  he  is  now  the  only  one  left.  ; 


72  Life  of  James  Holmes 

of  being   the   godson   of  Mrs.    Leigh,   and   being 
named,  after  her  and  her  brother,  George  Augustus. 

Of  the  Leighs  there  were  three  sons  and  four 
daughters.  The  eldest  son,  George,  was  in  the 
Guards ;  the  second,  Frederick,  was  a  lieutenant  in 
the  navy,  and  did  good  service  in  the  first  Chinese 
war,  being  one  of  the  first  to  land  in  the  boats  and 
make  the  attack  upon  the  Taku  Forts.  He  saw 
active  service,  indeed,  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and 
came  out  of  the  ordeal  rather  a  rough  specimen  of 
the  British  sea-dog.  In  the  end  he  married  well, 
that  is,  he  married  a  rich  wife,  though  the  union 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  very  happy  one. 

He  was  a  man  of  a  most  violent  temper,  and 
must  have  been  a  very  difficult  person  to  get  on 
with.  For  a  long  time  he  was  on  bad  terms  with 
his  father,  an  old  Peninsular  veteran,  so  that  they 
hardly  spoke  when  they  met.  On  one  occasion,  as 
the  latter  and  a  friend  were  walking  up  St.  James's 
Street,  the  friend  said,  pointing  to  a  gentleman  on 
the  other  side  of  the  way,  "  Do  you  see  that  young 
man  over  there  ?  "  "  Yes,"  replied  Colonel  Leigh, 
4 'and  a  fine  handsome  fellow  he  appears  to  be!" 
4 'Why,  it's  your  son  Frederick,"  said  the  other. 
"  Oh,  is  it  ?  I  didn't  know  him,"  drily  returned  the 
father. 

Frederick  Leigh  was  tall  and  strongly  built,  and 


The  Leigh  Family  73 

possessed  in  his  face  a  striking  resemblance  to 
his  uncle,  Lord  Byron.  Holmes  painted  a  small 
vignette  portrait  of  him  in  water  colours,  which,  it 
was  generally  said,  might  have  passed  for  a  portrait 
of  the  poet. 

On  Frederick  Leigh's  marriage  a  reconciliation 
took  place  between  him  and  his  father,  and  he  was 
invited  to  dine  at  St.  James's  Palace.  But  he 
came  very  near  to  creating  a  fresh  rupture  by  his 
brusqueness  and  fo'c's'le  style  of  jesting.  Every- 
thing went  smoothly  enough  until  dessert,  when 
the  young  man,  probably  more  out  of  devilment 
than  anything  else,  broke  out  with — 

"  Look  here,  father,  I  don't  at  all  mind  visiting 
you  and  eating  your  dinners,  but  for  goodness'  sake, 
when  I  come  again,  give  me  something  better  than 
this  red  ink  to  regale  myself  on."  The  old  gentle- 
man seemed  inclined  to  be  a  little  hurt,  but  he  soon 
recovered  his  serenity,  and  probably  resolved  that 
the  next  time  his  son  dined  with  him  he  would  give 
him  something  more  befitting  his  vitiated  taste  than 
his  best  port. 

Frederick  Leigh  was  at  one  time  of  the  set  of 
the  Marquis  of  Waterford,  Billy  Duff,  and  company, 
so  notorious  for  their  wild  escapades  about  town, 
one  of  their  chief  delights  being  to  wrench  off  the 
knockers  and  bell-handles  from  the  doors  of  respect- 


74  Life  of  James  Holmes 

able  householders,  and  otherwise  conduct  themselves 
in  the  ways  of  the  " bloods"  of  their  time:  habits 
which  at  once  died  out  with  the  inauguration  of  the 
new  police  force  by  Sir  Robert  Peel — hence  desig- 
nated "  Peelers." 

Billy  Duff  was  one  of  the  most  notorious  of  these 
aristocratic  ruffians ;  and  Frederick  Leigh  appears 
to  have  been  proud  of  his  acquaintance.  One  day 
he  took  him  to  Holmes's  house,  saying,  "  I  have 
brought  Billy  Duff  to  see  you  ;  I  thought  you  would 
like  to  know  him,"  as  though  he  were  one  of  the 
great  ones  of  the  time — which  to  him  he  doubtless 
was. 

It  is  equally  noteworthy,  perhaps,  as  a  character- 
istic of  the  time,  that  Billy  finally  married  a  lady  of 
wealth  and  title,  who  prided  herself  upon  having 
tamed  "  the  lion."  We  should  have  given  him 
another  name  nowadays,  and  tamed  him  in  a 
different  way. 

Theodore  Hook  was  another  of  this  wild  gang. 
He  was  a  great  friend  of  Lord  Kilmorey's,  who, 
being  very  intimate  with  Holmes,  used  to  amuse 
him  and  his  sisters  with  his  stories  of  the  wag.  On 
one  occasion  his  lordship's  servant  came  up  to  him 
before  he  was  dressed  and  said — 

"There's  a  gentleman  at  the  door  who  says  he 
has  come  to  breakfast  with  you,  but  he  has  such  a 


The  Leigh  Family  75 

queer-looking   man    with    him    that    I    don't   know 
whether  your  lordship  would  care  to  see  him." 

Lord  Kilmorey  went  down  and  found  Theodore 
Hook  in  the  hall,  and  with  him  a  bailiff,  who  of 
course  would  not  let  him  go  out  of  his  sight. 

"  If    you    want    me    to    breakfast    with    you," 

said    Hook,    "  you   will   have   to   pay    this    fellow 

1     :  i os.       He    has    a    writ    on    me    for    that 


amount." 


"It  was  rather  a  large  sum  to  pay  for  the  honour 
of  having  a  man  to  breakfast  with  one,"  said  Lord 
Kilmorey,  "but  I  paid  it." 

This  additional  story  is  told  of  Frederick  Leigh. 
Meeting  Mr.  Holmes's  eldest  son  James  (who  died 
comparatively  young)  one  morning,  he  asked  him, 
"  Where  do  you  think  I  slept  last  night  ? " 

James  could  not  guess,  and  queried  "  Where?" 

"On  a  bench  in  St.  James's  Park,"  was  the 
reply. 

It  was  in  the  winter  time  and  had  snowed  during 
the  night. 

Henry  Leigh,  the  youngest  of  the  sons,  held  a 
place  in  the  Board  of  Control,  an  office  that  was 
done  away  with  on  the  abolition  of  the  East  India 
Company.  He  married  well,  though  his  wife  was 
poor  like  himself.  Henry,  who  was  the  mildest 
and  most  genial  of  the  brothers,  died  at  the  age  of 


76  Life  of  James  Holmes 

thirty -two,  leaving  a  little  daughter,  Geraldine. 
His  widow  subsequently  married  a  rich  Indian. 

One  of  the  daughters,  Georgiana,  married  Mr. 
Henry  Trevanion,  of  Carhaes,  near  Falmouth. 
Emily,  the  youngest,  was  possessed  of  much  talent, 
and  learned  to  draw  and  paint,  under  Mr.  Holmes's 
direction,  with  considerable  ability.  She  was,  as  a 
young  lady,  very  spirited,  and  exceedingly  proud  of 
her  family  and  connections.  She  never  married. 

The  other  daughter,  Medora,  was  less  fortunate  ; 
she  came  near  being  the  cause  of  a  duel,  and,  it  is 
thought  by  some  who  were  acquainted  with  the 
facts,  may  have  afforded  to  Lady  Byron  the 
nebulous  groundwork  upon  which  to  build  the 
scandalous  charges  which  she  made  against  Lord 
Byron  to  Mrs.  Beecher-Stowe,  and  of  which  that 
ill-advised  person  made  so  much. 

Colonel  Leigh,  who  had  been  all  through  the 
Peninsular  War,  was  a  tall,  stately  gentleman,  who 
had  the  peculiarity,  much  marked  in  those  days,  of 
wearing  a  long  coat  that  reached  almost  to  his 
ankles.  He  was  generally  of  a  taciturn  disposition, 
but  when  in  congenial  company,  and  warmed  to  the 
work,  he  could  tell  some  stirring  and  amusing 
episodes  of  his  campaigning  days.  One  story  that 
he  used  to  narrate  concerned  Colonel  Dundas,  who 
in  a  certain  engagement  had  his  left  arm  taken  clean 


The  Leigh  Family  77 

off  by  a  cannon-ball.  He  was  leaning  over  to  sight 
a  gun,  when  he  felt  what  appeared  to  be  a  slight 
breeze  pass  close  to  his  ear.  Then  he  had  a  feeling 
as  of  something  trickling  down  on  to  his  leg,  and  on 
looking  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  perceived  that 
his  arm  had  been  shot  away  right  up  to  the  shoulder. 
The  strange  thing  was  that  he  had  not  felt  the  least 
twinge  of  pain.  He  was  in  the  hospital  for  a 
time,  but  soon  got  well,  and  followed  the  campaign 
to  its  close. 

Another  striking  anecdote  told  of  this  hero,  who 
was  a  big  handsome  man,  standing  over  six  feet  in 
height,  is  to  the  effect  that,  being  in  the  City  one 
day,  he  suddenly,  as  he  walked  along,  felt  a  twitch 
at  his  coat.  Glancing  down,  without  stopping  or 
betraying  the  least  emotion,  he  perceived  that  a  man 
had  got  his  hand  in  his  pocket.  Quietly  seizing  the 
fellow  by  the  wrist,  he  gripped  him  so  tightly 
betwixt  his  fingers  and  thumb  that  he  snapped  the 
bone,  and  then  coolly  cast  the  creature  away  from 
him,  taking  no  more  notice,  and  walking  on  as 
though  nothing  had  happened,  though  he  heard  the 
poor  wretch's  wail  of  agony  as  he  fell  by  the  way 
maimed.  A  strange  glimpse  surely  into  the  brutality 
of  the  times ! 

A  more  pleasing  story  out  of  Colonel  Leigh's 
budget  concerned  a  private  who,  being  sent  to 


78  Life  of  James  Holmes 

hospital  for  a  wound  that  appeared  likely  to  prove 
fatal,  was  greatly  concerned  lest  he  should  die,  and 
his  grandmother,  his  only  living  relative,  not  know 
what  had  become  of  him.  The  Colonel  promised 
that  he  would  write  to  acquaint  her  with  his  con- 
dition. In  the  morning  he  paid  the  man  a  visit, 
and  informed  him  that  he  had  despatched  a  letter  to 
his  grandmother.  Said  the  man,  as  it  appeared, 
very  happily,  "  Ah,  sir,  it  will  never  reach  her. 
She  is  dead.  She  came  to  my  bedside  in  the  night 
and  told  me  she  died  shortly  after  I  left  home. 
But  she  bade  me  be  comforted,  for  she  said  I 
should  get  better,  and  return  to  England,  and  live 
happily."  He  added,  as  he  thanked  the  Colonel  for 
the  trouble  he  had  taken,  "  It's  very  pleasant,  sir, 
to  know  that  she  is  not  in  want,  and  that  I  shall  see 
her  again  some  day."  The  proof  of  the  accuracy  of 
this  vision  afterwards  came  to  hand  in  the  form  of  a 
letter  from  the  schoolmaster  of  the  village  in  which 
the  old  woman  had  lived,  saying  that  she  was  dead, 
and  giving  the  date  of  her  decease,  which  coincided 
with  what  the  soldier  had  been  told  in  his  vision. 

There  was  a  touch  of  eccentricity  about  nearly 
all  the  Leighs.  So  much  was  this  the  case,  indeed, 
that  Holmes,  who  saw  as  much  of  them  in  their 
private  life  as  perhaps  anybody,  was  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  some  of  them  were  not  quite  right. 


The  Leigh  Family  79 

Mrs.  Leigh,  although  not  exactly  reckless,  was  a  bad 
manager  and  perhaps  a  little  improvident,  and  was 
in  consequence  for  ever  needy  and  in  debt.  As  it 
was  known  that  a  large  amount  would  fall  to  her  on 
Lady  Byron's  death,  one  day  when  the  subject  of 
the  family  finances  was  on  the  tapis,  and  Lady 
Byron's  name  was  mentioned,  Holmes  said  laugh- 
ingly— 

"  There  is  nothing  for  it,  my  dear  Mrs.  Leigh, 
but  to  give  her  a  tap  on  the  head." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Holmes,  how  can  you  say  so?"  sadly 
replied  Mrs.  Leigh.  "  She  is  destined  to  outlive  me." 

Which  in  fact  she  did,  leaving  a  legacy  of 
malignity  and  hate  behind  her. 

Both  of  the  two  remaining  sons  of  Mr.  Holmes, 
Edward  and  George  Augustus,  were  frequent 
visitors  at  St.  James's  Palace ;  and  they  still  recall 
with  pleasure  and  affectionate  regard  Mrs.  Leigh 
as  she  appeared  at  that  time.  "  She  was  tall  and 
elegant  of  figure,"  Mr.  George  Holmes  makes  note, 
"  and  possessed  a  face  which,  while  not  of  the  type 
that  would  be  called  beautiful,  nevertheless  bore,  as 
it  appeared  framed  in  her  silky  white  hair,  the 
stamp  of  a  singular  distinction  and  even  of  the 
comeliness  of  old  age." 

One  of  the  most  vivid  recollections  of  Mr. 
George  Holmes  is  of  seeing  Mrs.  Leigh  making 


8o  Life  of  James  Holmes 

entries  in  her  diary,  which  she  used  to  have  on  the 
table  beside  her,  and  which  was  written  in  French. 
One  wonders  what  became  of  that  diary.  Was  it 
destroyed,  or  is  it  still  in  existence  P1  It  is  naturally 
a  subject  of  regret  to  those  who  knew  of  its  exist- 
ence that  its  contents,  in  part  at  least,  were  not 
made  public,  as  it  might  have  confuted  so  much 
that  has  been  said  to  the  detriment  of  the  poet 
and  his  beloved  sister. 

Frequently  when  Mrs.  Leigh  complained  of  the 
condition  of  the  family  finances,  Holmes  would 
advise  her  to  write  her  recollections  of  Lord  Byron. 
"It  would  make  an  interesting  book,  and  would  go 
like  wildfire,  and  you  would  thus  be  relieved  from 
all  your  pecuniary  difficulties,"  he  would  say  in 
his  impetuous  manner.  But  her  answer  was  ever 
a  smile  and  a  sad  shake  of  the  head.  Once  she 
said  with  tearful  eyes,  "  Ah,  no !  All  that  I  know 
of  my  dear  brother  that  is  not  known  to  everybody 
is  of  too  sacred  a  nature  to  be  put  in  a  book  for 
all  the  world  to  read." 

Both  Edward  and  George  Holmes  took  to  their 
father's  profession,  the  elder  at  first  following  in 
his  footsteps  as  a  portrait-painter,  but  subsequently, 
when  photography  began  to  take  away  the  occu- 
pation of  painters  —  of  the  painters  of  miniatures 

1  Mr.  George  Holmes  thinks  it  must  be. 


The  Leigh  Family  Si 

especially — devoting  himself  to  landscape  art ;  while 
the  younger  found  his  most  natural  sphere  in  the 
treatment  of  figure  and  animal  subjects,  of  which 
he  is  a  constant  exhibitor  at  the  Academy. 

George  Holmes  began  life,  however,  as  a  clerk 
in  the  firm  of  George  Moffat  and  Co.,  tea  merchants, 
of  Fenchurch  Street,  a  position  obtained  for  him  by 
the  Leighs ;  but  finding  after  a  time  that  the  artistic 
bent  was  too  strong  to  be  ignored,  he  relinquished 
trade  for  the  palette  and  brush.  Moffat,  who 
married  a  daughter  of  Morrison  (of  the  firm  of 
Morrison,  Dillon,  and  Co.),  subsequently  became 
member  of  Parliament  for  Dartmouth.  When  young 
Holmes,  calling  at  St.  James's  Palace,  mentioned 
to  the  one-time  maid-of-honour  the  fact  of  Moffat's 
election,  she  replied,  "Oh,  anybody  can  be  member 
of  Parliament  nowadays ;  I  expect  my  butcher  to 
be  returned  next." 

One  wonders  what  the  aristocratic  dame  would 
say  were  she  living  now. 

Morrison,  who  accumulated  a  fortune  of  four 
millions,  ended  his  days  miserably  in  the  belief 
that  he  had  been  reduced  to  poverty  and  was 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  parish  relief.  The 
poor  man's  leading  trait  had  become  a  monomania, 
and  so  fixed  was  the  idea  of  his  penury  that  the 
family  were  obliged  to  make  an  arrangement  with 


82  Life  of  James  Holmes 

the  parish  authorities  whereby  he  was  to  receive 
a  small  sum  weekly  for  his  support,  the  amount  of 
course  being  paid  to  them  for  that  purpose.  The 
millionaire  went  regularly  every  week,  like  a  pauper, 
to  receive  his  dole,  and  was  happy  to  think  that  he 
was  thereby  saved  from  starvation. 

In  connection  with  what  has  been  written  about 
Mrs.  Leigh  and  Lord  Byron,  the  following  letter 
will  be  of  interest,  as  it  gives  the  views  of  a 
contemporary  respecting  the  poet.  The  writer, 
Catherine  Button,  was  a  woman  of  considerable 
note  in  her  day.  She  was  the  daughter  of  William 
Hutton,  author  of  the  History  of  Birmingham,  and 
herself  the  writer  of  several  novels,  of  a  Tour  of 
Africa,  and  of  much  miscellaneous  literature  besides. 
She  corresponded  with  many  famous  contemporaries, 
and  left  at  her  death,  which  occurred  in  1846,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-one,  between  two  and  three  thousand 
rare  and  valuable  letters,  a  selection  from  which  was 
published  by  her  cousin,  Catherine  Hutton  Beale, 
in  1891.  Catherine  Hutton  never  married,  but 
devoted  herself  to  the  care  of  her  father,  and  after 
his  death  she  continued  to  live  at  Bennett's  Hill, 
near  Birmingham. 

27^  March  1836. 

SIR — I  shall  be  most  happy  to  see  you  at  your  own  con- 
venience, at  any  time  before  the  nth  of  next  month,  when  I 


The  Leigh  Family  83 

hope  to  set  out  for  London,  or  in  a  month  after  this  time,  when 
I  expect  I  shall  have  returned  home.  But,  if  you  have  formed 
an  idea  of  me  from  Mrs.  Leigh's  partiality,  and  what  you  have 
seen  of  my  own  letters,  you  will  be  disappointed.  I  owe  much 
of  Mrs.  Leigh's  partiality  to  the  kindness  of  her  own  disposition, 
and  much  to  my  admiration  of  Lord  Byron.  As  a  poet,  there 
can  be  but  one  opinion  of  him,  except  another  may  be  formed 
by  prejudice  or  envy ;  but,  as  a  man,  I  think  no  one  was  ever 
so  ill  understood,  so  misrepresented,  so  persecuted,  so  unfor- 
tunate in  every  connexion  but  that  with  his  sister.  There  was 
much  good  in  Lord  Byron  that  never  was  elicited;  many  of 
his  errors  were  forced  upon  him  by  circumstances,  and  others 
were  the  consequences  of  the  temperament  which  constituted 
the  poet.  I  envy  you  for  having  studied  his  countenance. 
The  engraving  is  beautiful,  and  I  doubt  not  that  the  miniature 
is  more  so.  I  rejoice  that  it  is  in  your  custody. 

As  regards  myself,  you  have  to  lower  your  imagination  as 
much  as  possible  before  you  meet  an  infirm  old  woman  of  four- 
score, who  during  the  last  year  and  a  half  has  been  a  martyr 
to  ill-health.  A  little  of  my  former  spirit  may,  and  I  believe 
does,  remain  in  my  letters,  but  in  conversation  it  has  been 
subdued  by  time  and  suffering.  I  live  alone,  I  admit  nobody, 
though  Sir  Arthur  de  Capell  Brooke,1  the  North  Cape  traveller, 
has  been  an  exception,  and  I  hope  you  will  prove  another.  I 
never  dine.  My  nearest  approach  to  dinner  is  a  small  tray, 
with  two  small  slices  of  meat  (hot  or  cold,  as  it  may  happen),  a 
small  pudding,  or  tart,  or  a  little  preserved  fruit,  and  one  glass 
of  wine.  This  I  sit  down  to  at  two  o'clock,  and  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes  take  it  all  away.  I  am  out  from  eleven  to 
twelve  o'clock  every  day  that  winds  and  storms  permit.  If  you 

1  Sir  Arthur  de  Capell  Brooke,  of  Oakley  Hall,  Northamptonshire,  was 
the  author  of  several  books  of  travel,  one  of  them  being  Travels  through 
Sweden,  Norway,  and  Finmark  to  the  North  Pole,  in  the  Summer  of  1820. 


84  Life  of  James  Holmes 

will  have  the  goodness  to  let  me  know  when  I  may  expect  you, 
by  a  note  put  into  the  Birmingham  post-office  the  evening 
before,  the  latter  part  of  my  daily  avocation  shall  be  omitted. — 
I  am,  sir,  your  very  obliged  CATHERINE  HUTTON. 

To  JAMES  HOLMES,  Esq. 

I  have  no  information  as  to  whether  Holmes 
paid  the  visit  here  referred  to,  but  in  all  proba- 
bility he  did.  He  had  many  friends  in  that  part 
of  the  country,  at  Worcester,  in  Shropshire,  etc., 
and  spent  much  time  there,  especially  in  his  latter 
years.  On  one  occasion,  when  about  to  make  a 
journey  to  Birmingham,  the  following  humorous 
incident  occurred.  Meeting  one  day  Sir  Henry 
Peyton,  a  noted  four-in-hand  driver  and  sporting 
man,  in  Grosvenor  Place,  he  informed  him  in  the 
course  of  conversation  that  he  was  about  to  go  to 
Birmingham.  "  Oh,  are  you  ? "  said  Sir  Henry. 
"How  are  you  going?"  "  By  the  new  railway,"1 
Holmes  replied.  "  New  railway  !  new  railway  !  " 
cried  the  sporting  man.  "  Ton  my  life,  I'd  rather 
walk." 

1  The  London  and  Birmingham  Railway  was  opened  in  1838. 


CHAPTER   IX 

HOLMES    A    COURTIER 

OF  the  three  pictures  Holmes  exhibited  in  1817, 
one,  "  The  Michaelmas  Dinner,"  as  it  was  then 
called,  he  always  regarded  as  amongst  the  best  of  his 
productions.  It  appeared  in  the  exhibition  catalogue 
with  the  following  lines  from  Lord  Chesterfield : 
"  He  cannot  hit  the  joint,  but  in  his  vain  efforts  to 
cut  through  the  bone,  splashes  the  company,"  and 
hence  is  said  to  have  been  suggested  by  that 
quotation ;  but  his  sons  inform  me  that  it  was  an 
exhibition  of  clumsiness  in  carving  a  goose  on  the 
part  of  Colonel  Paisley,  the  engineer  who  raised 
the  Royal  George,  which  foundered  in  Portsmouth 
Harbour,  that  actually  gave  their  father  the  idea  of 
his  picture,  and  that  suggested  the  title,  "The  Un- 
skilful Carver,"  which  it  afterwards  bore.  It  is  the 
most  elaborate  and  studied  of  his  works,  and  may 
be  taken  as  a  good  example  of  his  style,  and  also  of 
the  kind  of  subjects  he  preferred  to  treat,  which, 


86  Life  of  James  Holmes 

belonging  to  a  popular,  sometimes,  it  may  even  be 
said,  to  a  vulgar  class,  allied  him  to  the  Dutch 
more  than  to  the  Italian  School. 

On  being  shown  to  the  Prince  Regent,  he  at 
once  ordered  it  to  be  bought,  and  it  passed  into  the 
Royal  Collection.  It  was  exhibited  in  a  loan  collec- 
tion in  1823,  being  lent  for  the  purpose  by  the  King. 
The  following  letter  has  reference  to  the  fact  :— 

DEAR  SIR — I  have  written  by  His  Majesty's  commands  to 
Brighton  to  have  the  picture  forwarded  to  you,  which  you  will 
have  the  goodness  to  take  the  greatest  care  of,  and  have  returned 
to  Mr.  Saunders,  Pavilion,  Brighton,  when  the  exhibition  is 
closed. — I  am,  dear  sir,  yours,  CONYNGHAM. 

WINDSOR,  i^thjime  1823. 

In  1819  Holmes  exhibited  two  miniatures  in  the 
Royal  Academy,  which  were  greatly  admired,  and 
brought  him  very  prominently  into  public  notice. 
The  result  was  a  considerable  increase  of  his  patron- 
age among  the  upper  classes.  He  had  previously 
commenced  to  enjoy  some  Court  patronage,  and 
was  soon  in  the  full  tide  of  success. 

One  of  his  earliest  friends  in  Court  circles  was 
Princess  Esterhazy,  cousin  of  George  IV,  and  wife 
of  Prince  Esterhazy,  a  notable  man  in  his  time,  but 
chiefly  famous  in  England  for  the  number  and 
value  of  his  diamonds,  and  for  his  jewellery  gener- 
ally, one  of  Barham's  most  popular  ballads  celebrating 


Holmes  a  Courtier  87 

him  in  "Barney  Maguire's  Account  of  the  Corona- 
tion" in  the  following  couplet : 

'Twould  have  made  you  crazy  to  see  Esterhazy 
All  jools  from  his  jasey  to  his  di'mond  boots. 

Of  Princess  Esterhazy,  the  artist  painted  at  one 
time  or  another  at  least  twelve  or  thirteen  portraits. 
When  she  wished  specially  to  please  a  friend  or 
admirer,  she  could  think  of  nothing  better  than  the 
gift  of  a  miniature  by  Holmes  as  a  souvenir.  The 
Princess  not  only  appreciated  his  art  very  highly, 
but  admired  him  greatly  as  a  man,  and  continued  to 
be  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  him  so  long  as 
she  remained  in  England.  On  finally  leaving  this 
country  for  Austria,  she  sent  him  a  handsome  jewel, 
accompanied  by  the  following  note  : — 

Tuesday  Morning. 

Princess  Esterhazy's  compliments  to  Mr.  Holmes;  she  has 
the  pleasure  to  send  him  her  little  debt,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
little  souvenir  which  she  begs  him  to  accept,  and  hopes  he  will 
wear  in  remembrance  of  her.  Princess  Esterhazy  thinks  it  very 
likely  she  may  call  on  Mr.  Holmes  in  the  course  of  the  day  to 
look  at  the  miniature  which  is  not  quite  finished. 

One  of  the  portraits  of  the  Princess  was  en- 
graved, as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  note  of 
the  Duchess  of  Richmond,  dated  1831  : — 

The  Duchess  of  Richmond  presents  her  compliments  to  Mr. 
Holmes,  and  in  answer  to  his  letter,  begs  to  inform  him  she  will  send 


88  Life  of  James  Holmes 

for  the  miniature,  painted  by  Mr.  Holmes,  which  is  now  at  Good- 
wood, and  as  soon  as  she  receives  it,  will  send  it  to  Mr.  Holmes. 
The  Duchess  is  very  much  obliged  to  Mr.  Holmes  for  the 
offer  of  the  print  of  the  Princess  Esterhazy,  which  she  will  be 
happy  to  accept. 

It  was  through  the  influence  of  Princess  Ester- 
hazy  that  the  artist  received  his  first  invitation  to 
Court.  The  earliest  intimation  he  had  that  he  was 
to  be  thus  honoured  was  as  follows.  One  morning 
Lady  Aylmer  said  to  him,  ''Mr.  Holmes,  you  will 
shortly  have  a  chance  to  try  your  fortunes  at  Court, 
or  I  am  much  mistaken.  I  heard  the  Princess 
Esterhazy  yesterday  evening  speaking  of  you  in  the 
most  flattering  terms  to  the  Prince  Regent,  and  His 
Royal  Highness  appeared  greatly  interested." 

A  few  days  later  he  was  sent  for  by  the  Prince, 
the  immediate  outcome  being  a  commission  to  paint 
a  portrait  of  His  Royal  Highness. 

In  all,  Holmes  painted  four  portraits  of  George 
IV,  one  of  them  being  taken  for  the  purpose  of 
reproduction  by  engraving.  For  this  the  King 
kindly  consented  to  sit,  and  it  is  still  in  the  possession 
of  the  artist's  sons. 

He  also  painted  a  portrait  of  His  Royal  Highness 
the  Duke  of  Clarence,  in  his  uniform  of  Lord  High 
Admiral ;  and  miniature  portraits  of  the  Princess 
Sophia,  then  residing  at  Kensington  Palace.  During 
his  visits  to  the  palace  for  this  purpose  the  artist 


Holmes  a  Coiirtier  89 

frequently  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Madame 
d'Arblay,  of  whom  he  always  spoke  in  the  highest 
terms  of  praise.  Her  conversation,  he  used  to  say, 
was  exceedingly  interesting.  Sometimes  she  read 
while  he  painted,  and  these  exercises  he  found 
hardly  less  interesting  than  her  talk. 

The  following  letter  refers  to  one  of  these  minia- 
tures : — 

Madame  d'Arblay  has  just  been  honoured  with  the  com- 
mands of  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Princess  Sophia  to  beg  of  Mr. 
Holmes  that  he  will  be  ^so  good  as  to  trust  Her  Royal  Highness 
with  the  loan  of  her  picture  for  this  evening  :  she  engages  willingly 
to  assure  him  that  it  shall  not  go  out  of  her  hands,  and  that  it 
shall  be  returned  to  him  to-morrow  morning  at  an  early  hour. 

Her  R.  H.  begs  it  may  be  sent  sealed  up.  The  bearer 
is  to  carry  it  to  Kensington  Palace  immediately. 

Madame  d'Arblay  is  to  have  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the 
last  sitting  for  this  charming  composition  on  Wednesday. 

Monday,  ist  October  1821. 

One  of  his  portraits  of  George  IV  Holmes  was 
working  on  at  the  time  of  the  King's  accession  to 
the  throne,  and  His  Majesty  invited  him  to  be 
present  at  the  coronation.  A  ticket  was  accordingly 
sent  him  for  the  ceremony  at  the  Abbey.  It  ad- 
mitted him,  however,  only  to  an  inferior  place,  where 
he  would  see  but  little  of  the  ceremony.  He  accord- 
ingly told  the  Marquis  of  Conyngham  that  the  King 
had  said  he  was  to  have  one  of  the  best  places. 


90  Life  of  James  Holmes 

"You  can't,"  replied  the  Marquis.  "  There  are 
only  a  few,  and  they  are  all  taken  up  by  the  peers 
and  peeresses." 

"  All  right,  your  lordship,"  rejoined  the  artist. 
"  I  only  tell  you  what  the  King  said." 

"It's  all  very  well  for  His  Majesty  to  order," 
grumbled  Conyngham,  "but  it  can't  be  done." 

However,  Holmes  got  his  ticket  for  a  front  seat. 

During  his  next  sitting  the  King  asked  him  if 
he  had  received  a  ticket  for  the  coronation. 

"  I  have  received  one  for  the  church,"  said 
Holmes. 

"  Oh,  give  him  one  for  Westminster  Hall  as 
well,"  said  the  King,  turning  to  Conyngham. 

Thus  he  was  enabled  to  see  the  ceremony  well 
enough  to  take  a  pencil  note  of  it.  He  afterwards 
made  a  sketch  of  the  coronation,  apparently  with  the 
intention  of  painting  a  picture  of  it,  but  it  was  never 
proceeded  with. 

Holmes  used  to  describe,  with  a  good  deal  of 
detail,  the  scene  both  in  the  Abbey  and  in  West- 
minster Hall,  with  the  commotion  occasioned  by  the 
attempt  made  by  the  Queen  to  enter  and  take  part 
in  the  ceremony. 

But  long  before  this  Holmes' s  suavity  of  manners 
and  invariable  good  humour,  joined  to  his  talents  as 
an  artist  and  as  a  musician,  had  rendered  him  a 


Holmes  a  Coiirtier  91 

great  favourite  at  Court,  and  he  became  a  fre- 
quent guest  at  His  Majesty's  evening  parties. 
Indeed,  his  company  and  conversation  were  so 
much  liked  by  the  King,  that  the  Marquis  of 
Conyngham  once  remarked  that  "  Mr.  Holmes  had 
become  the  King's  hobby." 

On  these  occasions  he  was  frequently  required 
to  display  his  proficiency  as  a  performer  on  the  flute. 
One  evening  he  was  called  upon  to  play  a  duet  with 
Lady  Elizabeth  Conyngham,  and  he  acquitted  him 
so  well  that  the  King  complimented  him  by  saying, 
"  Played  with  great  taste  and  feeling,  Mr.  Holmes  ; 
you  are  always  welcome  to  the  palace." 

On  another  occasion  His  Majesty,  who  had  a 
good  bass  voice,  proposed  a  glee,  and  asked  Sir 
Andrew  Barnard  and  Holmes  to  take  part  with  him 
in  "Life's  a  Bumper."  When  this  was  finished 
the  King  proposed  another  and  another,  until  quite 
a  number  were  sung,  His  Majesty  taking  part  in 
each. 

At  this  period  Holmes  seems  to  have  spent  a 
good  deal  of  time  at  Court,  and  naturally  saw  much 
of  the  inner  life  of  the  palace,  of  which  he  had  many 
amusing  anecdotes  to  tell. 

On  one  occasion,  when  the  Court  was  at  Brighton, 
the  artist,  through  an  act  of  forgetfulness  or  negli- 
gence, came  very  near  forfeiting  his  royal  patron's 


92  Life  of  James  Holmes 

friendship.  Thinking  that  he  would  not  be  wanted, 
he  went  to  Worthing  or  somewhere  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  stayed  away  for  some  time.  Meanwhile 
he  was  wanted  by  the  Regent,  and  was  sought  for 
high  and  low.  Returning  eventually,  and  learning 
from  his  landlady  that  he  had  been  called  for,  he 
repaired  to  the  palace,  where  he  found  His  Royal 
Highness  in  a  state  of  great  wrath  at  his  prolonged 
absence. 

Holmes  apologized,  making  some  lame  excuse 
to  the  effect  that  his  landlady  had  not  told  him  that 
he  was  wanted,  or  something  of  the  kind.  Mean- 
while the  Regent  walked  moodily  from  room  to 
room,  grunting  and  explosive,  the  artist  humbly 
following.  Finally  His  Royal  Highness,  coming  to 
a  sudden  stand  and  confronting  him,  exclaimed 
petulantly,  "  What  a  d — d  fellow  you  are,  Holmes! 
But  come  with  me,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  I  wish 
you  to  do."  So  the  matter  blew  over. 

On  another  occasion,  when  they  were  alone 
together,  George  asked  the  artist  what  he  could  do 
for  him.  Not  being  up  to  the  trick  of  begging, 
Holmes  replied  that  He  was  in  want  of  nothing,  he 
was  quite  content — or  words  to  that  effect. 

When  he  came  to  know  the  Court  better,  and 
saw  what  a  shameless  system  of  intrigue  was 
carried  on,  and  how  everybody  about  His  Majesty 


Holmes  a  Courtier  93 

was  scheming  for  place  or  emolument,  he  reflected, 
and  used  to  say,  that  had  he  had  his  wits  about 
him,  he  might  by  a  word  have  secured  some  post 
or  office  that  would  have  proved  a  sinecure  for  life  ; 
"perhaps  even  a  colonelcy,"  he  would  add  with  a 
laugh,  knowing  as  he  did  what  went  on. 

He  used  to  think  that  it  might  have  been  because 
he  never  sued  for  favours,  either  for  himself  or 
others,  that  he  enjoyed  so  much  of  the  King's  favour. 
Stupid  and  dull  as  George  was  considered  by  some, 
to  the  artist-courtier  he  always  appeared  to  have 
perspicacity  enough  to  see  what  a  set  of  fawning 
and  self-seeking  sycophants  he  had  about  him,  and,  in 
his  heart  of  hearts,  probably  to  despise  most  of  them. 

To  what  depths  of  meanness  some  of  them  could 
descend  is  exemplified  by  a  little  incident  in 
connection  with  a  cheque  which  the  artist  received 
for  portrait  commissions  and  the  picture  of  "  The 
Unskilful  Carver,"  referred  to  above.  The  total 
amount  was  ^"500,  ^250  being  for  portraits.  Sir 
Benjamin  Blomfield,  keeper  of  the  Prince's  Privy 
Purse,1  observed  that  it  was  a  "  lot  of  money,"  and  as 
the  remark  was  couched  in  such  a  way  that  it  seemed 
to  convey  a  hint,  Holmes  offered  him  a  loan  of  £20. 

An  amusing  incident  which  the  artist  witnessed, 

1  Sir  Benjamin  Blomfield  became  Receiver  General  of  the  Duchy  of 
Cornwall  and  Keeper  of  the  Privy  Purse  in  1817.  He  was  subsequently 
raised  to  the  peerage. 


94  Life  of  James  Holmes 

and  which  he  was  fond  of  narrating,  was  the 
following.  Sir  Edmund  Nagle,  another  of  the 
royal  household,  was  in  the  habit  of  falling  asleep 
in  the  midst  of  the  royal  assemblies,  and  sleeping 
so  soundly  that  nothing  could  wake  him — "  not  even 
my  performance  on  the  flute,"  Holmes  would  say. 
One  evening  a  wag,  observing  him  in  his  usual 
condition,  took  off  his  spectacles,  smeared  them  with 
wax  from  a  candle,  and  then  carefully  replaced 
them  on  his  nose.  When  at  length  Sir  Edmund 
awoke,  he  could  not  at  first  make  out  what  was  the 
matter,  that  he  was  unable  to  see.  But  when  he 
realised  the  nature  of  the  jest  that  had  been  played 
upon  him,  he  broke  into  a  towering  passion,  and 
raged  and  swore  about  the  place  in  the  most  furious 
manner,  utterly  regardless  of  the  presence  he  was  in 
and  of  the  fact  that  ladies  were  there.  Not  content 
with  this,  he  offered  ten  guineas  to  any  one  who 
would  tell  him  who  was  the  perpetrator  of  the  joke. 
The  offer  was  received  with  roars  of  laughter,  in 
which  the  Prince  Regent  joined.  This  exasperated 
Sir  Edmund  still  more,  and  with  further  imprecations 
on  all  present,  he  rushed  out  of  the  room,  swearing 
he  would  never  return.  Of  course  he  did  not  carry 
out  his  threat. 

For  a  time   Holmes  was  so  prime  a  favourite 
with    George    IV    that   he   roused   some  jealousy 


Holmes  a  Courtier 


95 


amongst  the  courtiers.  One  day  some  grumbling 
took  place  because  the  King  was  engaged  in  close 
conversation  with  him  when  they  wanted  to  go  out. 
The  Marquis  of  Conyngham  once  attempted  a  slight 
trick  with  him,  in  order  to  lower  him  in  the  King's 
esteem,  but  fortunately  without  effect.  It  was  a 
rule  in  Court  etiquette  that  no  one  should  enter  the 
presence  of  the  King  unattended.  It  was  usual 
therefore  for  the  artist  to  be  accompanied  into  the 
room  where  His  Majesty  was  by  the  Marquis. 
One  morning  he  presented  himself  at  the  time 
appointed  for  a  sitting,  but  found  no  Marquis  to 
escort  him.  He  waited  in  the  ante-chamber  for  a 
minute  or  two,  and  then  hearing  the  King's  and 
other  voices  within,  and  knowing  that  he  was 
expected,  he  boldly  opened  the  door  and  entered. 
The  King  was  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
with  several  gentlemen  about  him.  Holmes 
approached,  bowed,  and  uncovering  his  canvas, 
began  to  work. 

Some  little  time  afterwards  the  Marquis  of 
Conyngham  entered,  looking  hot  and  flurried,  and 
in  an  undertone  commenced  to  expostulate  with 
Holmes'  for  not  waiting  in  order  to  be  properly 
announced.  "Oh,  my  dear  Marquis,"  returned 
Holmes,  always  polite  and  courtly,  but  quietly 
laughing  in  his  sleeve,  "  I  could  not  think  of 


96  Life  of  James  Holmes 

giving  you  the  trouble  to  wait  on  me — I  could  not 
think  of  it." 

The  Marquis  withdrew,  smiling  and  courteous, 
but  knowing  that  his  plot  had  been  foiled,  and  none 
the  better  pleased  on  that  account.  It  was  his  plan 
to  have  made  the  artist  keep  the  King  waiting,  and 
so  ruffle  his  temper,  and  perhaps  receive  a  sharp 
reprimand  for  unpunctuality. 

As  regards  the  ladies  of  George  IV's  Court, 
Holmes  had  no  great  idea  of  their  beauty.  He 
used  to  say  they  were  rather  a  common-looking  lot, 
and  that  the  Princess  Esterhazy  easily  bore  off  the 
palm  both  for  charm  of  feature  and  grace  of  form. 
Added  to  this  she  had  a  fine  carriage,  and  appeared 
like  a  veritable  queen  among  the  rest.  Such  at 
least  was  the  artist's  opinion. 


CHAPTER  X 

ARISTOCRATIC    FRIENDS    AND    OTHERS 

THE  glitter  of  the  Court  did  not  spoil  Holmes's  love 
for  art,  nor  in  any  way  detract  from  the  mildly 
democratic  sentiments  with  which  he  had  been 
imbued  early  in  life,  and  which  in  a  more  or  less 
philosophical  form  characterized  the  political  views 
of  the  more  generous  spirits  of  the  time.  His 
experience  of  Court  life,  indeed,  rather  tended  to 
deepen  those  sentiments.  "It  would  be  hard  to 
find  a  sphere  in  life,"  he  once  said,  "in  which  men 
and  women  appeared  to  a  worse  advantage  to  any 
one  capable  of  looking  beneath  the  surface,  and 
estimating  the  motives  that  actuated  them.  There 
were  some  bright  exceptions ;  but  the  majority  of 
those  who  habitually  surrounded  the  King  lived  in 
a  constant  whirl  of  petty  intrigue  and  calculating 
selfishness,  unrelieved  by  any  spark  of  generosity  or 
nobility  of  feeling.  Lady  Conyngham,  the  King's 


98  Life  of  James  Holmes 

mistress,1  aided  by  her  husband  and  daughter,  lost 
no  opportunity  of  despoiling  him,  and  the  others,  for 
the  most  part,  looked  on,  outwardly  polite  and  com- 
plaisant, though  secretly  eaten  up  with  spite  and 
jealousy,  and  made  what  they  could."  Altogether, 
according  to  his  description,  it  was  a  despicable  and 
degrading  scene. 

One  day,  before  Holmes  knew  the  Court  so  well 
as  he  afterwards  came  to  do,  he  happened  to  remark 
to  Sir  Benjamin  Blomfield  that  the  Marquis  of 
Conyngham  was  a  very  obliging  and  good-natured 
man. 

"  Oh,  very  obliging,  and  exceedingly  good- 
natured,"  returned  the  courtier  with  a  cynicaj  leer. 
"  His  Majesty  has  every  proof  of  it." 

The  artist's  acquaintance  with  the  Court  con- 
tinued until  the  death  of  the  King,  and  was  never 
renewed.  William  IV  he  utterly  despised,  and 
could  never  be  induced  to  appear  at  Court  after 
his  accession.  This  feeling  arose  partly  out  of  his 
treatment  of  Mrs.  Jordan,  whom  Holmes  knew 
slightly,  and  whose  earnings  at  the  theatre  the 
King,  as  Prince,  used  to  wait  at  the  stage  door 

1  Greville  in  his  Memoirs  (vol.  i.  p.  27)  says:  "Somebody  asked  Lady 
Hertford  '  if  she  had  been  aware  of  the  king's  admiration  for  Lady  Conyngham.' 
She  replied  that  '  intimately  as  she  had  known  the  king,  and  openly  as  he  had 
talked  to  her  upon  every  subject,  he  had  never  ventured  to  speak  to  her  upon 
that  of  his  mistresses.' " 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Others  99 

on  pay-nights  to  receive,  and  then  to  spend  upon 
himself. 

Nor  did  he  think  any  the  better  of  him  when,  on 
becoming  King,  he  caused  the  now-dethroned  Lady 
Conyngham  to  be  despoiled  of  the  booty,  including 
many  precious  royal  heirlooms,  which  she  had 
wheedled  out  of  her  royal  lover.  Barely,  indeed, 
was  the  King  dead  before  her  house  was  forcibly 
entered  and  the  valuables  therein  stored,  carried 
away,  the  poor  woman  the  while  being  exposed  to 
the  gibes  and  insults  of  the  populace. 

One  of  the  last  things  that  took  Holmes  to 
Court  was  the  painting  of  an  oil  portrait  of  the  King, 
which  His  Majesty  gave  him  the  permission  to  take 
for  engraving.  The  portrait — a  very  good  one — is 
still  in  the  possession  of  the  artist's  sons.  The 
print  was  finished  and  published  in  1828,  and  is 
referred  to  in  the  following  letters  by  the  Marquis 
of  Conyngham  : — 

DEAR  SIR — If  you  will  send  one  of  your  prints  carefully 
packed  up,  directed  to  my  care,  I  will  with  pleasure  submit  it  to 
His  Majesty.  Send  the  print  to  105  Pall  Mall  and  it  will  be 
forwarded. — Truly  yours,  CONYNGHAM. 

22nd  November  1828. 

Private. 

DEAR  SIR — I  return  you  the  engraving  of  His  Majesty,  which 
I  hope  you  will  receive  safe.  As  you  flatter  me  with  desiring  my 
opinion  of  the  engraving,  I  confess  I  think  the  face  rather  too 


ioo  Life  of  James  Holmes 

grave-looking  and  the  upper  lip  not  quite  flat  enough,  as  in  your 
original  drawing.  The  engraving  is  very  good  indeed. — Yours, 
dear  sir,  very  truly,  CONYNGHAM. 

5//z  December  1828. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  artist  was  intro- 
duced to  Donna  Maria  II,  Queen  of  Portugal,  then 
on  a  visit  to  England,  and  received  a  large  commis- 
sion from  her  for  portraits  of  herself.  The  order 
was  for  eight  or  nine,  but  Holmes,  after  finishing 
the  third  or  fourth,  refused  to  do  any  more  because 
Her  Majesty  was  so  atrociously  ugly.  He  found  it 
much  more  agreeable  painting  portraits  of  English 
beauties,  of  whom,  in  his  time,  he  must  have  done 
hundreds.  He  used  to  say  that  there  was  hardly  a 
family  in  the  ranks  of  our  aristocracy  for  whom  he 
had  not  executed  commissions  for  portraits  (chiefly 
miniatures)  at  one  time  or  another.  It  was  'also  a 
rather  proud  boast  of  his  that  few  artists  could  have 
painted  more  royalties  than  he  had. 

Amongst  other  members  of  reigning  families 
upon  whom  his  brush  was  engaged  about  this  time, 
was  the  Due  d'Orleans,  the  eldest  child  of  Louis 
Philippe,  who  not  very  long  afterwards  was  killed 
in  Paris  by  the  running  away  of  his  horses.  He  sat 
to  Holmes  for  his  portrait  during  a  brief  sojourn  in 
this  country.  On  his  first  visit  to  Wilton  Street 
(whither  the  artist  had  removed  in  1828)  the  door 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Others  101 

was  opened  by  a  pretty  maid,  and  being  struck 
by  her  good  looks,  the  Prince  addressed  her 
with— 

"  Parlez-vous  francais,  mademoiselle  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  maid  with  a  curtsey. 

"  But  you  understood  me,"  returned  the  Prince. 

"Yes,  but  I  did  not  speak  French,"  was  the  girl's 
prompt  reply. 

This  last  answer  so  greatly  amused  the  Prince 
that  he  related  the  incident  to  Holmes. 

Another  anecdote  that  the  artist  used  to  relate 
of  the  Due  d'Orleans  is  perhaps  better  worth  re- 
peating. One  day  when  he  was  sitting  his  valet 
came  out  of  the  studio  and  said  His  Royal  Highness 
would  like  a  cup  of  tea.  The  beverage  was  duly 
provided,  and  presently  the  valet  returned,  saying 
that  the  tea  was  too  strong,  and  that  the  Prince 
would  like  some  hot  water  to  weaken  it.  This  was 
sent  in.  Very  soon,  however,  the  valet  was  back 
again,  saying  that  the  tea  was  now  too  hot,  and  that 
his  royal  master  would  like  some  cold  water  to  cool 
it.  But  even  with  the  addition  of  the  cold  water, 
the  tea  was  not  quite  right,  for  after  a  minute  or  two 
more,  the  valet  returned  for  the  fourth  time  with  the 
request  that  he  might  have  a  drop  of  cognac  to 
correct  the  tea  and  make  it  to  His  Royal  Highness's 
taste. 


iO2  Life  of  James  Holmes 

No  wonder  Holmes  thought  this  a  somewhat 
roundabout  way  to  arrive  at  the  cognac. 

Another  of  the  artist's  acquaintances  of  this 
period  was  the  redoubtable  Count  D'Orsay,  of 
whom,  at  one  time  or  another,  he  saw  a  great  deal, 
albeit  without  being  greatly  struck  with  admiration 
for  him — apart,  that  is,  from  his  clothes.  Holmes 
always  had  great  taste  in  dress,  and  although  he 
was  simplicity  itself  in  his  own  attire,  he  had  ever 
an  artist's  eye  for  costume,  and  did  not  look  with 
dislike  upon  the  brave  foppery  of  the  Georgian 
dandy.  But  while  he  may  have  admired  D'Orsay 
the  dandy,  he  utterly  despised  D'Orsay  the  painter, 
regarding  him,  as  did  most  of  his  artist  confreres, 
as  a  trickster,  being  able  to  do  little  in  the  artistic 
line  himself,  and  succeeding  simply  by  having  resort 
to  the  now  well-known  expedient  of  employing  a 
"ghost."  An  artist  named  Mackie  worked  for  him 
for  a  long  time  in  this  way.  He  used  to  be  hidden 
behind  a  screen  in  which  there  was  a  little  hole  for 
him  to  peep  through  (unseen  and  unsuspected  of 
course  by  the  sitter)  and  so  make  his  study.  Mean- 
while D'Orsay  would  be  busy  at  his  easel  pretending 
to  paint.  But  it  was  a  peculiarity  of  his  method 
that  he  would  never  allow  anyone  to  watch  him  at 
work.  In  short,  he  succeeded  by  dash,  dress,  and 
effrontery. 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Others  103 

He  used  to  drive  about  town  and  go  to  his 
sitters'  houses  in  a  handsome  cabriolet,  accompanied 
by  his  tiger.  This  gaudily-dressed  little  creature, 
as  may  be  seen  in  the  prints  of  the  time,  stood  at 
the  back  of  the  vehicle,  and  on  his  master's  wishing 
to  descend,  would  jump  down  from  his  perch  and 
either  hold  the  horse's  head  or  take  the  reins.  Or, 
if  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  done,  he  would 
simply  deliver  his  master's  message  or  card. 
D'Orsay,  who  had  the  credit  of  being  the  inventor 
of  the  tiger,  prided  himself  on  having  the  smallest 
specimen  of  the  article  in  town.  He  was  so  tiny 
that  he  had  to  make  a  goodly  jump  to  reach 
Holmes's  knocker ;  and  it  used  to  be  a  constant 
source  of  delight  to  the  artist's  children  to  see  the 
Count's  carriage  drive  up  and  then  to  watch  the 
tiger's  agile  assaults  upon  the  knocker,  at  which  he 
had  generally  to  make  several  jumps  before  achieving 
success. 

Amongst  the  men  of  his  own  profession  with 
whom  Holmes  associated  more  or  less  intimately  at 
this  time,  was  John  Varley,  who  was  one  of  the 
" characters"  of  the  day.  He  had  a  circle  of  his 
own,  which  included  some  of  the  most  notable  men, 
whether  in  science  or  art,  of  the  time,  and  was 
greatly  sought  after  both  on  account  of  his  good- 
nature and  the  queer  conglomeration  of  ''sciences" 


IO4  Life  of  James  Holmes 

with  which  he  was  filled.  But  while  Holmes  had 
the  highest  esteem  for  his  undoubted  attainments  in 
art,  he  laughed  at  his  astrological  notions  and 
whimsical  theories  generally.  For  some  time  they 
were  near  neighbours.  This  was  when  Holmes  was 
living  at  No.  9  Cirencester  Place  and  Varley  was 
in  Great  Titchfield  Street. 

Of  Varley's  circle  was  William  Blake,  the  poet- 
artist,  of  whom  Holmes  saw  and  heard  much  from 
time  to  time.  But  while  he  respected  and  looked 
with  some  admiration  upon  his  art,  he  had  not  the 
kind  of  temperament  to  care  for  his  mystico-poetical 
writings.  What  was  not  perfectly  clear  to  him  was, 
it  must  be  confessed,  little  better  than  rubbish. 
Hence  he  could  no  more  understand  Linnell's 
patronage  of  Blake,  and  what  he  considered  the 
exaggerated  praise  of  his  work,  than  Linnell  could 
understand  his — that  is,  Holmes's — devotion  to 
music.  Less  still  could  he  appreciate  the  enthusi- 
astic discipleship  of  such  men  as  Richmond,  Palmer, 
and  Calvert,  who,  whenever  they  could,  sat  at 
Blake's  feet,  drank  in  his  wisdom,  and  imitated  his 
work  and  ways. 

An  amusing  anecdote  may  be  given  here  in 
illustration  of  the  Blakeish  spirit  that  was  cultivated 
by  these  men.  It  has  reference  to  Edward  Calvert, 
and  was  communicated  to  me  by  Miss  Linnell,  of 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Others  105 

Redstone  Wood,  Redhill.  Calvert,  who  was  very 
intimate  with  the  family,  was  one  day  at  her  father's 
house  in  Porchester  Terrace,  Bayswater,  and  was 
describing  one  of  his  drawings,  representing  a  land- 
scape with  sheep,  a  brook,  and  so  forth,  which  he 
did  in  these  terms.  "  These  are  God's  fields,"  said 
he,  in  a  low,  solemn  voice  to  Miss  Linnell  and  her 
sisters ;  "this  is  God's  brook,  these  are  God's  trees, 
and  those  are  God's  sheep  and  lambs."  "Then 
why,"  asked  John  Linnell,  who  was  sitting  near, 
"  then  why  don't  you  mark  them  with  a  big  G  ?" 

Whilst  referring  to  Blake  and  things  Blakeish, 
it  is  worth  while  noting  the  fact  that  the  colouring 
of  the  poet-artist's  later  works  is  said  to  have  been 
much  improved  through  the  influence  of  Holmes  and 
Richter,  both  of  whom  were  noted  as  amongst  the 
first  colourists  of  their  day. 

As  time  went  on,  and  his  hands  became  as  full 
as  they  would  hold  of  miniature  work,  Holmes  did 
fewer  and  fewer  subject  pictures ;  although  now  and 
for  some  years  to  come,  he  was  executing  commis- 
sions in  that  line  for  Sir  Henry  Meux  and  others. 

In  1827  he  painted  an  important  work  entitled 
"Oime!  Santa  Maria,"  representing  a  poor  Italian 
image  boy  standing  over  his  tray  of  broken  wares 
in  the  midst  of  a  number  of  unsympathetic 
bystanders.  All  the  figures  are  broken  except  one, 


io6  Life  of  James  Holmes 

and  that  one  Napoleon  Bonaparte.  This  circum- 
stance was  remarked  by  the  critics,  who  drew  from 
it  the  inference  that  the  artist  had  introduced  some 
political  feeling  into  the  picture.  The  simple  fact  is 
that  Holmes  had  the  greatest  admiration  for  the 
"  Little  Corporal,"  and  took  this  way  of  indicating 
that  his  image,  in  his  mind,  was  still  unbroken. 
He  used  to  say  that  the  world  hitherto  had  produced 
only  two  great  men,  and  they  were  Napoleon  and 
Hogarth. 

Where  this  picture  went  I  have  not  been  able  to 
discover. 


CHAPTER   XI 

SOME    OF    THE    ARTIST'S    CIRCLE 

IN  personal  appearance  Holmes  was,  like  many  men 
of  genius,  comparatively  short  of  stature  and  inclined 
to  spareness  of  figure  rather  than  the  reverse.  He 
was,  however,  very  strongly  built,  quick  of  motion, 
and  of  a  vivacity  of  temperament  that  often  enabled 
him  to  overcome  an  obstacle  by  the  mere  impetuosity 
of  his  attack,  where  more  powerful,  though  slower, 
men  would  have  hesitated  and  failed.  Thus  once  in 
Piccadilly  he  made  a  dash  at  a  runaway  horse  which 
had  put  the  occupants  of  the  carnage  behind  it  in 
great  peril,  and  almost  miraculously  succeeded  in 
stopping  it.  When  asked  if  it  had  not  occurred  to 
him  how  much  danger  he  ran,  he  replied  that  he  had 
had  no  time  to  think  of  anything  but  the  danger  the 
occupants  of  the  carriage  were  in. 

He  always  enjoyed  the  best  of  health,  which 
doubtless  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the 
geniality  of  his  disposition.  Though  exceedingly 


io8  Life  of  James  Holmes 

sprightly  in  conversation,  and  of  a  witty  and 
humorous  turn,  he  was  but  little  given  to  saying 
sarcastic  things.  He  could  on  occasion,  however, 
very  aptly  turn  the  tables  on  people  ;  as,  for 
instance,  when  at  the  table  of  a  friend,  he  met  a 
phrenologist,  who,  after  pestering  others  with  his 
professional  observations,  turned  to  Holmes  and, 
unasked,  began  to  finger  his  "  bumps  "  and  explain 
their  significance. 

"You  seem  to  have  most  of  the  organs  well 
developed,  sir,"  he  began.  "Wit,  comparison, 
imitation— 

"There  is  one  at  least  that  I  have  not  got," 
replied  the  artist. 

"And  pray  what  is  that?"  queried  the  phren- 
ologist. 

"The  bump  of  gullibility,"  returned  Holmes. 

But  the  most  striking  of  his  qualities  was  the 
almost  perpetual  good  spirits  that  he  enjoyed. 
Depression  or  dejection  was  known  to  him  never 
for  long  at  a  time.  It  was  this  invariable  serenity 
of  temper  and  cheerful  outlook  upon  the  world 
that  caused  the  somewhat  gloomy  Walpole  (Lord 
Derby's  Home  Secretary)  to  reply  to  him  on  one 
occasion  when  he  had  remarked  on  the  fineness 
of  the  weather,  "  Ah,  it  is  always  fine  weather  with 
you,  Mr.  Holmes." 


Some  of  the  Artist's  Circle  109 

This  incident,  however,  occurred  somewhat  later 
in  life,  when  the  artist  used  to  meet  the  politician 
at  Ealing,  where  he  lived,  and  where  Holmes  used 
to  be  a  frequent  guest  of  the  Misses  Perceval, 
daughters  of  the  murdered  Prime  Minister. 

It  was  this  sunny  nature  that  caused  him  to  be 
a  favourite  almost  wherever  he  went,  and  that 
opened  to  him  the  doors  of  so  many  aristocratic 
houses.  It  was  next  to  impossible  for  dulness  to 
reign  where  he  was.  "  Gloom  could  not  long 
prevail  in  presence  of  his  invariable  cheerfulness," 
notes  one  of  his  sons.  He  adds  :  "  I  never  knew 
anyone  else  so  quick  of  perception,  and  so  intensely 
rapid  in  thought  and  action,  and  at  the  same  time 
so  uniformly  bright  and  happy." 

In  regard  to  his  facial  characteristics,  I  have  the 
further  note  :  "  His  features  were  very  pronounced, 
and  he  possessed  a  sharp  dark  brown  eye." 

With  such  a  nature  and  disposition  one  can  well 
believe  that  the  artist  was  one  of  the  "  live  "  members 
of  the  "Widows'  Club,"  composed  of  some  of  the 
leading  wits  and  "  characters"  of  the  day,  which  had 
its  home  in  a  public-house  opposite  to  Aldridges',  in 
St.  Martin's  Lane.  Amongst  other  members  were 
Edmund  Kean,  William  Linton,  "Jerry  Sneak" 
Russell,  the  actor  (so  called  from  a  part  he  played 
to  perfection) ;  David  Roberts,  R.A.,  Clarkson 


no  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Stanfield,  R.A.,  Nugent,  a  writer  for  the  Times; 
and  Turner,  the  animal  painter. 

The  latter  had  a  wooden  leg  and  was  one  of  the 
butts  of  the  club.  Once,  when  Linton  was  in  the 
chair,  Turner  was  very  persistent  in  calling  his 
attention  to  some  remark  he  wished  to  make,  and 
kept  rising  and  shouting,  "  Mr.  Linton !  Mr. 
Linton ! "  At  length  Linton  knocked  loudly  on 
the  table,  and  called  his  fellow-guests'  attention  by 
saying,  "  Gentlemen,  attention,  please,  tor  Mr. 
Turner,  who  is  on  his  leg."  Turner's  eagerness 
subsided  at  once,  and  he  sank  into  his  chair  and 
was  silent  for  the  rest  of  the  evening. 

On  another  occasion,  when  the  confraternity 
were  about  to  disperse,  and  Turner  was  found  to 
be  fast  asleep  in  his  chair,  they  wheeled  him  in 
front  of  the  fire,  stuck  the  end  of  his  wooden  leg 
between  the  bars,  and  there  left  him.  When  he 
awoke  several  inches  of  his  timber  "  understanding  " 
had  been  burned  off.  He  used  to  say  that  he  was 
awakened  by  feeling  his  toes  burning. 

This  sort  of  practical  joking  was  very  prevalent 
at  the  time,  and  formed  one  of  the  most  common 
amusements  of  both  high  and  low.  Kean,  however, 
served  the  wooden-legged  painter  a  trick  that  was 
hardly  fair.  Turner  left  the  clubj[along  with  the 
tragedian,  and  was  persistent  in  his  efforts  to  hang 


Some  of  the  Artist's  Circle  1 1 1 

on  to  him,  hobbling  along  behind  and  calling  out, 
"  Mr.  Kean  !  Mr.  Kean  !  I  say,  Mr.  Kean  !  "  Kean 
had  no  desire  for  his  company,  and  did  not  wish  to 
be  followed.  Finding,  therefore,  that  he  could  not 
get  rid  of  the  painter,  he  stopped  a  policeman,  gave 
him  his  name,  and  bade  him  look  after  poor  Turner, 
saying,  "He  has  been  following  me  for  this  ten 
minutes,  and  I  fear  can't  be  up  to  any  good." 

When  in  1821  the  Society  of  Painters  in  Oil  and 
Water  Colours  was  going  back  to  its  old  limits  of 
a  society  for  water  colourists  only,  Holmes  was 
beginning  to  abandon  that  branch  of  art -in  favour 
of  oils — a  medium  in  which  he  never  appeared  to 
so  good  an  advantage  as  in  water  colours.  For 
this  reason  it  was  that  he  did  not  exhibit  any  picture 
in  1821. 

He  subsequently  exerted  the  whole  of  his 
influence  towards  the  founding  of  the  Society  of 
British  Artists,  which  held  its  first  exhibition  in 
1824.  He  was  a  constant  exhibitor  with  that 
society  for  a  period  of  nearly  thirty  years,  both  in 
" subject"  and  portraiture. 

Heaphy  was  the  first  president  of  the  society. 
Holmes  followed  him  in  that  office  soon  after 

(1829). 

George  Robson,  the  water-colour  painter  and 
a  member  of  the  Water  Colour  Society,  thought 


ii2  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Holmes  did  wrong  to  leave  that  society,  and  used 
to  tell  him  he  was  never  satisfied ;  he  was  always 
hankering  after  something  new.  In  this  respect  he 
differed  very  much  from  Robson,  who  was,  perhaps, 
as  steady-going  as  Holmes  was  erratic.  The  latter 
was  for  many  years  on  terms  of  great  intimacy 
with  Robson,  whose  work  he  greatly  admired. 
Robson  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  much 
originality.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he  was  so 
determined  as  a  boy  to  devote  himself  to  art  that 
nothing  could  repress  him  ;  and  at  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  set  out  from  his  home  (in  Durham)  for 
London  with  five  pounds  in  his  pocket.  But  so 
well  did  he  make  his  way  that,  during  his  first 
year  in  the  metropolis,  he  was  able  to  return  the 
five  pounds  to  his  father.  This  was  about  the 
year  1807  ;  in  1814  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Water  Colour  Society,  of  which  he  became 
president  in  1820.  A  curious  story  is  told  in  re- 
gard to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1833.  While 
going  by  steamboat  to  visit  his  friends  in  the 
North,  he  was  taken  seriously  ill  and  had  to  be 
landed  at  Stockton-on-Tees.  Others  fell  sick  at 
the  same  time,  though  not  so  seriously  as  he  ;  the 
result,  it  is  said,  of  eating  food  that  had  been 
cooked  in  a  copper  utensil  that  had  not  been 
properly  cleaned.  He  never  recovered,  and  his 


Some  of  the  Artist's  Circle  113 

last  words  were,  "  I  am  poisoned."  The  curious 
part  of  the  story,  however,  is  that  some  years 
after  his  reported  death  the  sons  of  his  old  friend 
Holmes  went  to  stay  at  a  place  in  Devonshire 
where  Robson  had  been  in  the  habit  of  putting  up  ; 
and  in  the  course  of  conversation  one  of  them  said 
to  the  landlady,  "  You  have,  of  course,  heard  of  the 
sad  death  of  poor  Mr.  Robson  by  poison  on  board 
ship  as  he  was  on  his  way  North  ?  "  "  Oh  dear,  no, 
that's  all  a  mistake,"  replied  the  old  lady.  "  Mr. 
Robson  was  here  only  a  few  months  ago,  and  stayed 
several  weeks  with  us.  He  was  never  better  in  his 
life,  or  looked  less  like  dying."  And  nothing  could 
persuade  the  good  creature  that  such  was  not  the 
case. 

It  was  about  this  time  (182 3  or  1824)  that  Holmes 
became  acquainted  with  a  man  of  his  own  profession 
with  whom  he  remained  in  the  closest  ties  of  friend- 
ship till  death  came  to  separate  them.  This  was 
Frederick  Yeates  Hurlstone,  a  painter  now  almost 
forgotten,  but  in  his  day  looked  up  to  by  many  of 
his  brother  artists  as  of  the  first  rank.  Indeed,  but 
the  other  day  one  who  remembered  him  well  re- 
marked that  "he  was  the  only  British  artist  who 
held  his  own  at  the  International  Exhibition  of 
1862." 

Hurlstone's  father  was  a  writer,  and  was  on  the 


1 1 4  Life  of  James  Holmes 

staff  of  the  Morning  Herald,  in  connection  with 
which  he  used  to  tell  an  amusing  story.  The 
Herald  was  supported  by  members  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  one  large  contributor  to  the  funds  had 
his  nephew,  a  young  sprig  of  aristocracy,  placed  on 
the  staff  of  the  paper.  But  he  proved  to  be  a 
terrible  plague ;  everything  he  wrote  caused  trouble, 
whether  it  was  on  politics,  social  matters,  religion,  or 
what  not ;  and  at  last,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board,  it 
was  bluntly  said  that  he  must  be  got  rid  of,  or  the 
paper  would  be  ruined.  "  You  can't  get  rid  of  him," 
said  the  chairman;  "his  uncle  is  in  the  Govern- 
ment." "What  can  we  do  then?"  asked  the 
others.  No  one  could  tell.  At  length  one  of  the 
directors,  who  had  hitherto  remained  silent,  smilingly 
said,  "  I  will  tell  you  how  to  get  out  of  the  difficulty." 
"How?"  asked  the  others  eagerly.  "Make  him 
the  art  critic,"  was  the  reply.  "But  he  knows 
nothing  about  art,"  they  all  said.  "So  much  the 
better,"  returned  the  one  who  had  proposed  that 
way  out  of  the  difficulty.  Finally,  after  some  talk, 
this  advice  was  taken,  the  paper  was  saved,  and  the 
young  gentleman  got  a  post  in  which  he  worked  to 
his  own  entire  satisfaction,  and  to  the  no  small 
content  of  those  who  worked  with  him. 

Hurlstone  was  introduced   to    Holmes  by   Mr. 
Rudall,  the  flautist.     He  had  a  little  while  before 


Some  of  the  Artist's  Circle  1 15 

(1823)  taken  the  Royal  Academy  gold  medal  for 
historical  painting,  the  subject  being  "The  Con- 
tention between  the  Archangel  Michael  and  Satan 
for  the  Body  of  Moses."  There  was  some  dis- 
inclination to  award  him  the  medal  because  the 
picture  was  not  considered  academical  enough  in 
style,  but  its  undoubted  great  qualities,  including 
fine  colour,  carried  the  day.  It  is  not  very  credit- 
able to  the  artist's  sons  to  learn  that  this  noted 
picture  was  allowed  to  rot  away  in  a  damp  cellar. 

When  Holmes  and  Hurlstone  first  became 
acquainted  the  latter  had  just  commenced  portrait 
painting,  and  was  living  in  Howland  Street,  Fitzroy 
Square,  being  consequently  a  near  neighbour  of 
Holmes.  He  subsequently  acquired  an  extensive 
practice  as  a  portrait -painter.  He  used  to  take 
his  first  rough  sketch  of  a  sitter  in  Indian  red, 
black  and  white,  and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  or 
two  would  get  a  very  effective  outline,  using  the 
red  pure  here  and  there,  and  especially  to  mark  in 
the  line  of  the  jaw,  the  nose,  etc.  He  used  this 
method  in  painting  the  portrait  of  Malibran,  who, 
upon  seeing  the  red  and  black  strongly  laid  in, 
observed,  "  Ah,  Mr.  Hailstone,  I  see  you  put  in  the 
bones  and  muscles  first,  and  of  course  you  will  place 
the  skin  on  afterwards." 

In     1835     Hurlstone    went    to    Italy,    Holmes 


1 1-6  Life  of  James  Holmes 

accompanying  him  as  far  as  Milan.  He  remained 
for  some  time  in  Rome,  where  he  at  once  began  to 
study  and  produce  pictures  of  boy-life  in  the  Eternal 
City  that  soon  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  his 
profession. 

He  subsequently  visited  Spain  and  Morocco. 
While  in  the  latter  country  he  painted  his  "  Last 
Sigh  of  Boabdil,"  or  a  large  portion  of  it.  He 
experienced  a  difficulty  in  getting  models ;  but 
finally  one  morning,  as  he  was  painting  in  his 
studio,  he  was  startled  by  hearing  the  voice  of  his 
dragoman  from  the  courtyard  crying  out,  "  Master, 
come !  Master,  come  and  help  me  !  Master,  quick, 
quick  !  "  Running  down  in  great  haste  to  see  what 
was  the  matter,  Hurlstone  saw  his  man  struggling 
with  a  couple  of  natives,  whom  he  had  dragged  into 
the  court  and  was  trying  to  get  into  the  house. 
Being  aware  of  his  master's  dilemma,  and  not 
knowing  how  to  procure  models  in  any  other  way, 
he  had  laid  hold  of  these  men  in  the  street  and  was 
bringing  them  in  against  their  will.  But  they 
kicked  up  such  a  hullabaloo  that  Hurlstone  had  to 
give  them  money  to  pacify  them,  fearing  a  disturb- 
ance by  the  people.  By  this  means,  however,  they 
were  finally  won,  and  the  painter  got  all  the  sittings 
he  wanted. 

Hurlstone's   weak    point    as   an   artist   was    in 


Some  of  the  Artist's  Circle  117 

regard  to  composition,  in  which  he  used  to  seek 
Holmes's  advice.  But  he  was  a  splendid  colourist  ; 
he  drew  the  head  well ;  and  there  was  a  fine  daring 
about  his  work.  These  qualities  were  recognised 
by  Mr.  Whistler  when,  happening  to  drop  one  day 
into  Mr.  George  Holmes's  studio,  he  saw  Hurl- 
stone's  "Gil  Bias  and  the  Canon  Sedillo"  stand- 
ing against  an  easel. 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  the  worthy  M'Neil,  raising 
his  glass  to  his  eye  more  suo,  "  Ah,  an  excellent 
bit  of  work  that — very  excellent !  Who  is  the 
painter  ? " 

"  Hurlstone,"  replied  Mr.  Holmes.  "  It  did  not 
sell,  and  so  I  purchased  it  of  the  artist's  sons." 

"Sell!  sell!"  lisped  Mr.  Whistler.  "  Of  course 
it  did  not  sell :  it  is  much  too  good." 

There  are  many  amusing  stories  told  of  Hurl- 
stone,  who  was  quite  a  character  in  his  way.  He 
painted  with  so  much  haste  and  vigour,  blowing  and 
hissing  through  his  teeth  the  while,  that  artists  used 
to  say,  "He  works  away  as  though  he  were  groom- 
ing a  horse."  On  one  occasion  a  big  blue-bottle  fly 
flew  against  his  canvas  and  stuck  to  the  wet  paint, 
but  so  great  was  the  fury  of  the  artist's  industry  that 
he  could  not  spare  time  to  take  it  off,  and  so  worked 
it  up  with  his  brush  and  allowed  it  to  go  as  a  bit 
of  body-colour.  Someone  asked  him  why  he  did 


1 1 8  Life  of  James  Holmes 

not  take  it  off.  "  No  time — it  all  helps !  "  was  the 
reply. 

Like  Turner,  he  was  always  abused  by  the 
critics,  who  seldom  understand  original  men. 

In  his  later  years  Hurlstone  showed  signs  of 
becoming  insane  in  regard  to  money.  He  was 
always  rather  avaricious  and  miserly,  and  when  his 
sons  were  growing  up  he  often  complained  to 
Holmes  that  they  would  not  work. 

"Work!  of  course  not,"  replied  his  friend. 
"  They  know  you  are  rich,  and  that  they  won't  need 
to  do  so." 

"  But  I'm  not  rich,"  said  Hurlstone. 

"  They  know  better ;  make  up  your  mind  to 
that.  If  they  did  not,  they  would  work.  My 
sons  have  no  doubt  as  to  my  poverty,  and  they 
work." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Hurlstone  left  his  sons  very 
well  off,  but  his  hardly-accumulated  wealth  seemed 
to  do  them  very  little  good,  and  one,  if  not  both, 
died  in  the  greatest  poverty.  One,  indeed,  was 
reduced  to  the  extremity  of  becoming  a  kerbstone 
musician. 

Among  leading  contemporary  artists  there  were 
few  that  were  not  known  to  Holmes.  He  was  well 
acquainted  with  David  Cox,  both  of  them  being 
members  of  the  Water  Colour  Society ;  and  on  one 


Some  of  the  Artist's  Circle  119 

occasion  Cox  made  him  a  sketch  of  a  cottage  for  his 
picture  of  "  Boys  going  to  School." 

He  used  to  meet  Turner  on  the  committee  of 
the  Artists'  General  Benevolent  Fund,  of  which 
Holmes  was  a  member,  and  they  were  on  very 
friendly  terms.  On  one  occasion  the  case  came  up 
of  an  old  lady  who  applied  for  relief.  Turner  asked 
what  she  had  done.  Someone  said  she  had  once 
painted  some  flowers.  "  That  won't  do,"  replied 
Turner ;  "  to  have  once  painted  some  flowers  is  not 
enough  to  entitle  her  to  relief." 

"  Oh,  give  her  a  couple  of  guineas  for  some  snuff 
and  tuppany,"  suggested  Holmes.  "Very  well," 
acquiesced  Turner,  "  give  her  a  couple  of  guineas  ; 
but  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Mr.  Holmes,  if  you  had 
the  management  of  this  fund  there  would  soon  be 
an  end  of  it." 

This  was  characteristic  of  Holmes.  Although 
in  the  receipt  of  a  good  income,  amounting  at  the 
best  times  to  2000  guineas  or  more  per  annum, 
yet  he  was  always  in  need  of  money.  He  once 
told  Linnell  that  an  artist  could  not  save  on  ^2000 
a  year ; 1  and  certainly  he  did  not  arrive  at  the 
achievement  himself. 

Once  he  asked  Sir  Henry  Meux,  for  whom  he 
was  at  the  time  executing  many  commissions,  for 

1  Linnell  told  him  he  would  put  by  is.  out  of  £20  a  year. 


I2O  Life  of  James  Holmes 

an  advance.  Said  Sir  Henry  in  reply,  "It  is  no 
business  of  mine,  Mr.  Holmes,  but  how  do  you 
manage  to  get  through  your  money  ?  It  is  only 
a  short  time  since  you  had  a  large  sum  from  me." 
"  I  really  don't  know,  I'm  sure,"  replied  Holmes. 
"It  goes  somehow.  There  always  seem  to  be  no 
end  of  expenses." 

It  is  the  more  difficult  to  understand  what  he 
did  with  his  money,  because  at  a  time  when  hard 
drinking  was  the  custom,  he  was  always  a  temperate 
man ;  nor  was  he  addicted  to  any  special  extrava- 
gance in  other  directions.  But  the  fact  is — and 
this  is  the  only  explanation  in  such  cases  as  his— 
that  he  had  "  a  hole  in  his  pocket,"  and  when  he 
received  a  cheque  the  money  soon  found  its  way 
through  the  aperture. 

Hawkins,  a  sort  of  assistant  and  hanger-on, 
used  to  say  that  no  sooner  had  Holmes  received  a 
cheque  than  he  would  say,  "I've  received  a  cheque, 
Hawkins;  come  along  and  I'll  change  it.  Is  there 
anything  I  want  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  there  is,"  Hawkins  would 
reply  ;  "you  seem  to  have  everything  you  need." 

"  Never  mind !  Come  along,  it  must  be  changed," 
was  the  artist's  almost  invariable  response. 

Of  Turner  Holmes  used  to  declare  that  he  saw 
nothing  in  his  face  indicative  of  genius  or  of  great . 


Some  of  the  Artist's  Circle  121 

intelligence  except  his  bright,  piercing  eye.  "  He 
had,"  he  was  wont  to  say,  "a  glance  of  almost 
preternatural  keenness." 

Everyone  noticed  that  exceptional  quality. 
William  Westall  was  accustomed  to  relate  how 
Turner's  look  went  through  him  when,  on  one 
occasion,  seeing  a  picture  of  the  master's  in  which 
he  had  painted  a  palm-tree  yellow,  he  ventured  to 
approach  the  famous  painter  with  trepidation  and 
apologies,  and  inform  him  that  a  palm-tree  was 
never  yellow.  "  I  have  travelled  a  great  deal  in 
the  East,  Mr.  Turner,"  he  went  on,  "and  therefore 
I  know  of  what  I  am  speaking  ;  and  I  can  assure 
you  that  a  palm-tree  is  never  of  that  colour ;  it  is 
always  green."  "  Umph  !  "  grunted  Turner,  almost 
transfixing  him  with  his  glance.  "  Umph !  I  can't 
afford  it — can't  afford  it ; "  and  with  these  words 
he  walked  away.  "  I  felt  under  his  steady  gaze," 
said  Westall,  when  relating  the  incident, — "  I  felt 
that  it  was  quite  immaterial  what  colour  it  was  in 
nature,  so  long  as  he  desired  it  different,  and  I 
think  I  could  have  sworn  that  it  was  different 
when  under  his  eye." 

Another  anecdote  of  Turner  may  fittingly  come 
in  here.  On  one  occasion  Lee  exhibited  a  farm- 
house on  fire.  On  varnishing  day  the  Academicians 
gathered  round  it,  as  is  their  custom,  and  passed 


122  Life  of  James  Holmes 

their  criticisms.  Landseer,  amongst  others,  made 
his  suggestions,  and  also  put  a  dab  of  his  brush  in 
it.  Then  Turner  approached,  and  Lee  said,  "Ah, 
here  is  Mr.  Turner,  but  he  never  has  anything  to 
say."  "  Put  more  fire  in  your  house,"  said  the 
master,  and  passed  on.  It  was  not  half  blazing 
enough  for  him. 


CHAPTER   XII 

SIR    HENRY    MEUX    AND    COMPANY 

MENTION  has  already  been  made  of  Sir  Henry 
Meux  (of  the  firm  of  brewers  of  that  name)  as 
being  amongst  the  number  of  Holmes's  patrons 
during  the  later  years  of  George  IV  and  the 
earlier  part  of  the  reign  of  William.  Sir  Henry 
was  a  great  admirer  of  his  friend's  talents,  and  his 
mansion  at  Theobalds,  near  Edge  ware,  was  largely 
decorated  by  his  pencil.  For  a  long  time  the  artist 
enjoyed  a  commission  for  one  picture  a  year,  besides 
portraits. 

He  was  a  frequent  and  honoured  guest  at 
Theobalds,  where  he  met  many  celebrated  men, 
including  some  of  the  leading  wits  and  politicians 
of  the  time.  Amongst  others  he  frequently  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  Lord  Brougham,  whose 
description  of  breakfast  as  a  " skirmishing  meal" 
greatly  amused  him. 

There  it  was  that  he  first  met  Abraham  Cooper, 


124  Life  of  James  Holmes 

R.A.  Abraham  had  formerly  been  a  groom  in 
Sir  Henry's  stables,  and  owed  his  rise  very  much 
to  his  master's  kindness  and  patronage.  Seeing 
once  the  drawing  of  a  horse  on  his  stable  door, 
Sir  Henry  remarked  to  his  stableman,  "  Surely 
that  must  be  meant  for  So-and-so,"  mentioning 
the  name  of  one  of  his  horses. 

"  It  is,"  said  the  stableman. 

"Who  did  it?" 

The  stableman  replied  that  it  was  the  work  of 
the  lad  Cooper.  Questioned  further,  he  said  that 
the  youth  was  always  drawing,  and  seemed  very 
clever  at  it. 

Sir  Henry  sent  for  Cooper,  questioned  him, 
and  finished  by  asking  him  if  he  would  like  to 
learn  to  paint.  Cooper  replied  that  he  would, 
whereupon  Sir  Henry  gave  him  money  to  buy 
brushes,  paints,  etc.  ;  in  short,  started  him  upon 
his  career. 

As  it  was  the  drawing  of  a  horse  that  first  called 
attention  to  his  budding  gifts,  so  it  was  the  portrait 
of  a  horse  that  first  brought  him  into  public  notice. 
This  was  in  1809,  when  he  was  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age.  Some  years  later  he  won  the  premium 
of  the  British  Institution  for  his  finished  sketch  of 
the  "  Battle  of  Ligny." 

It  was  during  this  period  of  Holmes's  intimacy 


Sir  Henry  Meux  and  Company  1 25 

with  Meux  that  a  large  ale-vat  in  the  firm's  brewery 
at  the  corner  of  Tottenham  Court  Road  burst, 
and,  as  is  said,  flooded  the  adjacent  streets.  At 
that  time  New  Oxford  Street  had  not  been  formed, 
and  the  labyrinth  of  courts  and  lanes  through  which 
it  was  afterwards  cut  was  known  as  Little  Hell. 
It  was  into  this  minor  Inferno  that  the  flood 
descended,  and  Holmes  often  told  how  he  saw 
the  squalid  denizens  prone  upon  their  bellies  drink- 
ing the  ale  from  the  gutters  till  they  were  dead 
drunk. 

The  artist  used  to  relate  an  incident  in  the  life 
of  Sir  Henry  Meux  that  is  rather  striking.  Early 
in  his  career  he  was  involved  in  a  lawsuit,  the 
loss  of  which  would  have  carried  with  it  the  loss 
of  the  brewery,  and  indeed  reduced  him  to  poverty. 
Fortunately,  judgment  was  given  in  his  favour.  So 
doubtful,  however,  was  the  issue  (and  when  is  not 
law  doubtful?),  and  so  great  Sir  Henry's  anxiety, 
that,  on  the  last  day  of  the  trial,  he  went  into  court 
with  a  loaded  pistol  in  his  pocket,  determined,  if  he 
lost  the  case,  to  put  an  end  to  his  life. 

Many  of  the  artist's  pictures,  as  well  of  course 
as  his  portraits,  still  adorn  the  walls  of  Theobalds, 
as  well  as  the  town  house  of  the  Meuxes. 

Another  rich  art  patron  with  whom  Holmes  was 
intimate  at  this  time,  although  I  am  not  sure  that 


126  Life  of  James  Holmes 

he  had  any  commission  from  him,  was  Mr.  Hope, 
the  well-known  virtuoso,  who  inherited  from  his 
father,  John  Williams  Hope,  head  of  the  famous 
banking  house  of  Amsterdam,  an  immense  fortune 
and  estates  in  Cornwall.  He  spent  large  sums  of 
money  on  pictures,  besides  indulging  an  extravagant 
taste  for  diamonds,  which  he  was  not  ashamed  of 
wearing  plentifully  upon  his  person.  He  showed  a 
somewhat  effeminate  taste  in  other  matters  also  ; 
and  amongst  his  many  oddities  possessed  that  of 
being  generally  averse  to  male  society.  In  Paris, 
where  he  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he  formed 
a  coterie  of  eighteen  ladies  distinguished  for  their 
artistic  or  musical  gifts.  When  one  died  or  quitted 
the  society  she  was  replaced  by  another,  but  the 
number  eighteen  was  never  exceeded.  He  was 
noted  for  his  princely  hospitality  as  well  as  for  his 
eccentricity,  and  his  mansion  in  the  Faubourg  St. 
Germain  was  among  the  best  known  in  fashion- 
able circles  in  Paris.  His  collection  of  pictures  was 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  world  owned  by  a  private 
person.  These  and  his  other  works  of  art  were  on 
his  death  dispersed  by  auction. 

When  in  London  Holmes  frequently  met  Mr. 
Hope  at  his  house  in  Harley  Street,  where  it  was 
the  rule  to  meet  the  nicest  people  and  eat  the 
choicest  of  dinners. 


Sir  Henry  Meux  and  Company  1 2  7 

On  one  occasion  when  there  the  artist  noticed 
a  portrait  by  Joseph  of  Mr.  Spencer  Perceval,  the 
Prime  Minister  who  was  assassinated  (in  1812)  as 
he  was  coming  out  of  the  House  of  Commons  by 
the  man  Bellingham. 

"  I  see  you  have  got  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Perceval 
by  my  friend  Joseph,"  Holmes  observed. 

"Yes,"  returned  Mr.  Hope.  "You  know  him 
then?" 

Holmes  replied  that  he  did,  adding  that  he 
liked  Joseph  very  much,  that  he  was  a  very 
agreeable  man,  and  so  forth. 

"Oh  yes,"  responded  Mr.  Hope.  "Joseph  is  a 
very  nice  man — a  very  nice  man  indeed ;  but  there 
is  one  thing  about  him  that  you  may  possibly  not 
have  remarked." 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Holmes. 

"  That,  Academician  though  he  be,  he  can't 
paint." 

"Oh,  that's  nothing,"  replied  Holmes.  "It's  a 
failing  with  a  lot  of  them." 

Mr.  Hope's  portrait  of  Mr.  Perceval  was  doubt- 
less one  of  a  large  order  which  Joseph  received. 
He  used  to  boast  that  he  had  been  the  recipient 
of  the  largest  portrait  commission  that  was  ever 
given  to  one  man  :  this  was  to  paint  fifty  portraits 
of  the  murdered  Premier. 


128  Life  of  James  Holmes 

So  great  was  the  indignation  caused  throughout 
the  country  by  the  crime  that  a  subscription  was 
started,  and  associations  formed,  to  perpetuate  Mr. 
Perceval's  memory ;  and  Joseph's  portrait  com- 
mission was  one  of  the  forms  the  memorial  took, 
each  person  or  association  subscribing  so  much 
being  entitled  to  a  copy  of  the  likeness.  Nor  was  the 
price,  fifty  guineas  per  portrait,  bad  for  those  days. 

Prices  were  then  very  different  from  what  they 
are  now,  both  for  portraits  and  for  pictures. 
Holmes  painted  a  replica  of  his  "  Boy  going  to 
School "  for  Mr.  Chamberlayne,  for  which  he  asked 
^"120.  Chamberlayne  demurred  at  first,  saying  he 
never  gave  more  than  ^"100  for  a  water-colour 
drawing,  but  finally  paid  the  price  asked. 

Once  when  Holmes  and  Richter  were  walking 
out  together,  they  met  Joseph,  who  had  just  been 
elected  an  Academician.  They  congratulated  him, 
saying  they  had  but  now  heard  of  the  honour  con- 
ferred upon  him.  "Yes,"  he  said,  "it  is  true  I 
have  been  elected  an  Academician,  and  that  not- 
withstanding I  won  the  gold  medal." 

It  was  a  tradition  in  those  days  that  a  man  who 
won  the  Academy's  gold  medal  never  became  an 
Academician.  Joseph  gained  the  gold  medal  in 
1792  for  a  "  Scene  from  Coriolanus."  His  election 
as  an  associate  took  place  in  1813. 


Sir  Henry  Meux  and  Company  129 

There  were  very  few  notable  or  notorious 
persons  of  that  day,  male  or  female,  that  the  artist 
was  not  brought  in  contact  with,  either  professionally 
or  otherwise,  and  he  was  as  ready  to  smile  at  their 
foibles  as  to  condole  with  them  in  their  distresses. 

11  He  is  proud  of  his  wound,"  he  remarked  of 
Lord  Castlereagh,  when  that  nobleman  called  upon 
him  with  his  arm  in  a  sling  after  his  duel  with  Signor 
Melcy,  the  husband  of  Grisi.  The  quarrel  arose 
out  of  the  nobleman's  attentions  to  the  songstress. 
Melcy  was  very  vicious  and  aimed  at  his  opponent's 
heart,  intending  to  kill  him.  Castlereagh,  on  the 
contrary,  had  no  desire  to  hurt  his  antagonist,  and 
pointed  his  pistol  in  the  air.  The  act  probably 
saved  his  life,  Melcy 's  bullet  striking  his  elbow  and 
running  up  his  arm  to  the  shoulder. 

It  was  remarked  at  the  time  that  Castlereagh 's 
arm  was  an  unconscionably  long  time  getting  well, 
and  that  he  paraded  a  good  deal  up  and  down  the 
Mall  with  the  injured  member  in  a  sling.  He  sat 
to  Holmes  for  his  portrait  during  its  mending. 

Another  society  scandal  of  the  time  exercised  the 
artist's  feelings  in  a  different  way.  This  was  the 
elopement  of  the  beautiful  Lady  Ellenborough,  wife 
of  Lord  Ellenborough,  sometime  Governor-General 
of  India,  with  Prince  Schwarzenberg,  an  attach^ 
of  the  Austrian  embassy  in  London,  and  subsequently 


130  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Austrian  Prime  Minister.  Holmes  knew  the  lady, 
as  well  as  her  father,  Admiral  Digby,  well,  and 
had  painted  two  portraits  of  her,  one  as  a  child 
and  another  just  before  the  elopement  Prince 
Schwarzenberg  was  making  frequent  calls  on  the 
artist  during  the  sittings  for  the  latter,  and  it  would 
appear  that  while  his  visits  were  ostensibly  intended 
for  Holmes,  they  were  virtually  made  in  order  to 
get  speech  with  the  lady. 

Society  was  greatly  scandalized  by  the  event, 
and  the  marriage  was  annulled  by  a  special  Act  of 
Parliament.  This  was  in  1830. 

Twenty  years  afterwards  the  divorced  wife 
called  upon  Mr.  Holmes  to  introduce  to  him  her 
new  husband,  Count  Theoroky,  a  Greek  nobleman. 
She  then  told  her  old  friend  how  scandalously 
Schwarzenberg  had  treated  her,  deserting  her  in 
Paris,  whither  they  had  gone  on  quitting  England, 
without  a  shilling.  The  recollection  of  his  heart- 
lessness  was  still  so  poignant  that  she  wept  over  the 
recital. 

At  this  time  Holmes  painted  a  third  portrait  of 
her. 

A  celebrity  of  a  very  different  character  with 
whom  the  artist  had  become  acquainted  a  little  before 
this  time  was  the  Earl  of  Dundonald,  whose  career 
is  one  of  the  most  romantic  in  the  long  and  brilliant 


Sir  Henry  Meux  and  Company  1 3 1 

roll  of  our  naval  heroes.  He  possessed  unfor- 
tunately, in  conjunction  with  a  coolness  and  daring 
that  was  never  excelled,  an  impatience  and  intol- 
erance of  wrongdoing  that  brought  him  into 
constant  conflict  with  his  superiors  and  the  corrupt 
governments  of  those  days.  Both  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  to  which  he  was  elected  as  a  member  for 
Westminster  along  with  Sir  Francis  Burdett,  and 
by  pamphlet  he  exposed  and  attacked  the  abuses 
of  the  naval  administration,  and  by  that  means 
made  himself  obnoxious  to  the  Admiralty  and  the 
authorities  generally. 

He  gave  further  offence  by  charging  Lord 
Gambier,  his  superior  officer,  with  neglect  of  duty 
(which  was  true),  and  by  denouncing  the  abuses  of 
the  prize-court  and  the  treatment  of  prisoners  of  war. 

Unfortunately  an  opportunity  soon  (1814)  occurred 
for  his  enemies  to  wreak  their  revenge  upon  him. 
They  succeeded  in  convicting  him  on  a  charge — 
afterwards  proved  to  be  false — of  originating  a 
rumour  for  speculative  purposes  that  Napoleon  had 
abdicated.  He  was  expelled  from  Parliament, 
deprived  of  all  his  honours,  sent  to  prison  for  a  year, 
and  condemned  to  pay  a  fine  of  ^1000.  As  a  further 
punishment  he  was  required  to  stand  in  the  pillory, 
exposed  to  the  gibes  of  the  populace.  This  last 
indignity,  however,  was  spared  him  ;  his  colleague 


132  Life  of  James  Holmes 

in  the  representation  of  Westminster,  Sir  Francis 
Burdett,  saying  that  he  would  stand  with  him  if  that 
part  of  the  sentence  were  enforced. 

The  electors  of  Westminster  immediately  sub- 
scribed the  money  to  pay  his  fine  and  re-elected 
him,  but  he  had  to  remain  in  prison  till  the  expiration 
of  his  sentence. 

In  June  1815  Lord  Cochrane  (as  he  then  was) 
was  told  that,  his  term  of  imprisonment  having 
expired,  he  would  be  set  at  liberty  on  payment  of 
the  fine  of  ^1000.  At  first  he  refused  to  be  set  free 
on  this  condition,  but  finally,  on  the  i3th  of  July, 
he  accepted  his  liberty,  paying  the  fine  with  a 
banknote  on  the  back  of  which  he  wrote  :  "  My 
health  having  suffered  during  my  long  and  close 
confinement,  and  my  pursuers  having  resolved  to 
deprive  me  of  property  or  life,  I  submit  to  robbery 
to  protect  myself  from  murder,  in  the  hope  that  I 
shall  live  to  bring  the  delinquents  to  justice."  This 
note  is  still  preserved  amongst  the  archives  of  the 
Bank  of  England. 

He  was  subsequently  tried  and  again  imprisoned 
because  he  would  not  pay  a  fine  of  ^100.  The 
people  were  so  strongly  roused  by  the  injustice  and 
persecution  to  which  he  was  subjected  that  the 
;£ioo  was  raised  by  a  penny  subscription.  Then, 
so  popular  was  the  movement,  that  the  subscription 


Sir  Henry  Meux  and  Company  133 

was  continued  and  the  original  fine  of  ^1000, 
together  with  the  costs  of  his  defence,  was  paid 
by  it. 

In  1817,  in  response  to  the  invitation  of  the 
leaders  of  the  newly-established  Republic  of  Chili, 
Dundonald  accepted  the  command  of  its  navy,  and 
did  so  well  for  them  that  to  him  is  due  perhaps  more 
than  to  any  other  man  the  ultimate  independence  of 
that  country.  He  subsequently  did  the  same  service 
for  Brazil. 

In  1832  he  was  restored  to  his  rank  in  the 
British  navy,  and  died  Rear-Admiral  of  the  United 
Kingdom.  Dundonald  did  much  to  promote  the 
adoption  of  steam  and  the  screw-propeller  in  war 
ships. 

A  close  friendship  subsisted  between  him  and 
the  artist  for  a  long  series  of  years,  ending  only 
with  the  death  of  the  former  in  1860.  Holmes 
painted  two  portraits  of  hisv  friend,  one  of  them  as 
late  as  1846,  which  should  still  be  among  the 
heirlooms  of  the  Cochrane  family. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A    FAMOUS    SMUGGLER 

HOLMES  seems  to  have  had  the  faculty  of  attracting 
about  him  the  strangest  oddities  and  eccentricities 
of  character.  Amongst  the  number  of  these  was 
Captain  Johnson,  a  famous  smuggler  of  the  early 
part  of  the  century,  when,  in  consequence  of  the 
general  upset  and  confusion  arising  from  the  pro- 
tracted wars,  smuggling  between  France  and 
England,  and  indeed  all  along  the  French  and 
Dutch  coasts,  was  carried  on  to  an  enormous  extent. 
Captain  Johnson  was  one  of  the  most  noted  and 
notorious  of  the  men  occupied  in  this  nefarious 
business.  He  had  a  vessel  of  his  own,  was  a  man 
of  iron  nerve,  and  of  great  intrepidity  of  character, 
full  of  resource  and  daring  to  the  last  degree.  His 
long  experience  in  the  trade  had  made  him 
intimately  and  minutely  acquainted  with  the  French 
and  Dutch  coasts.  Indeed,  so  well  was  he  versed 
in  the  intricacies  of  the  latter,  that  he  was  employed 


A  Famous  Smuggler  135 

as  pilot  in  the  ill-fated  Walcheren  expedition ;  an 
officer  standing  over  him  with  a  loaded  pistol  as  he 
gave  his  directions,  ready  to  blow  his  brains  out  if 
he  showed  the  least  indication  of  treachery. 

Thrice  Johnson  broke  out  of  London  prisons, 
his  most  daring  escape  being  from  Horsemonger 
Jail.  It  shows  the  lawlessness  of  the  times  that  he 
could  manage  to  do  so  with  such  comparative  ease. 
Friends  outside  were  in  the  secret  of  the  intended 
attempt,  and  a  postchaise  was  in  readiness  near  the 
prison,  to  convey  him  to  Dover. 

The  attempt  took  place  early  in  the  morning. 
The  prisoner  had  been  clandestinely  supplied  with 
pistols.  His  cell  was  shared  by  a  companion. 
Johnson  said  to  him,  "  Do  you  feel  inclined  to  go 
out  to-day  ?  I  intend  to  do  so." 

The  man  said  he  should  like  to  get  away. 

"TJien,"  said  Johnson,  "  follow  my  example,"  at 
the  same  time  giving  him  a  pistol. 

When  the  turnkey  entered,  Johnson  drew  his 
pistol,  and  presenting  it  at  his  head,  bade  him  open 
the  door  if  he  did  not  want  to  be  a  dead  man.  The 
fellow  obeyed,  and  the  two  prisoners  were  soon 
outside  the  walls  and  driving  post-haste  to  Dover. 

Mr.  Thomas  Frost,  in  his  Reminiscences  of 
a  Country  Journalist,  gives  the  following  addi- 
tional details  of  this  prison-breaking  exploit :  "  All 


136  Life  of  James  Holmes 

arrangements  for  Johnson's  escape  from  prison  and 
his  flight  to  the  Continent  had  been  made  before- 
hand, and  a  large  number  of  persons  must  have 
been  in  the  secret,  yet  the  whole  plan  was  success- 
fully carried  out  without  a  hitch.  A  postchaise 
awaited  him  near  the  prison,  relays  of  horses  being 
in  readiness  at  every  stage  between  London  and 
Dover ;  the  turnpike  gates  were  thrown  open  at  his 
approach,  and  a  fast-sailing  lugger  was  lying  off  the 
coast  with  her  sails  set  and  anchor  weighed  by  the 
time  he  reached  it.  '  Guineas  flew  right  and  left,' 
as  my  father  expressed  it,  to  secure  the  smuggler's 
escape." 

Such  an  exploit  in  broad  daylight  in  London 
seems  hardly  possible — at  least  to  us  of  to-day. 
But,  in  order  to  make  it  conceivable,  we  have  only 
to  bear  in  mind  the  changed  aspect  of  things  since 
the  beginning  of  the  century.  The  entire  condition 
and  aspect  of  society  have  changed  so  materially 
that  we  might  almost  be  in  another  world. 

On  another  occasion  Johnson  broke  out  of  Fleet 
Prison,  tearing  up  his  bedclothes  to  make  ropes,  and 
descending  hand  over  hand  from  the  roof  to  the 
street. 

When  advancing  age  made  it  incumbent  upon 
him  to  settle  down  as  a  simple  citizen,  Johnson  used 
often  to  speak  of  the  adventures  and  hairbreadth 


A  Fa1no^ls  Smuggler  137 

escapes  of  his  earlier  manhood,  when  half  the  time 
he  seemed  to  carry  his  life  in  his  hand. 

Asked  once  whither  he  went  after  breaking  out 
of  Fleet  Prison,  he  said  he  went  and  took  breakfast 
with  his  wife  in  Bloomsbury  Square.  He  knew,  he 
said,  that  they  would  never  seek  him  in  his  own 
house. 

At  this  time  Johnson  was  comparatively  a  rich 
man,  the  profits  on  a  successful  smuggling  operation 
being  enormous. 

On  one  occasion  he  is  said  to  have  cleared  as 
much  as  ,£20,000  from  one  trip  across  the  Channel. 
The  trade  was  the  more  profitable  because  the 
French  connived  at  it.  It  was  for  this  reason 
probably  that  Johnson  was  as  well  known  to  the 
French  authorities  as  he  was  to  the  English. 

With  the  former  his  reputation  for  daring  and 
intrepidity,  as  well  as  for  seamanship,  was  so  great 
that  he  was  once  offered  the  command  of  a  French 
man-of-war.  He  was  lying  in  a  Dutch  prison  for 
some  smuggling  escapade  when  the  offer  was  made. 
An  officer  entered,  and  looking  round  and  seeing  no 
one  but  a  man  on  his  knees  washing  the  floor  of  the 
cell,  he  asked  where  he  could  see  Captain  Johnson. 

"I  am  Captain  Johnson,"  said  the  man,  inter- 
mitting his  work  and  looking  up. 

The  officer,  after  taking  a  good   look  at   him, 


138  Life  of  James  Holmes 

asked  him  whether,  on  condition  of  being  set  at 
liberty,  he  would  take  command  of  a  French  vessel. 

Johnson  reflected  for  a  minute  or  two.  He 
knew  that  it  meant  fighting  against  his  own  people, 
and  in  open  war.  He  did  not  quite  fall  in  with  the 
idea,  and  therefore  replied  that  he  should  like  to 
have  a  few  days  to  consider  the  matter.  This 
delay  was  accorded  ;  and  Johnson  at  once  wrote  a 
letter  to  Lord  Sidmouth,1  telling  him  of  the  offer 
that  had  been  made  to  him,  and  explaining  that, 
while  he  would  rather  not  fight  against  his  native 
country,  yet  he  had  his  wife  and  children  to  think 
of,  and  was  therefore  prepared  to  refuse  to  accept 
the  command  on  condition  of  being  given  a  free 
pardon  for  his  offences  against  the  laws  of  his 
country  in  regard  to  smuggling. 

The  letter  was  despatched  to  London  by  means 
of  some  of  his  trusty  smuggling  friends,  and  in  due 
course,  by  the  same  channel,  an  answer  was 
returned,  granting  him  the  pardon  he  asked. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  document  Johnson 
resolved  to  escape  from  his  prison  and  get  back  to 
England  as  soon  as  possible.  He  quickly  found  a  way 
to  do  so,  hiding  securely,  when  he  had  succeeded,  in 

1  Lord  Sidmouth  became  Lord  President  of  the  Council  in  1805  under  Pitt, 
and  in  1812,  under  Lord  Liverpool's  administration,  he  was  Secretary  of  State 
for  the  Home  Department. 


A  Famous  Smuggler  139 

a  house  next  door  to  the  jail,  until  such  time  as  an 
opportunity  afforded  of  getting  a  passage  home. 

He  appears  subsequently  to  have  been  in  the 
pay  of  the  Government,  as  a  secret-service  agent  or 
something  of  the  kind,  as  he  used  often,  when  he 
called  at  Holmes's  studio,  to  say  that  he  was  going 
to  the  Horse  Guards  to  see  the  Duke  of  York, 
sometimes  showing  papers  which  he  intimated  were 
of  importance  to  the  Commander-in-Chief.  Unless 
he  had  been  useful  to  the  Government  in  some  such 
way,  it  is  hardly  likely  that,  notorious  smuggler  as 
he  had  been,  he  would  have  died  in  the  enjoyment 
of  a  Government  pension.  Nominally,  however,  I 
believe  it  was  given  to  him  for  having  conducted 
the  Walcheren  expedition,  although  the  service  then 
rendered  was  hardly  sufficient  to  warrant  such  a 
reward. 

One  of  Johnson's  last  schemes  was  to  build  a 
submarine  boat  with  which  to  rescue  Napoleon  from 
his  imprisonment  on  the  Island  of  St.  Helena.  His 
idea  was  to  construct  such  a  craft  as  could  be 
propelled  for  a  certain  distance  under  water,  and  by 
that  means  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  men-of-war 
guarding  the  island ;  then  having  reached  the  shore, 
take  off  the  prisoner,  and  by  descending  again  under 
water,  reach  a  vessel  far  out  at  sea,  in  waiting  to 
proceed  with  the  rescued  Emperor  to  Europe. 


140  Life  of  James  Holmes 

According  to  his  own  statement,  Johnson  must 
have  been  in  connivance  with  influential  friends  of 
Napoleon  to  effect  this  purpose,  as  he  used  to  tell 
Holmes,  and  Hawkins,  the  artist  above  referred  to, 
who  was  wont  to  act  as  his  assistant,  that  if  he 
effected  his  purpose  it  would  be  worth  half  a  million 
of  money  to  him. 

However,  the  scheme  proved  abortive.  The 
boat,  which  was  being  constructed  on  the  Thames, 
was  one  day  quietly  seized  by  custom-house  officers, 
and  no  more  was  heard  of  it. 

Johnson  and  Hawkins,  through  meeting  at 
Holmes's  house,  became  very  close  friends ;  and  up 
to  the  day  of  his  death,  not  many  years  ago, 
Hawkins  was  never  tired  of  talking  about  Johnson 
and  the  various  adventures  and  escapades  that  he 
had  from  time  to  time  described  to  him. 

On  one  occasion  the  latter  was  lodged  in  the 
King's  Bench  Prison  for  debt.  Hawkins  asked 
him  why  he  did  not  escape,  as  he  had  done  so  often 
enough  before.  "  Ah,"  Johnson  replied,  "times  are 
changed.  Besides,  I  am  not  so  young  as  I  was." 

Hawkins,  as  a  young  man,  gave  great  promise 
of  future  eminence — a  promise  which  was  not  ful- 
filled however.  "  Could  Hawkins  ever  paint?" 
Holmes  was  once  asked.  "  Oh  yes,"  he  replied, 
"  when  he  was  twenty.  Once  he  painted  very  well 


A  Famous  Smuggler  141 

indeed,  and  we  thought  he  was  going  to  do  some- 
thing great — become  a  Michael  Angelo,  or  some- 
thing of  the  kind.  But  he  has  been  steadily  going 
back  ever  since." 

Perhaps  the  mischief  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  was 
so  good  a  companion  as  to  be  much  sought  after  by 
men  who  wanted  to  be  amused,  and  the  artist  was 
only  too  ready  to  fall  into  their  humour.  On  one 
occasion  he  was  asked  by  a  Mr.  Ackers,  a  member 
of  Parliament,  now  pretty  well  forgotten,  like  so 
many  others,  to  accompany  him  and  one  or  two 
others  to  Paris,  promising  to  give  him  a  holiday  and 
pay  all  his  expenses.  Hawkins  objected,  saying 
that  he  was  busy  on  a  picture  which  he  wanted  to 
finish  for  exhibition.  "  Never  mind  that,"  said 
Ackers.  "  Bring  it  with  you  and  paint  there." 
Hawkins  yielded  and  the  canvas  was  put  into  the 
carriage.  As  they  were  driving  along,  Mr.  Ackers 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  look  at  the  picture.  It  was 
accordingly  uncovered.  "  What  do  you  want  for 
it?"  he  asked.  "I  shall  want  ^50  for  it  when 
it  is  finished,"  said  Hawkins.  "Very  well,"  replied 
the  member  of  Parliament,  "  I  will  give  it  you, 
and  will  finish  it  for  you  too."  With  these  words 
he  kicked  a  hole  right  through  the  canvas. 

Hawkins  died  in  a   poor   lodging   in    Camden 
Town,  at  an  advanced  age.      He  had  never  known 


142  Life  of  James  Holmes 

what  it  was  to  be  in  easy  or  even  in  fairly  comfort- 
able circumstances ;  but  he  was  of  an  easy-going, 
good-natured  disposition,  and  had  been  lucky  enough 
to  have  had  many  good  friends,  who  sought  him  out 
for  his  amiable  and  amusing  ways.  When  he  was 
on  his  death-bed,  one  of  the  sons  of  his  former 
master  said,  "  Well,  Hawkins,  you  have  had  a  long 
life  ;  how  have  you  enjoyed  it  ?  "  "  Oh,"  he  replied, 
"it  has  been  a  charming  existence.  I  have  done 
such  splendid  work,  have  had  so  much  praise,  and 
have  lived  in  the  best  society,  that  it  has  been 
perfectly  delightful." 

"A  good  instance,"  observed  the  narrator,  "of 
how  a  man  may  live  and  be  happy  in  a  fool's 
paradise." 

The  fact  is  that  Hawkins,  whatever  he  may  have 
been  able  to  do  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  was  never 
after  able  to  paint  the  least  bit.  He  could  not  be 
brought  to  recognise  his  incapacity,  however,  and 
continued  to  the  end  to  believe  in  his  own  great 
achievements. 

One  story  that  he  was  never  tired  of  telling  was 
how  he  was  one  day  met  by  William  Linton,  the 
sculptor,  who  asked  him  where  he  had  been,  as  he 
had  not  seen  him  for  some  time.  Hawkins  replied 
that  he  had  been  in  Hertfordshire  (which  was  his 
native  county,  and  where  he  had  friends),  and  that 


A  Famous  Smuggler  143 

he  had  been  painting  portraits ;  adding  that  in 
Hertfordshire  they  thought  a  great  deal  of  his 
portraits.  "Ah,  yes,  of  course,"  replied  Linton, 
4 'and  very  properly  too,  for  everybody  knows  you 
are  the  Hertfordshire  Vandyke."  The  name  of  the 
Hertfordshire  Vandyke  stuck  to  Hawkins  ever 
afterwards  ;  and  he  himself  was  not  the  least  ready 
to  style  himself  by  that  title. 

Holmes  used  to  say  that  it  was  impossible  to 
kill  Hawkins  ;  he  was  bound  to  achieve  old  age  and 
die  in  his  bed,  which,  in  fact,  he  did,  passing  away 
at  over  eighty  years  of  age.  He  had  many  narrow 
escapes  of  his  life,  but  always  came  out  safe  and 
sound.  One  day  a  big  door  fell  upon  him,  that 
would  certainly  have  killed  another  and  lesser  man  ; 
another  time  he  was  overturned  in  a  coach.  Once 
he  went  out  swimming  at  Weymouth,  and  never 
thought  of  the  turning  tide  till  he  found  himself  far 
away  from  shore,  with  the  sea  running  swiftly  out. 
He  owed  his  life  to  being  perceived  by  some  coast- 
guardsmen.  When  he  was  telling  some  of  his 
friends  of  the  narrow  escape  of  drowning  he  had 
had,  they  replied,  "  Oh  no,  we  know  better  than 
that.  A  man  who  is  born  to  be  hanged  cannot  be 
drowned."  And  so,  nearly  always  the  butt  of  jest 
and  merriment,  Hawkins  was  always  happy. 

One  of  the  artist's  sons,  Mr.   Edward  Holmes, 


144  Life  of  James  Holmes 

used  to  tell  an  amusing  anecdote  of  a  daughter  of 
his  father's  old  friend  Johnson.  He  met  her  one 
day,  long  after  her  father's  death,  in  Hyde  Park. 
She  was  then  trying  to  earn  a  living  by  teaching 
the  guitar,  and  explained  that  she  had  put  an 
advertisement  in  the  Morning  Post  to  the  effect 
that  a  daughter  of  the  late  Captain  Johnson,  the 
famous  smuggler,  wished  to  find  pupils  for  instruc- 
tion on  the  guitar,  and  hoped  that  it  might  be  the 
means  of  bringing  her  business.  Mr.  Holmes  rather 
discouraged  her  by  saying  that  he  feared  it  might 
have  the  opposite  effect  to  the  one  she  hoped,  at 
the  same  time  reminding  her  how  much  the  times 
had  changed  since  her  father  was  regarded  as  a  sort 
of  popular  hero. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

AN    UNLUCKY   AND   A   LUCKY   ARTIST 

IN  1835  occurred  the  brief  visit  to  Italy,  along  with 
Hurlstone,  already  referred  to.  It  lasted  barely 
two  months,  and  does  not  appear  to  have  had  any 
effect  in  stimulating  new  work.  The  friends  jour- 
neyed together  as  far  as  Milan,  whence  Holmes 
proceeded  to  Venice,  attracted  thither  probably  by 
a  desire  to  witness  the  scenes  amidst  which  his 
friend  Byron  had  passed  so  many  of  his  later  years. 
After  spending  some  time  there  and  making  a  few 
studies,  he  went  back  to  Milan,  where  he  made  a 
short  stay,  and  then  returned  home. 

He  continued  to  exhibit  with  the  British  Artists 
until  1850,  when  he  resigned  his  membership  of  the 
Society. 

In  1843  he  paid  a  visit,  extending  over  a  few 
months,  to  Ireland.  He  was  the  guest  of  Mr. 
Maxwell,  of  Co.  Louth.  While  there  he  was  for  a 
short  time  also  the  guest  of  the  Earl  of  Kingston, 


10 


146  Life  of  James  Holmes 

who  was  an  old  friend.  At  his  table  he  once  met 
Father  Mathew,  the  great  Apostle  of  Temperance, 
in  whom  he  became  much  interested.  Seated  next 
to  him  at  dinner,  he  said,  "  Mr.  Mathew,  I  should 
be  pleased  to  drink  wine  with  you."  "  I  shall  be 
most  happy,"  said  Father  Mathew.  With  that  he 
poured  out  a  glass  of  water,  saying  with  a  smile, 
"  This  is  my  vintage — a  very  old  and  safe  one. 
Your  very  good  health,  Mr.  Holmes  !  " 

"  A  splendid  man ! "  was  the  artist's  comment. 
"A  fine  handsome  face,  healthy,  good  colour, 
beaming  with  good-nature ;  but  how  he  could  keep 
it  up  on  water  God  only  knows ! " 

During  his  stay  at  Lord  Kingston's  he  paid  a 
hasty  visit  to  the  Lakes  of  Killarney,  and  made  a 
number  of  sketches ;  but  he  does  not  appear  to 
have  done  anything  further  with  them. 

In  1846  died  Haydon  by  his  own  hand.  Holmes 
was  greatly  shocked  to  learn  the  sad  tidings.  He 
had  known  Haydon  from  his  very  early  days,  and 
had  a  great  appreciation  of  his  talents,  considering 
him  one  of  the  greatest  historical  painters  of  the 
time.  But  so  lacking  in  tact  was  poor  Haydon,  and 
so  wanting  in  all  those  qualities  of  the  heart  that 
constitute  half  the  battle  in  enabling  men  to  win 
their  way,  that  he  failed  practically  in  everything  he 
undertook,  and  in  nothing  so  signally  as  in  his 


An  Unlucky  and  a  Lucky  Artist  147 

attempt  to  start  a  school  in  opposition  to  the  Royal 
Academy. 

In  his  hostility  to  the  Academy  he  had  Holrnes's 
entire  sympathy,  as  well  as  that  of  Hurlstone. 

Both  Holmes  and  Hurlstone  were  always  hostile 
to  that  institution,  and  rarely  sent  either  pictures  or 
portraits  to  it.  Holmes  stigmatized  it  as  a  "  close 
borough,"  and  used  to  express  his  wonder  to  Linnell 
that  he  should  contribute  to  its  exhibitions.  *Linnell's 
answer  was  that,  though  the  Academy  had  its  faults, 
so  had  the  other  societies,  and  in  larger  measure. 
Hurlstone  was  for  ever  warring  against  it. 

One  of  the  most  astonishing  things  about 
Haydon's  career  is  that  he  won  the  affection  of  so 
few  and  the  hatred  of  so  many.  In  some  cases  the 
latter  feeling  can  only  have  betokened  a  narrow  and 
unsympathetic  nature.  John  Linnell,  for  instance, 
used  to  relate  Ijow  he  once  met  Sass,  who  kept  a 
drawing  school  in  St.  Martin's  Lane — and  a  famous 
one  in  its  time — as  he  was  going  into  Covent  Garden 
Theatre,  and  Sass  immediately  began  to  relate  how 
Haydon  had  that  afternoon  called  upon  him  and 
asked  for  a  trifling  loan. 

"And  what  did  you  say?"  asked  Linnell. 

"  I  said,"  replied  the  little  drawing  master,  "that 
if  the  schoolroom  was  filled  so  full  from  floor  to 
ceiling  with  golden  sovereigns  that  not  another 


148  Life  of  James  Holmes 

could  be  got  in,  I  would  not  lend  him  a  single  one, 
no,  nor  half  of  one,  if  it  were  to  save  his  life.  And 
I  wouldn't,  the  wretch  !  " 

As  he  was  uttering  the  last  words  Hay  don  stalked 
past  them  into  the  theatre,  not  deigning  to  notice 
the  spiteful  little  viper. 

Holmes  used  to  tell  the  following  story  of  poor 
Haydon.  Calling  one  day  on  "  Roman  "  Davies 
(so  called  in  contradistinction  to  Richard  Davies, 
the  animal  painter,  and  brother  of  the  well-known 
Queen's  huntsman)  to  see  his  just  completed  picture 
of  "  The  Lord  Mayor  visiting  the  Sick  at  the  Time 
of  the  Plague,"  Holmes  found  that  artist  sorely 
perplexed  over  a  note  which  he  had  just  received 
by  the  twopenny  post  from  Haydon.  Davies  had 
earlier  in  the  day  received  a  visit  from  that  gentle- 
man, who  expressed  himself  as  being  much  pleased 
with  the  work,  although  he  made  some  slight  criti- 
cisms upon  the  Lord  Mayor's  horse.  One  may 
imagine  his  surprise  therefore  when  he  read  the 
following  brief  epistle  : — 

MY  DEAR  DAVIES — Go  instantly  and  dissect  a  horse. — Yours 
faithfully,  W.  B.  HAYDON. 

Handing  the  precious  document  to  Holmes, 
Davies  questioned  hopelessly— 

"  How  can  I  do  as  he  says  ?  The  picture  goes 
away  to-morrow." 


An  Unlucky  and  a  Liicky  Artist  149 

"Oh,  it's  only  one  of  Haydon's  after-thoughts," 
laughed  Holmes.  "  Take  no  notice  of  it — till  you 
get  a  commission  for  a  replica." 

It  was  during  these  years,  that  is,  early  in  the 
forties,  that  Holmes  was  invited  by  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  to  call  upon  him  with  a  view  to  painting 
a  portrait  of  him.  He  met  the  Duke  at  the  Countess 
of  Jersey's.  His  Grace  was  then  about  to  go  over 
to  Paris  on  some  diplomatic  business,  but  said  he 
should  be  pleased  to  see  him  at  Apsley  House  when 
he  returned.  The  artist  happened  to  be  away  when 
he  did  return,  and  so  the  opportunity  passed, 
or  he  failed  to  seize  it,  much  to  his  subsequent 
regret. 

Lady  Jersey  was  a  good  patron  of  his  and 
brought  him  many  commissions.  She  also  sat  for 
her  own  portrait,  and  took  her  coronet  to  Wilton 
Street  in  order  to  be  painted  in  it.  The  coronet 
remained  there  for  some  time  afterwards  as  a 
memento  of  the  person  and  the  occasion  ;  and  the 
two  surviving  sons  of  the  artist  have  still  a  vivid 
recollection  of  its  crimson  velvet  magnificence. 

Another  artist  contemporary  with  whom  Holmes 
was  well  acquainted,  and  of  whom  an  infinite  number 
of  jests  used  to  be  related,  was  William  Tassie,  the 
modeller  and  reproducer  of  antique  gems.  He  was 
not  so  great  an  artist  as  his  uncle,  Robert  Tassie, 


150  Life  of  James  Holmes 

whose  pupil  he  was,  and  to  whom  he  succeeded  in 
the  business  the  former  had  established  in  Leicester 
Square  (on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Hotel 
Cavour),  but  he  was  a  notable  man  in  his  day,  and 
as  pious  as  he  was  clever.  Of  his  cleverness,  or 
rather,  one  should  say,  of  his  resourcefulness,  an 
interesting  instance  is  recorded.  He  had  received 
a  command  to  attend  on  George  IV  and  model  his 
portrait.  While  waiting  in  an  anteroom  of  the 
palace  he  discovered  that  in  the  flurry  of  the 
moment  he  had  forgotten  to  bring  with  him  one  of 
his  favourite  smaller  modelling  tools  that  was  essen- 
tial to  the  work  in  hand.  There  being  no  time  to 
go  back  for  it,  the  artist  was  at  first  in  despair ;  then, 
with  ready  inventiveness,  he  took  out  a  pocket-comb 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  carrying,  broke  off  one  of  its 
teeth,  and  with  this  improvised  instrument  modelled 
the  medallion. 

Tassie  was  of  a  generous  and  considerate  turn, 
and  once  at  least  his  good-nature  met  with  a  curious 
and  most  unexpected  reward.  An  impecunious 
artist  had  one  day  come  to  him  bemoaning  his 
imprudence  in  having  invested  a  much  -  needed 
guinea  in  a  ticket  for  the  lottery  by  means  of 
which  Boydell's  Shakespeare  Gallery  was  to  be 
disposed  of.  Tassie,  in  pity  for  his  distress, 
bought  the  ticket  from  him,  but  not  without  giving 


An  Unlucky  and  a  Liicky  Artist  151 

him  a  grave  lecture  on  the  folly  of  such  extrava- 
gance. The  lottery  was  drawn  for  on  the  28th  of 
January  1805,  and  out  of  22,000  tickets  sold,  that 
held  by  William  Tassie  won  the  chief  prize,  which 
included  the  Shakespeare  Gallery,  pictures,  and 
estate !  After  making  a  present  to  the  artist  who 
had  been  the  original  owner  of  the  ticket,  Tassie 
sold  his  winnings  by  auction,  the  works  of  art 
realising  over  ^6180,  the  Gallery  itself  being  pur- 
chased by  the  British  Institution. 

The  day  after  Tassie  drew  this  lucky  prize, 
of  which  everybody  naturally  was  talking,  Holmes 
met  him,  and  at  once  congratulated  him  on  his 
good  fortune. 

"  An  astounding  piece  of  luck,  Mr.  Tassie ! " 
he  exclaimed,  in  his  impulsive,  jocular  way.  "All 
we  other  poor  devils  of  artists  are  quite  envying 
you.  We  would  like  to  know  how  on  earth  you 
hit  upon  the  lucky  number." 

"  The  Lord  knows  His  own,"  replied  Tassie 
with  great  gravity. 

"  Oh,  does  He  ?  Dear  me  !  Ah  yes,  of  course  ! 
Good  morning,  Mr.  Tassie ! "  cried  Holmes,  and 
away  he  hurried,  fearful  of  laughing  in  the  artist's 
face. 

Describing  the  incident  afterwards  to  some 
friends,  he  finished  by  exclaiming,  "  Did  you  ever 


152  Life  of  James  Holmes 

know  anything  so  funny  ?  The  idea  of  his  brag- 
ging about  being  one  of  the  Lord's  own,  and  he  all 
the  while  making  a  collection  of  Priapian  gems ! " 

As  a  matter  of  fact  Tassie  was  noted  for  his 
collection  of  this  nature.  The  elder  Tassie,  a  man 
of  real  genius,  made  one  of  the  largest  collections 
of  antique  gems  then  in  existence,  a  complete  set 
of  which  he  supplied,  "by  command,"  to  Catherine, 
Empress  of  Russia,  in  1783.  The  Tassie  collection 
of  "pastes  in  imitation  of  gems  and  cameos,"  de- 
signed "to  represent  the  origin,  progress,  and 
present  state  of  engraving,"  thus  made  for  the 
great  Tsarina,  was  arranged  and  described  by 
Rudolph  Eric  Raspe,  a  German  savant,  professor 
of  archaeology  and  keeper  of  the  Museum  of  Anti- 
quities at  Cassel,  and  the  author  of  several  important 
works,  including,  it  is  said,  the  famous  Adventures 
of  Baron  Munchausen.  Raspe  was  a  man  of  infinite 
wit  and  humour,  and  one  of  the  quaintest  of  univer- 
sity stories,  told  in  verse,  and  still  recited  by  German 
students  at  their  convivial  gatherings,  is  attributed 
to  his  pen.  It  records  how  a  very  green  Black 
Forest  youth,  on  his  arrival  at  the  university,  was 
taken  hold  of  by  a  student  named  Hans  Schrecke, 
and  carefully  schooled  as  to  how  he  should  answer 
certain  questions  which  would,  on  his  presentation 
to  the  professor  of  divinity,  be  put  to  him  by  that 


An  Unlucky  and  a  Lucky  Artist  153 

worthy.  This  schooling  was  combined  with  certain 
duties  paid  to  twelve  goblets  that  stood  on  the 
mantle -shelf  of  a  little  tavern  frequented  by  the 
students,  and  known  as  the  Twelve  Apostles.  Each 
one  was  of  different  material,  glass,  pewter,  and  so 
forth  up  to  gold,  and  each  was  supposed  to  represent 
in  a  measure  the  character  of  the  apostle  for  whom 
it  stood.  From  each  likewise  was  imbibed  a 
different  liquor,  which  was  reputed  to  inspire  the 
devotee  with  the  qualities  of  the  respective  saints 
whose  names  the  goblets  bore.  The  simple  fresh- 
man, eager  to  enter  upon  his  divinity  course,  drank 
in  the  teaching  of  the  friendly  and  insinuating  Hans, 
with  the  avidity  of  one  whose  whole  nature  is  athirst 
for  knowledge,  and  speedily  went  from  the  glass  and 
pewter  to  the  gold,  with  the  result  that  he  presently 
felt  a  fervour  swelling  his  breast  combined  of  the 
qualities  of  all  the  apostles.  In  due  course  he  came 
before  the  professor  of  divinity,  and  answered  his 
questions  relative  to  the  apostles  with  such  readiness 
and  discrimination — not  to  say  elevation — that  the 
worthy  professor,  taking  his  pipe  from  his  mouth, 
murmured  his  approval  in  the  words,  "You  are  a 
most  ready  student,  and  of  a  certainty  either  the 
devil  or  Hans  Schrecke  has  been  your  instructor ! " 
"Ah,  not  the  former,  dear  Professor,"  replied  the 
student,  "but  the  learned  and  genial  Herr  Hans 


154  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Schrecke  was  my  noble  instructor."  "  I  am  sorry 
to  hear  it,"  replied  the  professor;  "it  had  far 
better  have  been  the  devil  himself.  Now  go  back 
to  the  tavern  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  drink  of 
each  from  the  one  of  gold  backwards,  and  when  you 
come  to  the  one  of  glass,  drink  of  that  twelve  times, 
and  then  each  day  twelve  times  for  twelve  moons, 
and  of  no  other."  "  But,  dear  Professor,"  im- 
plored the  youth,  "  from  the  goblet  of  glass  one 
drinks  nothing  but  clear  water — uninspiring  water!" 
"So  be  it,"  answered  the  professor;  "only  by  so 
doing  can  you  obtain  the  wisdom  which  will  enable 
you  to  bear  with  safety  the  fervour  and  inspiration 
imparted  by  the  other  eleven." 


CHAPTER  XV 

BOYDELL,    OWEN,    AND    OTHERS 

JOHN  BOYDELL,  the  promoter  of  the  Shakespeare 
Gallery,  was  quite  a  character  in  his  day,  as  well  as 
an  ''influence  for  good"  in  regard  to  art,  and  as 
such  was  greatly  admired  by  Holmes,  although  he 
died  when  the  latter  was  comparatively  a  young 
man,  having  passed  away  a  few  months  before  the 
drawing  of  the  lottery  above  referred  to.  Still 
Holmes  may  almost  be  said  to  have  been  an  eye- 
witness of  the  result  of  Boydell's  energy  and 
enterprise  in  making  English  art  known  and  even 
popular  on  the  Continent,  especially  that  department 
of  art  with  which  at  that  time  he  was  then  perhaps 
most  conversant,  namely,  engraving. 

Himself  an  engraver  by  profession,  Boydell 
soon  perceived  that  he  could  do  better  for  himself 
and  his  fellow-craftsmen  by  turning  printseller  than 
by  plying  the  graver.  Though  he  began  at  first 
with  but  half  a  shop,  he  did  so  well  in  that  that  it 


156  Life  of  James  Holmes 

was  not  long  before  he  had  a  whole  one  to  himself. 
His  first  noteworthy  enterprise  was  to  import  a 
large  number  of  Vernet's  "  Storm,"  engraved  by 
Lerpiniere.  But  having  to  pay  for  these  in  money, 
it  occurred  to  him  that  matters  might  be  considerably 
improved  from  a  business  point  of  view  if  he  could 
pay  for  them  with  English  prints.  He  accordingly 
got  William  Woollett  to  engrave  Wilson's  "  Niobe," 
paying  him  ^150  for  it,  and  at  once  began  to  ex- 
port large  quantities.  This  was  followed  by  the 
"Phaeton"  of  the  same  artist  (published  in  1763), 
which  had  an  especially  large  sale  on  the  Continent. 
Gradually  an  extensive  business  in  British  en- 
gravings was  developed  abroad,  and  with  the 
increase  of  his  capital  Boydell's  enterprise  was 
greatly  stimulated,  with  the  result  that  at  one  time 
or  another  he  gave  commissions  to  most  of  the 
leading  engravers  of  the  day.  Amongst  others  he 
employed  besides  Woollett,  were  M'Cordell,  Hall, 
Heath,  Sharp,  J.  Smith,  Valentine  Green,  and 
Earlom.  A  large  proportion  of  the  prints  issued 
were  after  Reynolds,  R.  Wilson,  Benjamin  West, 
and  other  English  painters.  His  foreign  trade  made 
the  works  of  English  engravers  and  English  painters 
known  on  the  Continent  for  the  first  time.  The 
receipts  from  West's  "  Death  of  General  Wolfe " 
and  his  "  Battle  of  La  Hogue  "  (both  engraved  by 


Boy  dell,  Owen,  and  Others  1 5  7 

Woollett)  were  almost  fabulous.  In  1790 — the  year 
that  he  was  Lord  Mayor  of  London — Boydell  stated 
that  his  receipts  from  the  "  Death  of  General  Wolfe  " 
alone  were  ,£15,000,  notwithstanding  both  this  and 
other  of  his  prints  were  copied  by  the  best  engravers 
of  Paris  and  Vienna. 

But  although  Boydell  employed  many  other 
engravers,  his  chief  works  were  done  by  Woollett, 
who  was  perhaps  the  best  all-round  craftsman  in  his 
department  of  his  day.  The  prints  of  the  "  Niobe  " 
were  originally  sold  at  55.,  but  a  fine  proof  has 
since  sold  for  £50.  His  "  Battle  of  La  Hogue"  is 
generally  regarded  as  one  of  his  finest  works,  though 
he  was  equally  successful  in  landscape,  being  particu- 
larly gifted  in  the  interpretation  of  moving  cloud 
and  water,  as  well  as  in  the  delineation  of  foliage. 
The  English  school  of  engraving  was  greatly  raised 
through  his  exertions.  He  was  a  man  of  very  un- 
selfish character,  and  worked  as  much  for  the  love  of 
his  art  as  for  money.  He  spared  no  pains  in  his 
work,  took  pleasure  in  overcoming  its  difficulties,  and 
whenever  he  had  finished  a  plate  went  up  to  the 
roof  of  his  house  and  fired  off  a  cannon  to  announce 
and  commemorate  the  fact.  This  was  his  cock-crow, 
as  one  of  his  brother-engravers  put  it.  He  lived 
for  many  years  in  Green  Street,  Leicester  Fields, 
subsequently  removing  to  Charlotte  Street,  Rath- 


158  Life  of  James  Holmes 

bone    Place,  and  was  well    known    as    one   of  the 
characters  of  the  day. 

But  to  return  to  Boydell.  Having  accumulated  a 
large  fortune,  he  (in  1786)  embarked  upon  a  new  and 
still  more  important  enterprise  in  connection  with  art. 
This  was  to  publish  by  subscription  a  series  of  prints 
illustrative  of  Shakespeare's  plays,  after  pictures 
painted  expressly  for  the  work  by  English  artists. 
All  the  best  known  and  most  highly  reputed  native 
artists  received  commissions  for  pictures,  and  when 
finished  they  were  exhibited  in  a  gallery  specially 
erected  for  the  purpose  in  Pall  Mall.  At  the  ex- 
hibition, which  took  place  in  1789,  there  were  34 
pictures  hung.  By  1791  the  number  of  works 
had  increased  to  65,  and  by  1792  to  162.  The 
total  number  executed  was  170,  many  of  these 
being  in  sculpture.  One  of  the  latter  was  the  bas- 
relief  of  Banks  called  the  "  The  Apotheosis  of 
Shakespeare,"  which  was  placed  over  the  entrance. 
There  were  also  two  bas-reliefs  by  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
Damer.  The  latter  belonged  to  an  old  family  of 
aristocratic  connections  but  reduced  circumstances, 
one  scion  of  which  signally  distinguished  himself. 
He  was  one  of  the  Queen's  earliest  pages,  and 
was  greatly  esteemed  by  Her  Majesty  for  his 
kindly  and  attentive  disposition.  But  the  time 
came  when,  on  account  of  increasing  age  and  infirm- 


Boy  dell)  Owen,  and  Others  159 

ities,  the  respected  servitor  had  to  be  pensioned  off, 
and  someone  else  put  in  his  place.  It  grieved  the 
old  man  for  a  time  to  have  to  change  his  wonted 
habits,  but  he  was  consoled  in  some  measure  by 
being  allowed  to  be  present  at  certain  functions, 
such  as  garden  parties  and  the  like.  It  was  at  one 
of  these  that  he  so  greatly  distinguished  himself,  and 
at  the  same  time  vastly  amused  his  former  mistress. 

Attending  a  garden  party  at  Buckingham  Palace, 
he  was  seen  wandering  about  alone  by  Her  Majesty, 
who,  ever  thoughtful  for  her  servants,  and  doubly  so 
for  her  old  and  tried  ones,  hastened  towards  him 
with  extended  hand  and  a  kindly  word  of  greeting. 
He  took  the  proffered  hand  and  held  it  for  a  moment 
while  he  gazed  with  a  smiling,  though  puzzled  ex- 
pression at  the  Queen ;  then  he  said,  "  I  know  that 
face — I  know  it  as  well  as  I  know  any  face  ;  but — 
pardon  me,  madame — I  can't  for  the  life  of  me 
recollect  where  I  have  seen  it."  "  Poor  Darner ! " 
exclaimed  the  Queen  with  a  smile,  as  she  turned 
away,  "  poor  Darner !  "  The  old  man  looked  after 
her  for  a  moment  and  then  asked  a  gardener  who 
happened  to  pass  by  who  the  lady  was  that  had 
just  spoken  to  him.  When  told  that  it  was  the 
Queen,  he  laughed  and  said,  "  I'm  afraid  Her 
Majesty  will  think  I  have  forgotten  her !  " 

Boydell's    Shakespeare  was  published    in   1802, 


160  Life  of  James  Holmes 

and,  as  almost  everyone  now  knows,  it  contained 
prints  after  paintings  by  Reynolds,  Stothard,  Romney, 
Northcote,  Smirke,  Fuseli,  Opie,  Barry,  West, 
Richard  Westall,  Hamilton,  Wright  (of  Derby), 
Angelica  Kaufmann,  and  others.  But  by  this  time 
the  French  Revolution  had  put  a  stop  to  his  con- 
tinental trade,  and  placed  him  in  such  difficulties 
that  in  1804  he  was  obliged  to  apply  to  Parliament 
for  permission  to  dispose  of  his  property  by  lottery. 
The  result  enabled  him  to  pay  off  his  liabilities,  but 
he  did  not  live  long  enough  to  see  Tassie  carry  off 
the  prize. 

As  already  said,  the  Gallery  was  purchased  by 
the  British  Institution,  which  held  its  exhibitions 
therein  for  upwards  of  half  a  century.  The  British 
Gallery  did  a  great  deal  of  good  in  its  time,  and  was 
the  resort  of  artists  who  were  not  in  favour  with  the 
Royal  Academy.  On  this  account,  perhaps,  it  was 
not  greatly  admired  by  Academicians,  and  one  in 
particular,  noted  for  his  rancour,  was  never  so 
delighted  as  when  he  could  deal  a  blow  against  it. 
Possibly  these  ungenerous  attacks  were  the  chief 
reason  of  its  having  finally  to  close  its  doors.  Had 
the  artists  as  a  body  rallied  to  its  support,  this 
catastrophe  might  have  been  averted ;  but  they 
seem  to  be  the  only  set  of  craftsmen  left  who  have 
no  trade  organisation,  and  who  are  destitute  of  any 


Boydell,  Owen,  and  Others  161 

sort   of    esprit   de   corps — until    they   get   into   the 
Academy. 

But  the  attacks  from  outside  were  not  the  sole 
cause  of  the  Institution's  downfall.  Those  who 
relied  upon  it  for  support  and  publicity  were  not 
always  wise ;  sometimes  they  were  the  reverse. 
One  instance  of  the  latter  description  may  be 
mentioned,  as  it  points  a  moral,  and  makes  besides  a 
very  good  story.  Inskipp  was  a  constant  exhibitor 
at  the  British  Gallery.  He  was  an  artist  who, 
though  he  painted  figure  subjects  in  a  rough,  sloppy 
manner,  was  much  thought  of  in  his  day,  and  had 
the  good  fortune  to  be  generally  well  placed  at  the 
British  Institution.  The  Academy,  however,  in  his 
later  years  failed  to  appreciate  his  work  as  he 
desired,  and  he  did  not  get  much  "  show  "  on  its 
walls  ;  the  consequence  being  that  he  never  spared 
that  Institution  when  he  had  a  chance  of  slinging  a 
stone  at  it.  On  one  occasion  his  missile  proved  to 
be  a  boomerang,  much  to  his  surprise.  When  one 
spring  the  exhibition  of  the  British  Institution  was 
opened  it  was  found  that  he  had  a  picture  there  in 
which  was  a  donkey  on  whose  flank  were  inscribed 
the  letters  R.A.  This  was  considered  a  great  joke, 
and  the  laugh  was  against  the  Royal  Academy  until 
Clint,  the  Associate,  sauntered  into  the  Gallery,  saw 
the  ass  so  humorously  R.A.'d,  and  exclaimed, 


1 62  Life  of  James  Holmes 

"  Hallo  !  what's  this  ?  R.A. !  Oh,  I  see— Rejected 
Associate !  "  This  turned  the  tables — and,  it  may  be 
added,  the  laugh  also  —  so  effectually  upon  poor 
Inskipp  that  he  never  got  over  it.  Nor  did  the 
British  Institution  long  survive  it. 

•  But  apart  from  these  little  amenities,  it  is  a 
thousand  pities  that  the  Institution  was  allowed  to 
come  to  an  end.  It  did  an  immense  deal  in  its  time 
to  foster  British,  art,  not  only  by  the  encouragement 
of  rising  men,  but  by  its  annual  winter  exhibitions  of 
Old  Masters  ;  for  to  it  is  due  the  initiation  of  the 
movement  which  Was  afterwards  so  successfully 
taken  up  by  the  Academy. 

Holmes  was  ever  a  warm  friend  of  the  British 
Gallery,  although  he  never  exhibited  there.  This 
did  not  prevent  him  from  venting  a  bit  of  harmless 
satire  against  it  now  and  again,  as  when  he  once 
observed,  "  If  you  deduct  B.I.  from  R.A.,  you 
have  the  remainder  XX — Xpectation  and  Xasper- 
ation ! " 

But  though  the  artist  had  doubtless  many  faults, 
they  were  never  of  the  heart.  Friends  were  the 
same  to  him  whether  they  were  rich  or  poor,  one 
might  almost  say,  wise  or  foolish.  Misfortune  never 
alienated  him  or  checked  the  flow  of  his  sympathies. 
One  old  friend,  who  in  his  later  years  fell  into  much 
trouble,  received  both  sympathy  and  aid  from  him, 


Boy  dell,  Owen,  and  Others  163 

as  well  as  gave  him  much  amusement.  This  was  a 
man  named  Tickle,  who,  after  trying  many  occupa- 
tions, went  finally  into  the  coal  trade  and  soon  found 
himself  in  the  debtors'  prison,  a  bankrupt. 

Holmes  visited  him  there,  and  in  the  course  of 
conversation  asked  him  what  made  him  become  a 
coal  dealer. 

"  I  weally  dotht  know,"  replied  Tickle,  who  had 
a  terrible  lisp.  "It  wath  altogether  a  black 
bithneth." 

He  attributed  his  failures  generally,  however,  to 
a  termagant  of  a  wife.  In  condoling  with  his  friend 
on  this  infliction,  Holmes  remarked  that  anyway  it 
was  better  to  have  a  woman  with  a  violent  temper 
than  a  sulky  one.  "  The  storm  is  fierce  while  it 
lasts,  but  it  is  soon  over,"  he  added. 

"Oh,  the  ithn't  thulky,"  replied  Tickle,  "the's 
pathionate — exthwemely  pathionate — and  a  pathion- 
ate  woman  can  do  more  miththief  in  five  minuteth 
than  a  thulky  one  can  do  in  a  lifetime." 

Holmes  certainly  had  the  knack  of  making 
acquaintance  with  the  oddest  sort  of  people,  and  of 
extracting  the  greatest  amount  of  amusement  out  of 
them. 

Another  of  his  friends  was  Lord  Templeton,  who 
was  a  well-known  character  in  his  day,  always  to  be 
seen  driving  furiously  about  in  a  light  cabriolet  with 


164  Life  of  James  Holmes 

his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head.  He  took  a  fancy 
to  a  pretty  girl  who  sat  to  the  artist  for  "  Trulla"  in 
Hudibras,  and  for  female  characters  in  several 
other  of  his  subject  pictures  painted  for  Mr.  Taylor 
of  Strensham.  The  girl's  mother  was  as  ugly  as 
she  herself  was  pretty,  and  when  Templeton  one  day 
dropped  in  while  both  were  in  the  studio,  Holmes, 
seeing  his  lordship  glance  once  or  twice  at  the  elder, 
and  always  ready  to  help  along  a  little  fun, 
introduced  her  as  the  mother  of  his  model. 
"  What !  what !  "  exclaimed  Templeton,  looking  first 
at  one  and  then  at  the  other,  the  mother  making 
absurd  "bobs"  the  while.  "What!  You  the 
mother  of  that  pretty  girl,  and  you  so — you  so — 
Impossible!"  He  finished  up  with  a  loud  laugh, 
the  artist  joining  in. 

"  It  was  very  rude,"  remarked  Holmes  drily, 
describing  the  scene ;  "  but  it  was  impossible  to 
help  it,  the  old  woman  looked  so  absurd  bobbing 
up  and  down  and  grinning.  And  then  the  Witch  of 
Endor  was  a  beauty  in  comparison  with  her." 

The  girl  afterwards  married  —  well,  it  was 
thought,  and  she  was  lost  sight  of  for  a  time. 
Then  one  of  Holmes's  sons  met  her  aunt  and  asked 
after  her.  "  Oh,  she  is  married,"  the  woman  replied. 
"  Indeed!  who  has  she  married?"  "An  itinerary 
surgeon;  I  forget  his  other  name,"  was  the  reply. 


Boydell,  Owen,  and  Others  165 

But  the  "  itinerary "  appears  to  have  tired  of  his 
bargain  after  a  while,  and  went  off  to  America, 
leaving  his  wife  with  two  or  three  children.  -  Lord 
Templeton  then  came  to  the  aid  of  the  family, 
putting  them  into  a  tobacconist's  shop,  but  dropping 
them  after  a  time,  like  the  husband,  as  too  expensive 
a  luxury. 

Among  the  more  intellectual  of  the  artist's  many 
acquaintance  was  the  famous  Robert  Owen,  the 
Socialist.  They  first  met  at  the  house  of  a  gentle- 
man who  was  a  relative  of  Owen's.  The  latter  was 
at  that  time  a  young  man,  and  not  so  widely  known 
as  he  afterwards  became.  On  this  account  it  was 
perhaps  that  the  artist  had  not  previously  heard  of 
him  or  his  views.  He  then  spoke  of  his  colonies  as 
"  Parallelograms,"  a  name  which  greatly  amused 
Holmes,  who,  though  not  much  taken  by  the 
idealist's  schemes,  was  greatly  impressed  by  the 
intelligence  and  the  fine  enthusiasm  of  the  man. 

After  this  they  did  not  see  each  other  again  for 
several  years.  Their  second  meeting  took  place 
on  the  occasion  of  a  lecture  delivered  by  Owen 
in  the  Egyptian  Hall.  Holmes  then  renewed  his 
acquaintance,  and  Owen  became  a  frequent  visitor 
at  15  Wilton  Street.  He  was  there  introduced  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurlstone,  and  was  invited  by  them 
to  9  Chester  Street.  Hurlstone  painted  an  excellent 


1 66  Life  of  James  Holmes 

portrait  of  him,  the  present  whereabouts  of  which  it 
would  be  pleasing  to  know. 

Owen  was  not  a  popular  man  with  society.  His 
religious  views,  and  more  particularly  his  advanced 
ideas  in  regard  to  matrimony  and  divorce  (divorce 
at  that  time  being  almost  impossible,  even  to  the 
richest),  put  him  outside  "the  dining  and  being 
dined "  class  of  society.  Holmes,  though  a  warm 
friend  of  reform  and  in  some  respects  an  idealist, 
found  little  in  Owen's  schemes  to  commend  itself  to 
his  sober  common-sense.  The  man's  enthusiasm 
for  humanity  he  admired,  and  believed  many  of  his 
ideas,  if  properly  carried  out,  would  greatly  benefit 
society  ;  but,  strangely  enough,  it  was  not  the 
idealistic  tendency  of  Owen's  general  schemes  so 
much  as  their  dry  utilitarianism  that  was  most 
repugnant  to  him,  as  well  as  to  Hurlstone.  In 
many  respects  his  ideas  were  very  crude.  His 
views  of  life  had  been  gathered  from  the  lower 
walks  of  life,  and  were  of  the  simplest.  They  did 
not  extend  much  beyond  the  physical  wants,  and 
how  best  to  supply  them.  Believing  that  four 
hours'  work  a  day  was  sufficient  to  provide  for  a 
man's  animal  needs,  he  would  have  had  every  man 
labour  for  that  length  of  time,  and  devote  the 
remainder  of  the  day  to  recreation  and  study. 

But  his  opinions  changed  somewhat  after  this 


Boy  dell,  Owen,  and  Others  167 

second  acquaintance  with  Holmes.  At  the  latter's 
table,  as  well  as  at  Hurlstone's,  he  met  a  different 
set  of  people  from  those  he  had  been  used  to,  but 
chiefly  artists,  writers,  wits,  and  perhaps  one  would 
add  at  the  present  day,  " cranks";  and  the  en- 
larged views  of  society  he  there  obtained  caused 
him  to  extend  or  modify  many  of  his  notions.  The 
change  was  noticed  in  his  lectures.  For  one  thing, 
he  had  not  previously  realised  any  of  the  higher 
wants  such  as  are  satisfied  by  the  study  of  art, 
science,  or  literature,  and  only  now  began  to  con- 
sider in  what  way  they  might  be  made  useful  in  his 
"  parallelogrammatic  "  system. 

Holmes,  with  his  penchant  for  looking  at  things 
in  a  ludicrous  light,  once  suggested  a  difficulty  in 
regard  to  the  partition  of  work,  saying  that  he  him- 
self might  object  to  sweeping  chimneys,  or  other 
such  discolouring  work.  Owen  promptly  got  over 
the  difficulty  with  the  remark,  "  Oh,  the  boys  would 
do  all  that  kind  of  work.  They  like  to  be  in  the 
dirt." 

Another  answer  he  gave  to  an  objection  showed 
how,  in  his  cut-and-dried  system,  the  facts  of  human 
nature  were  quite  got  rid  of.  Someone  observed 
that  a  Napoleon  might  arise  when  he  had  reorgan- 
ised society  according  to  his  plan,  and  knock  his 
parallelograms  into  a  cocked  hat.  "  Oh  no,"  said 


1 68  Life  of  James  Holmes 

he.  "  Education  would  have  entirely  changed  the 
thoughts  of  men,  rendering  each  one  amenable  to 
the  others  and  to  the  general  order." 

On  one  occasion  there  was  a  great  Socialist 
gathering  at  Highbury  Barn,  to  which  Holmes  and 
his  family,  Hurlstone  and  his  wife,  and  others  of 
their  set  went,  "for  the  fun  of  the  thing."  There 
was  the  usual  discoursing,  eating  and  drinking,  and 
the  like,  the  whole  finishing  up  with  a  dance. 
Owen,  who  was  tall  and  of  manly  proportions,  with 
strongly-marked  features,  yet  with  an  expression 
and  a  marmer  as  gentle  and  simple  as  a  child, 
walked  about  smiling  and  benignant,  chatting  first 
with  one  and  then  with  another,  and  looking,  with 
his  grand  head,  as  one  man  remarked,  "like  a 
deity." 

An  amusing  little  incident  occurred,  showing 
how  little  easy  it  is  to  bring  human  nature  down  to 
a  common  level.  When  the  music  was  going,  and 
the  couples  were  whirling  about  the  room  to  its 
inspiring  strains,  a  little  man  approached  Mrs. 
Hurlstone,  and  asked  her  if  she  would  favour  him 
with  her  hand  in  a  dance.  She  immediately  drew 
herself  up  and  rather  haughtily  refused  ;  whereupon 
the  man  replied  with  a  grin,  "  You're  not  very 
Socialist."  "Oh,  I  quite  forgot  where  we  are!" 
she  exclaimed,  turning  to  Holmes.  "  It  will  take 


Boy  dell,  Owen,  and  Others  169 

an  age  to  socialise  you,  I'm  afraid,"  he  returned  with 
a  laugh.  "  Here,  let  me  give  you  a  lesson  in 
parallelogramisation,"  and  away  he  went  round 
the  room  with  a  hastily  -  picked  companion  of  the 
working-class  type,  with  whom  he  soon  floundered 
against  the  benignantly-smiling  Mr.  Owen. 

"  Ah,  this  is  nice  of  you,  Mr.  Holmes — this  is  very 
nice !     We   are   progressing   beautifully.      At   this 
rate  we  shall  soon  reach  the — soon  reach  the— 
" Millennium,"  suggested  the  artist  with  a  laugh,  and 
away  he  whirled  again  with  his  partner. 

Recounting  the  joke  afterwards  to  Hurlstone, 
and  observing  Mrs.  Hurlstone's  smile,  Holmes 
remarked,  "You  probably,  Mrs.  Hurlstone,  would 
think  the  progress  was  towards  a  Mile-end-ium  ? " 
But  she  did  not  see  the  point  of  the  witticism. 

Another  of  the  artist's  reminiscences  of  Owen, 
though  touching  his  views  on  religious  subjects,  may 
be  recorded  without  irreverence.  At  the  close  of 
his  lectures  in  the  Egyptian  Hall  it  was  customary 
to  give  an  opportunity  for  questions  to  be  asked  and 
objections  advanced.  One  evening  a  clergyman 
rose,  but  instead  of  attempting  to  combat  the 
lecturer's  position,  he  simply  held  up  a  Bible  and 
said,  "This  is  my  stronghold;  I  believe  in  this; 
on  this  I  am  prepared  to  stand  or  fall."  "  Have  you 
any  argument  to  advance,  sir?"  politely  asked  Mr. 


1 70  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Owen.  No,  he  had  simply  to  say  that  in  the 
Scriptures  he  had  the  most  implicit  belief.  "Can 
you  believe  that  these  three  candles  are  one  ? "  ques- 
tioned the  lecturer.  "Yes,  certainly,"  replied  the 
clergyman.  "That  being  so,"  returned  Mr.  Owen 
with  a  bow,  "  I  have  nothing  more  to  say ;  there  is 
indeed  nothing  to  be  said." 

Towards  the  close  of  his  days  Owen  became  a 
convert  to  Spiritualism,  and  everybody  said,  repeat- 
ing the  witticism  of  one  man,  that  in  the  end  the 
best  of  china  got  cracked.  To  which  Holmes's 
answer  was,  "  The  point  that  they  do  not  see  is  that 
the  crack  was  there  from  the  beginning." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

BARON    DE    BODE 

ANOTHER  of  Holmes's  most  intimate  friends,  and  a 
man  who  was  sufficiently  notorious,  if  not  celebrated, 
in  his  day,  calls  for  a  few  paragraphs  if  only  for  the 
misfortunes  that  embittered  his  days  and  finally 
brought  his  career  to  a  tragic  end.  Many,  possibly, 
whose  memories  carry  them  back  to  the  mid-period 
of  the  century  will  recall  the  name  of  the  Baron  de 
Bode  and  the  oft-repeated  story  of  his  claims  upon 
the  British  Government,  or,  to  put  it  more  correctly, 
upon  the  Crown,  consequent  upon  his  being  obliged 
to  take  refuge  in  England  during  the  Reign  of 
Terror. 

Baron  Clement  Joseph  Philip  Pen  de  Bode  was 
the  eldest  son  of  Charles  Augustus  de  Bode,  the 
first  Baron,  a  German  by  birth,  and  was  born  at 
Loxley  Park,  in  the  county  of  Stafford,  in  1777,  his 
mother  being  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Kinnersley  of  that 
place.  Baron  Charles  Augustus  acquired  an  estate 


172  Life  of  James  Holmes 

at  Soultz  in  Alsace  in  1787,  and  made  it  over  to  his 
son  in  1791.  He  migrated  in  1793  and  died  four 
years  later.  The  son  went  to  reside  in  Alsace  in 
1787,  and  migrated  with  his  father  in  1793, 
whereupon  the  estates  at  Soultz  were  confiscated. 
Subsequently  he  became  a  naturalised  British 
subject. 

Thus  matters  stood  when,  upon  the  downfall  of 
Napoleon,  Louis  the  Eighteenth  was  raised  to  the 
throne  of  France,  and  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed 
between  that  Power  and  England  in  May  1814.  In 
the  following  year  (November  1815)  a  convention  was 
framed  in  accordance  with  the  above  treaty,  whereby 
it  was  agreed  that  a  commission  should  be  formed, 
composed  of  one  half  English  and  the  other  half 
French  commissioners,  for  the  purpose  of  examining 
the  claims  of  British  subjects  and  determining  the 
amount  of  indemnity  they  should  receive  for  the  loss 
of  property  in  France  in  consequence  of  and  during 
the  Revolution,  and  a  sum  of  money  or  property 
representing  a  capital  of  70,000,000  francs,  bear- 
ing interest  at  5  per  cent,  was  at  the  same  time 
set  aside  to  pay  the  said  claims. 

The  Baron  first  of  all  sent  in  his  claim  to  the 
French  commissioners,  but  being  informed  that  he 
must  lay  it  before  the  English  section  of  the  com- 
mission, he  rectified  his  error  and  presented  his 


Baron  de  Bode  173 


claim  for  indemnity  in  1816,  within  the  limit  of  time 
fixed  for  such  demands  to  be  deposited.  Many  of 
the  claims  were  paid,  but  the  Baron  de  Bode's  was 
passed  over.  Subsequently  a  change  was  made  in 
the  commission,  the  French  section  of  it  being  done 
away  with,  and  a  lump  sum,  amounting  to  something 
like  ,£2,000,000  sterling,  being  paid  over  to  the 
British  Government  with  which  to  settle  all  outstand- 
ing claims. 

Again  and  again  the  Baron  applied  to  the  com- 
mission for  payment  of  his  indemnity,  producing  all 
the  documents  necessary  to  support  his  claim,  and 
proving  his  title  up  to  the  hilt,  but  still  without 
success.  Finally,  in  1822  the  commission  decided 
against  him.  The  matter  was  then  brought  before 
the  Privy  Council,  who  upheld  the  decision  of  the 
commission.  Some  years  later  (May  1826)  the  case 
came  before  the  House  of  Commons  on  petition, 
and  once,  if  not  twice,  subsequently,  but  on  each 
occasion  with  the  same  result— non-success. 

But  the  Baron  was  not  to  be  beaten,  and  in  1837 
or  1 838  he  entered  an  action-at-law  against  the  Crown, 
or,  in  legal  phraseology,  instituted  a  petition  of  right. 
This  was  only  the  first  of  a  series  of  trials,  the  upshot 
result  of  which  was  that,  though  De  Bode  won  verdict 
after  verdict,  he  never  got  one  step  nearer  to  the 
realisation  of  his  claim.  In  the  end  the  disappoint- 


174  Life  of  James  Holmes 

ment  consequent  upon  these  repeated  failures  broke 
his  heart. 

Holmes  used  often  to  speak  of  the  visit  De  Bode 
paid  him  the  day  the  jury  gave  a  verdict  in  his 
favour,  and  found  him  entitled  to  a  sum  of  ,£350,000. 
As  he  entered  the  studio  he  exclaimed— 

"  Enfin  ^  mon  cher  ami — enfin  fai  triomphe1 ! 
Justice  has  been  done  me  at  last — I  am  to  have 
.£350,000,  Enfin — mais  comme  je  suis  las  /" 

De  Bode  was  then  getting  old,  but  the  worries 
and  anxieties  he  had  gone  through  had  aged  him 
more  than  his  actual  years.  When  he  said  he  was 
tired,  Holmes  noted  the  deep  furrows  that  care  had 
ploughed  upon  his  face  and  the  shadow  of  sorrow  it 
had  cast  over  his  eyes,  and  he  could  hardly  contain 
his  grief. 

"  But  you  do  not  congratulate  me  on  my  success, 
mon  cher  Monsieur  Holmes"  said  the  Baron. 

"  I  congratulate  you  with  all  my  heart,"  the  artist 
replied,  "  but  I  shall  be  able  to  congratulate  you  with 
much  more  heartiness  when  you  get  your  money." 

De  Bode  was  struck  with  his  friend's  words,  and 
asked,  "  But  shall  I  not  get  my  money  now  ?  Will 
they  not  pay  it  to  me  ? " 

-Who?" 

"The  Government." 

Holmes  shook  his  head. 


Baron  de  Bode  175 


"You  afflict  me,"  said  De  Bode.  "  Do  you 
think  they  will  not  pay  me  ?  " 

"  I  think,  my  dear  Baron,  that  you  have  still  to 
get  your  money,  and  I  do  not  exactly  see  who  is 
going  to  pay  you." 

The  artist  had  lived  through  a  bad  time;  he  had 
mixed  with  all  ranks  of  society,  and  had  seen  how 
corrupt  and  rotten  it  was.  He  was  not  at  heart 
what  would  be  called  a  cynical  man,  but  what  he 
had  seen  of  governments  had  made  him  doubt  ; 
and  he  did  not  believe  the  litigant  was  any  nearer 
the  actual  accomplishment  of  justice  than  before  his 
verdict. 

De  Bode  went  away  saying  that  if  the  money 
were  not  paid  him  he  should  sue  the  Queen.  This 
eventually  he  did.  The  case  was  tried  before  Lord 
Denman,  who,  to  his  eternal  disgrace  be  it  said, 
found  that,  though  De  Bode's  claim  was  good, 
and  the  verdict  of  the  jury  just,  yet  he  had  no  means 
of  recovery,  as  the  persons  who  had  received  the 
money  and  who  ought  to  have  paid  it  were  all  dead. 
A  more  unfair  judgment  was  probably  never  given 
in  a  court  of  law. 

Our  system  of  jurisprudence  has  been  improved 
since  then,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  never ^  again 
will  it  be  possible  for  an  English  judge  to  fail 
in  regard  to  so  elementary  a  principle  of  justice 


176  Life  of  James  Holmes 

as  that  the  responsibility  of  governments  continues 
notwithstanding  the  decease  of  individuals,  as  did 
Denman.  Nevertheless,  our  system  of  so-called 
justice  is  very  far  from  perfect.  It  is  one  by 
which  a  suitor  is  apt  to  get  a  monstrous  deal 
of  law,  but  very  little  equity. 

This  terrible  end  to  the  poor  Baron's  long  years 
of  effort  proved  too  much  for  him,  and  he  was  a  little 
while  afterwards  found  dead  in  his  bed.1 

An  inquest  was  held,  and  as  the  facts  of  his  life 
and  of  his  sad  end  were  brought  out,  the  jury  found 
that  the  deceased  gentleman  had  died  from  natural 
causes,  but  that  his  death  had  been  accelerated  by 
the  bad  treatment  of  the  Government.  The  coroner 
refused  to  receive  this  verdict.  "  It  means  a  charge 
of  manslaughter  against  the  Government,"  he  said. 
"  You  must  retire  again  and  reconsider  your  verdict, 
gentlemen."  And  like  true  invertebrate  British 
jurymen,  they  did  as  they  were  told,  and  spared  the 
Government. 

De  Bode  left  a  son,  who  continued  to  prosecute 
the  family  claim  against  the  Crown,  though  with 
the  same  ill  success  as  his  father.  The  last  time  it 
was  heard  of  was  in  1853,  when  Lord  Lyndhurst 
brought  the  matter  before  the  House  of  Lords, 
and  in  a  speech  that  did  credit  alike  to  his  manhood 

1  This  took  place  in  1846. 


Baron  de  Bode  1 7  7 


and  the  high  reputation  he  had  won  as  a  lawyer, 
laid  bare  the  flagrant  injustice  that  had  been  done 
in  the  case  of  this  long-pending  claim.  But  all  his 
eloquence  was  in  vain ;  the  money  had  been 
swallowed  up  by  "  Bode  Palace,"  l  or  in  some  other 
way,  and  there  was  no  redress. 

It  is  worth  while,  however,  quoting  two  or  three 
sentences  from  Lord  Lyndhurst's  speech  to  show 
the  light  in  which  such  an  authority  viewed  the 
matter : — 

"I  have,  my  Lords,"  he  said,  "grown  gray  in 
the  profession  of  the  law,  but  I  have  never  in  my 
experience  known  a  question  so  completely  mysti- 
fied, if  I  may  so  express  myself,  by  the  perverted 
ingenuity  of  its  practitioners,  as  this  unfortunate 
question  respecting  the  claim  of  the  Baron  de 
Bode."  He  further  said,  "  I  must  add  that  I  never 
in  my  experience  witnessed  a  more  inexcusable  and 
flagrant  breach  of  trust  than  that  which  has  been 
thus  committed.  .  .  .  Every  step  has  been  marked 
with  low  chicanery  and  technical  obstruction." 

De  Bode  was  well  known  amongst  the  aris- 
tocracy, by  whom  he  was  greatly  esteemed  for  the 
courageous  way  in  which  he  bore  his  misfortunes, 
as  well  as  for  his  cheery  good-nature  and  light- 

1  This  was  the  name  given  by  De  Bode  to  Buckingham  Palace,  which,  as 
he  used  to  say,  had  been  built  with  his  money. 


178  Life  of  James  Holmes 

heartedness  under  crosses  that  would  have  soured 
ninety-nine  men  out  of  every  hundred.  By  these 
friends  he  was  largely  supported  during  his  pro- 
tracted litigations  through  gifts  and  loans.  One 
of  his  best  and  most  generous  patrons,  to  whom 
he  was  introduced  by  Holmes,  was  Sir  Gerald 
Noel,  afterwards  the  Earl  of  Gainsborough, 
and  father  of  the  Rev.  Baptist  Noel,  the  famous 
preacher. 

Holmes  never  spoke  of  this  nobleman  except  in 
terms  of  the  highest  praise,  as  being  the  most 
admirable  type  of  a  man  that  he  had  ever  known. 
He  had  many  anecdotes  of  his  kindness  and  gen- 
erosity, as  well  as  of  his  invariable  good-humour 
and  sunshiny  nature.  It  appears  that  as  a  young 
man  he  joined  some  bank  speculation,  and  when  it 
unfortunately  failed,  he  was  so  seriously  involved — 
there  being  then  no  such  thing  as  limited  liability — 
that  he  had  practically  to  give  up  his  estates  to  the 
liquidators  and  live  upon  an  allowance  out  of  them. 
This  meant  greatly  narrowed  means  for  years ; 
nevertheless  Sir  Gerald  bore  his  altered  circum- 
stances, with  their  constant  need  for  careful 
retrenchment,  without  a  murmur.  Nay,  he  even 
managed  at  times  to  be  generous  in  the  midst  of 
his  poverty. 

Thus,  on  one  occasion,  when  a  new  church  was  to 


Baron  de  Bode  \  79 


be  built  in  his  neighbourhood,  and  the  subscription  list 
was  going  round,  those  who  had  the  management  of 
it  thoughtfully  refrained  from  laying  it  before  the 
baronet  until  the  larger  donors  had  been  passed,  and 
they  had  come  down  to  the  givers  of  ^50  and 
under,  delicately  suggesting,  of  course,  that  they 
could  not  expect  him  in  his  impoverished  condition 
to  give  more.  Sir  Gerald  took  the  list  and  carefully 
ran  his  eye  down  it,  noting  the  various  donors,  from 
those  whose  names  stood  first  to  sums  of  ^500  and 
the  like,  and  so  on  to  the  end,  and  then,  taking  a 
pen,  put  down  his  signature  to  a  sum  of  ^1000. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

ARISTOCRATIC    FRIENDS    AND    PATRONS 

AMONGST  the  artist's  aristocratic  friends  there  were 
few  so  generous  in  their  support  and  patronage 
as  Mrs.  Essex  Cholmondeley,  the  sister  of  Lord 
Delamere.  His  friendship  with  this  lady  and  her 
family  continued  for  many  years,  and  he  was  fre- 
quently both  at  Cassia,  her  residence,  and  at  Vale 
Royal,  the  seat  of  Lord  Delamere,  and  painted  por- 
traits of  many  of  the  family.  The  following  letters 
all  refer  to  portrait  commissions  ;  but  they  have  a 
general  interest  apart  from  that  circumstance  :— 

VALE  ROYAL,  August  9,  1835. 

SIR — I  am  desired  by  Lord  and  Lady  Delamere  to  hope  that 
it  will  not  be  inconvenient  to  you  to '  come  to  Vale  Royal 
as  soon  as  possible,  as  the  youngest  boy  is  very  soon  going  to 
school,  and  the  second  son,  being  in  the  army,  may  be  called 
away  any  moment.  If  you  will  write  to  me  and  fix  any  day  that 
you  will  be  at  Vale  Royal,  Lady  Delamere  will  send  the  pony 
carriage  to  meet  you  at  Northwich. 

ESSEX  CHOLMONDELEY. 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Patrons  181 

Please  to  direct  to  me,  Mrs.  Essex  Cholmondeley,  under 
cover  to  Lord  Delamere,  Vale  Royal,  Northwich,  Cheshire. 

P.  S. — The  parents  of  the  youths  wish  their  likenesses  to  be 
taken  in  water  colours,  the  same  as  the  young  Cholmondeleys  of 
Hodnet  Hall,  and  not  in  oils. 

3  SUMMER  SEAT,  BOOTLE,  LIVERPOOL. 

SIR — It  will  much  oblige  me  if  you  will  undertake  a  journey 
to  Knutsford  in  Cheshire.  I  wish  for  my  brother  Charles's 
picture  as  a  small  full-length  painting.  He  is  a  very  elderly 
gentleman  and  not  so  fine  a  figure  as  my  eldest  brother,  but  was 
thought  handsome  in  his  youth.  I  have  apprized  him  of  your 
approach,  and  his  very  oldest  coat  has  now  been  brushed.  Pray 
allow  me  some  interest  in  your  truly  elegant  likenesses.  Vale 
Royal  will  receive  you  from  Knutsford,  and  I  entreat  you  to 
follow  its  master  and  gain  a  likeness  of  him. — From  your  true 
friend,  ESSEX  CHOLMONDELEY. 

Charles  Cholmondeley  and  his  daughters  will  mention  you  at 
Tatton  and  Dunham  Massey,  two  principal  mansions  in  Cheshire. 
Tatton  possesses  a  numerous  family,  and  the  high-bred  manners 
at  Dunham  Massey  will,  I  am  sure,  be  approved  of  by  you. 
September  29,  1835. 

CASSIA,  May  29,  1836. 

SIR — I  hope  you  are  taking  my  niece  Miss  Drummond's 
likeness — you  are  so  superior  an  artist.  She  is  rather  fat,  but 
pretty,  with  elegant  hands  and  feet ;  she  lives  at  Chesham  Place, 
Grosvenor  Place,  and  will  expect  you,  if  you  have  not  already 
called  upon  her.  Her  brother,  John  Drummond,  tells  me  he 
will  be  happy  to  see  you,  and  I  desire  you  will  take  a  likeness  of 
Miss  Hester  Drummond,  his  daughter.  They  must  be  done  in 
the  style  of  Charley  Cholmondeley's,  and  when  finished  you  must 
send  the  account  to  me  and  I  shall  be  happy  to  settle  it.  Lady 


1 82  Life  of  James  Holmes 

Delamere  will  bring  the  drawings  to  Vale  Royal  when  she  leaves 
London. — I  am  ever  your  true  friend, 

ESSEX  CHOLMONDELEY. 

June  21,  1836. 

SIR — Whenever  you  are  at  leisure  I  know  you  will  oblige  me 
in  making  a  good  likeness  of  a  sister  I  never  can  forget,  namely, 
Hester  Drummond  Conce  Cholmondeley.  You  are  expected  to 
occupy  a  room  in  Vale  Royal,  where  a  picture  hangs  of  her  by 
Monsieur  Monier,  a  French  artist.  You  must  know  she  was  in 
a  deep  consumption  when  the  painter  drew  it.  Pray,  I  beseech 
you,  enliven  the  lovely  beauty,  and  in  one  of  your  small  lengths 
try  to  recollect  and  represent  to  the  eyes  every  beauty  of  body 
and  mind  in  the  representation  of  Hester  Cholmondeley. — Yours 
much  obliged,  ESSEX  CHOLMONDELEY. 

CASSIA,  December  20,  1837. 

SIR — Surely  it  is  encroaching  on  your  time  to  write  to  me 
from  Acton  Park  your  obliging  attentions.  I  hope  you  will 
recollect  that  old  Mr.  Okell  of  Sandiway  is  dead,  and  that  I  will 
accept  from  memory  a  likeness  of  him  from  you.  I  would  not 
mention  his  demise  in  my  last  troublesome  letter  to  you,  although 
I  thought  of  it.  Is  it  possible  to  forget  a  real  friend  ?  Thank 
you  for  complying  with  my  requests,  and  allow  me  to  wish  you 
and  all  your  family  a  merry  Christmas. 

ESSEX  CHOLMONDELEY. 

CASSIA,  \Qth  March  1839. 

SIR — When  you  have  elegantized  with  your  pencil  Archbishop 
Drummond  and  George  James  Cholmondeley,  you  will  be  so 
obliging  as  to  introduce  them  at  Charing  Cross,  for  ;£io  each, 
by  Essex  Cholmondeley's  orders.  You  will  receive  Hester  and 
Essex  Cholmondeley  to  copy  for  my  nephew  John  Drummond, 
and  present  them  to  him  at  the  same  order.  Take  care  this 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Patrons  183 

accompanies    your   beautiful    effects    and    produce  it    to   them, 
namely,  to  the  Messrs.  Drummond. 

I  thank  Mrs.  Holmes  for  her  obliging  attentions  to 

ESSEX  CHOLMONDELEY. 

CASSIA,  February  16,  1840. 

SIR — I  have  just  received  your  obliging  letter.  I  have  heard 
from  Mrs.  Cholmondeley,  and  she  agrees  with  me  in  regard  to 
your  going  to  Hodnet  in  the  autumn.  I  hope  to  meet  you 
there,  but  that  is  uncertain. 

I  will  accept  with  pleasure*  your  likeness  of  Reginald,  as  you 
appear  to  wish  it. 

Pray  excuse  this  concise  letter,  and  believe  me  your  true 
friend,  ESSEX  CHOLMONDELEY. 

Another  family  for  whom  Holmes  painted  almost 
as  many  portraits  as  for  the  Cholmondeleys  and 
Delameres  was  that  of  the  Duke  of  Leeds.  The 
Duchess  was  one  of  his  warmest  and  most  constant 
friends,  and  he  executed  a  miniature  portrait  of  her 
as  well  as  of  the  Duke.  He  also  painted  a  minia- 
ture of  their  daughter,  the  beautiful  Lady  Charlotte 
Mary  Lane-Fox,  wife  of  Sackville  Walter  Lane- 
Fox,  M.P.,  who  died  at  a  comparatively  early  age 
1 7th  January  1836.  The  following  interesting  letter, 
addressed  to  her  aunt,  has  reference  to  the  portrait 
in  question  :— 

HORNBY  CASTLE,  Thursday. 

MY  DEAR  AUNT — Thank  you  ten  thousand  times  for  all  your 
news.  I  do  hope  the  aspect  is  brightening  and  Sir  R(obert)  P(eel) 
is  determined  to  go  on  as  long  as  the  King  will  keep  him. 


184  Life  of  James  Holmes 

I  am  sending  this  by  a  box  going  up,  and  I  seize  the  oppor- 
tunity to  enclose  some  hints  for  Le  petit  Peintre  au  sujet  de  mon 
Portrait.  I  am  si  reconnaissant  for  what  you  tell  me,  and  shall 
be  further  obliged  if  you  will  see  to  the  finishing.  I  wish  the 
little  man  would  scrawl  in  pencil  on  any  scrap  of  paper  the 
outline  and  how  he  has  put  the  figure  together,  as  neither  the 
hands  nor  the  arrangement  of  the  flower-vase  was  at  all  defined 
when  I  last  saw  it. 

I  beg  by  all  means  the  point  lace  may  be  dabbled  a  point 
higher  on  the  shoulder.  Pray  see  to  this  propriety,  je  fen  prie, 
dear  aunt.  Then  the  rose ;  I  would  wish  white  (House  of  York). 
I  did  not  wish  the  blue  lining ;  my  conceit  was  to  have  been  a 
sable  bordure  along  the  edge  of  the  mantilla  about  the  width  of  a 
boa.  He  will  say  the  contrast  would  not  be  enough  with  the 
feuille  morte.  To  set  against  this,  show  him  a  sketch  of  the  most 
perfect  picture  in  the  world  as  to  colouring,  subject,  "  La  Maitresse 
de  Titian,"  the  original  in  the  Studio  Gallery  at  Naples  !  and  the 
colour  of  the  squirrel,  which  would  be  nearly  that  of  the  fur.  I 
wish  not  quite  so  red  brown,  and  it  harmonizes  perfectly  with  the 
feuille-morte  garb.  I  trouble  your  patience  still  further  with  two 
prints,  the  one  of  Lady  Radstock,  to  show  him  the  sort  of 
balustrade  and  creeping  plants  about  it,  and  the  Duchess  of 
Bedford,  to  show  him  the  size  and  description  of  vase,  which 
should  be  filled  with  roses,  white  and  red  But  pray  tell  him  the 
red  roses  ought  to  be  a  tender  pink,  or  else  they  make  the  picture 
look  dauby  and  bad,  and  jessamine  besides,  if  he  pleases. 

If  he  attends  to  these  suggestions,  he  has  our  free  permission 
to  hang  me  (I  hope  the  simile  ends  there)  in  the  exhibition  if  he 
wishes  it  so  much.  I  do  not  write  to  him,  as  I  have  troubled  you 
with  these  observations,  which  perhaps  you  will  at  your  leisure 
read  to  him.  If  the  blue  lining  to  my  mantilla  is  persevered  in,  I 
beg  it  may  be  distinctly  turquoise  blue,  or  a  very  bright  royal  blue. 
This^  colour,  and  not  a  gray  or  Marie  Louise  blue  for  the  world  ! 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Patrons  185 

I  am  writing  this  in  flying  haste  for  the  box. 
I  am  afraid  all  this  will  be  such  a  plague  to  you. — Believe  me, 
my  dear  aunt,  your  affectionate  grateful  niece,          C.  M.  L.  F. 

The  following  letters  from  the  Duchess  of  Leeds 
have  reference  to  her  bereavement  through  the 
death  of  her  daughter  :— 

The  Duchess  of  Leeds'  compts.  to  Mr.  Holmes,  and  would 
be  very  glad  to  see  him  here,  and  should  her  life  extend  to 
another  year,  hopes  some  good  chance  may  occur  to  the  causing 
his  coming  into  the  North,  and  that  it  may  suit  better  than  at 
present  his  coming  to  this  melancholy  abode.  The  next  month 
the  Duke  will  be  wholly  engaged  with  his  agent's  accounts,  and 
therefore  he  would  not  desire  any  one  else  here.  She  need  not 
say  how  very  much  she  would  like  to  see  the  sketch  he  writes  he 
had  done  for  himself,  of  "  the  head  finished  and  the  rest  touched 
delicately."  She  absolutely  yearns  for  it,  for  now  that  she  has  given 
Mr.  Fox  the  miniature  she  never  sees  it ;  perhaps  he  would  have 
the  goodness  to  send  it  here,  and  she  would  on  his  return  to  town 
send  him  the  MS.  book  she  wishes  him  to  put  a  likeness  into  of 
the  dear  angel. 

The  picture  must  not  come  from  his  possession  at  present,  she 
imagines,  for  she  never  can  speak  to  Mr.  Fox  on  the  subject. 
When  he  and  the  Duke  are  next  in  town  they  will  determine 
regarding  all  the  pictures,  and  the  Duke  will  give  the  finishing 
sittings  for  his  picture. 

She  hopes  Mr.  Holmes  can  send  her  the  sketch  as  immediately 
as  possible. 

HORNBY  CASTLE,  October  28. 

Begs,  if  Mr.  Holmes  can  let  her  possess  the  sketch,  that  he 
will  state  its  price. 


1 86  Life  of  James  Holmes 

The  Duchess  of  Leeds  is  very  wishful  Mr.  Holmes  could 
paint  her  another  miniature  as  faithful  a  likeness  as  the  last  of 
the  beloved  daughter,  as  she  has  given  that  one  to  Mr.  Fox  and 
cannot  do  without  one  for  the  dear  children,  and  she  will  send 
him  a  book  to  town  next  week.  She  wishes  him  to  make  a  sketch 
in  water  colour,  as  she  will  point  out ;  but  wishes  immediately  to 
bespeak  the  miniature  to  be  doing.  Is  glad  to  say  the  dear 
children  are  well,  so  is  Mr.  Fox.  As  to  herself,  her  malady  keeps 
increasing. 

She  hopes  Mr.  Holmes  and  family  are  well. 

HORNBY  CASTLE,  CATTENIK,  October  26. 

Mr.  Holmes  paid  several  visits  to  Hornby 
Castle,  the  Yorkshire  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Leeds. 

Another  house  at  which  he  was  a  frequent  visitor 
was  Woburn  Abbey,  the  Bedfordshire  seat  of  the 
Duke  of  Bedford.  The  Duchess  was  his  very  good 
friend,  and  his  visits  were  continued  after  the  death 
of  the  Duke.  He  used  to  say  laughingly  that  he 
went  to  keep  the  place  warm  for  Sir  Edwin  Land- 
seer,  who  afterwards  became  very  intimate  with  the 
Duchess,  and  had,  as  is  well  known,  some  hopes  of 
marrying  her. 

Holmes  did  not  know  the  famous  animal  painter 
well,  although  he  had  met  him  from  time  to  time. 
There  is  an  amusing  anecdote  about  him  which  is 
well  worth  relating.  Once  when  he  had  gone  into  a 
new  house  with  a  garden  (in  St.  John's  Wood,  I 
believe)  he  planted  the  latter  with  a  lot  of  standard 


Aristocratic  Friends  and  Patrons  187 

rose-trees.  They  did  not  thrive,  however,  and  so 
disappointed  was  the  artist  when  he  was  about  to 
have  a  party  that  he  bought  a  large  quantity  of 
paper  roses  and  made  his  garden  bloom  resplendently 
with  them  (on  his  standards).  He  used  to  smile 
when  he  related  the  incident,  because  he  said  none 
of  his  guests  detected  the  deception,  while  many 
praised  the  beauty  of  his  garden. 

Sir  Josiah  Mason,  the  Birmingham  millionaire 
(to  whom  the  queen-city  of  the  Midlands  owes  her 
Erdington  Orphanage  and  the  Mason  College),  used 
to  boast  of  a  similar,  though  less  innocent  deception. 
At  his  grand  dinners  he  was  wont  to  put  home-made 
gooseberry  wine  upon  the  table  in  place  of  cham- 
pagne, and  then  laugh  in  his  sleeve  at  the  way  his 
guests  gulped  down  the  liquid  and  praised  the 
excellence  of  the  vintage. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    END 

HITHERTO  Holmes  had  found  life  very  pleasant,  and 
upon  the  whole  he  had  had  no  great  reason  to  com- 
plain of  want  of  success.  But  he  was  now  destined 
to  meet  with  a  sore  trial.  Always  of  a  perfectly 
honest  and  truthful  nature  himself,  it  did  not  enter 
into  his  thoughts  to  regard  his  friends  as  in  any 
respect  less  trustworthy.  Amongst  the  number  of  his 
business  acquaintance  was  the  head  of  a  well-known 
firm  of  builders  in  Doughty  Street.  This  man  he 
had  known  since  the  early  days  of  his  settlement  in 
Cirencester  Place,  when  he  had  built  a  studio  for 
him  at  the  back  of  his  house.  The  artist  employed 
him  also  to  put  up  a  studio  in  Wilton  Street,  when 
he  removed  thither  in  1828,  and  was  charged  what 
he  considered  an  exorbitant  price  for  it. 

About,  or  shortly  before,  the  time  of  removal  to 
Wilton  Street,  Holmes  introduced  this  man  to  his 
friend  Mr.  Taylor,  of  Worcester,  who  was  meditating 


The  End  189 


building  upon  his  magnificent  estate  of  Strensham 
Court,  near  that  city,  and  was  the  means  of  his 
securing  a  commission  that  amounted  in  all  to 
nearly  ,£50,000.  For  this  friendly  service  he  not 
only  barely  received  the  thanks  of  the  builder,  but 
was  induced  by  him,  by  the  most  specious  pre- 
tences, to  become  security  for  a  large  amount.  The 
firm,  falling  into  difficulties  shortly  afterwards, 
realised  on  the  artist's  security,  and  then  became 
bankrupt.  The  result  may  be  imagined.  Lawyers 
on  both  sides  went  to  work,  and  when  they  had 
finished — Holmes  at  least  was  a  ruined  man  :  ruined, 
but  neither  broken  nor  embittered. 

This  was  in  1846,  consequently  when  the  artist 
was  just  upon  seventy  years  of  age,  and  no  longer 
capable  of  doing  the  amount  or  the  quality  of  work 
he  had  formerly  done.  He  was  obliged  to  give  up 
his  house  in  Wilton  Street  (in  1847)  and  remove  to 
humbler  quarters  at  Hendon,  where  he  remained  for 
several  years. 

For  the  Mr.  Taylor  above  mentioned  he  executed 
many  commissions.  Mr.  Taylor  was  a  member  of 
the  family  of  bankers  of  Worcester,  but,  being  of  a 
literary  turn,  was  not  employed  in  the  business.  He 
devoted  much  time  and  money  to  doing  honour  to 
the  memory  of  Samuel  Butler,  the  author  of  Hudi- 
bras,  who  was  born  at  Strensham.  To  him  the 


igo  Life  of  James  Holmes 

village  owes  a  memorial  of  the  poet ;  by  him  also 
Holmes  was  commissioned  to  paint  several  pictures 
the  subjects  of  which  were  taken  from  Butler's 
famous  poem.  One  of  them  represented  the  widow 
visiting  Hudibras  in  the  stocks.  Doubtless  some, 
if  not  the  whole,  of  these  pictures  still  adorn  the 
walls  of  Strensham  Court. 

In  1853  the  artist  lost  his  wife.  She  died  on 
the  day  that  their  eldest  surviving  son  Henry  landed 
in  Melbourne.  This  son  was  the  cause  of  consider- 
able grief  to  his  father  in  his  latter  years.  He  was 
attracted  to  Australia  during  the  great  gold  rush, 
but  does  not  appear  to  have  gained  much  from  the 
change  save  disappointment.  He  engaged  in  some 
theatrical  enterprises,  married  an  actress,  and  after 
condign  failure,  migrated  with  his  family  to  Auckland, 
New  Zealand,  where  he  became  scenic  artist  at  the 
Opera  House,  and  where  he  died  of  suffocation,  in 
consequence  of  a  fire  in  his  workshop,  on  the  24thr 
of  January  1885. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  queen -city  of  the 
Antipodes  Mr.  Henry  Holmes  ceased  to  write  home, 
and  from  then  until  his  death  his  family  had  no 
communication  whatever  from  him.  This  neglect 
to  acquaint  them  with  his  whereabouts  and  fortunes 
was  the  cause  of  much  trouble  to  his  father,  who  had 
always  evinced  a  tender  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of 


The  End  1 9 1 


his  children.  But,  despite  his  grief,  he  could  not  help 
laughing  very  heartily  at  a  droll  saying  of  Hurlstone's 
once  when  he  had  asked  if  any  news  had  been  re- 
ceived from  Harry.  "  No,"  said  Holmes  sadly.  "  Oh 
well,  never  mind ! "  replied  Hurlstone.  "  If  you  have 
not  heard,  depend  upon  it  he  is  making  his  fortune." 

After  the  death  of  his  wife  Holmes's  time  for 
some  years  was  divided  between  London  and 
Shropshire  and  the  adjoining  counties,  where  he 
had  many  friends  and  where  he  spent  much  of  his 
time  going  from  one  house  to  another.  Amongst 
the  number  of  his  warmest  friends  were  Viscount 
Hill,  of  Hawkstone  (where  Rowland  Hill  was  born)  ; 
the  Corbets  of  Acton  Reynold ;  the  Kenyons  of 
Pradoe,  near  Shrewsbury ;  Viscountess  Dungannon, 
and  many  others.  In  not  a  few  of  these  houses  a 
room  was  constantly  kept  in  readiness  for  him,  and 
he  always  had  a  hearty  welcome  when  he  paid  their 
owners  a  visit. 

Nor,  when  speaking  of  his  friends,  should  the 
Misses  Perceval,  of  Baling,  the  daughters  of  Spencer 
Perceval,  the  murdered  Premier,  be  forgotten. 
These  three  ladies  were  always  very  sincere  and 
devoted  friends  of  the  artist.  It  was  under  their 
roof  that  he  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  Walpole, 
who  found  in  his  unfailing  good  spirits  so  striking  a 
contrast  to  his  own  more  serious  mood. 


192  Life  of  James  Holmes 

When  in  London  he  lived  with  his  sons  Edward 
and  George,  the  former  of  whom  had  succeeded  to 
a  good  deal  of  his  father's  practice  as  a  portrait- 
painter.  These  were  now  the  only  members  of  his 
family  remaining  to  him. 

The  last  four  or  five  years  of  his  life  he  spent 
entirely  in  London,  invariably  active  and  cheerful, 
albeit  mildly  regretting  the  advances  and  ravages  of 
old  age.  "This  is  that  confounded  old  age,"  he 
would  say  when  he  felt  the  touch  of  rheumatism 
stiffening  his  fingers  and  so  preventing  him  from 
playing  the  flute  so  deftly  as  of  yore.  "It  is  that 
confounded  old  age  stealing  upon  one  in  the  dark. 
Eh  bien,  telle  est  la  vie  !  " 

This  latter  was  a  favourite  saying  of  his,  and 
seemed  to  sum  up  in  a  convenient  phrase  his 
philosophy  of  life,  which  was  simply  to  make  the 
most  of  it  by  contentment  and  good -humour. 
That  had  always  been  his  way,  and  on  the  whole  he 
had  enjoyed  life.  Perhaps  it  would  have  been 
better  for  him  in  the  end,  and  for  those  he  left 
behind  him,  if  he  had  taken  more  care  of  his  means. 
He  appeared  to  think  so  himself  in  his  later  days, 
but  the  thought  was  not  allowed  to  trouble  him 
much.  When  speaking  of  his  inability  to  leave 
anything  for  his  sons,  he  would  say — 

"  Oh    well,    I    had    to    fight    my    way    and    do 


The  End  193 


the  best  I  could  ;  you  will  have  to  do  the 
same." 

Then  he  would  add,  "  There's  a  lot  of  enjoy- 
ment to  be  got  out  of  life,  even  by  a  poor  man,  if  he 
knows  how  to  go  about  it " — or  words  to  that  effect. 

Though,  like  everything  else  in  the  world,  it  has 
its  drawbacks,  this  way  of  looking  at  life  is  not 
without  its  advantages,  and  Holmes  did  not  choose 
it  altogether  without  thought.  Amongst  others  he 
had  seen  his  friend  Hurlstone  grow  to  care  more 
and  more  for  money,  and  to  worry  himself  about 
many  things,  until  he  became  half  insane ;  and 
though  he  left  a  competency  to  each  of  his  sons, 
they  profited  little,  if  at  all,  by  it.  Thus  he  came  to 
think  that  a  profession,  a  love  of  work,  courage,  and 
contentment  were  about  the  best  equipment  for  the 
battle  of  life  that  anyone  could  have.  They  had 
served  him  very  well,  and  he  thought  they  would 
do  the  same  for  his  sons.  "  Work  hard  and  never 
mind,"  he  used  to  say  to  people  when  they  were 
worrying  too  much.  "  Life  is  ever  the  same;  you 
can't  cure  it  of  its  sorrow  by  caring,  therefore  do 
not  care  too  much,  but  do  your  work — and  play  the 
flute  when  you  can."  This  generally  came  at  the 
end  with  a  little  laugh.  Flute-playing  to  him 
signified  a  sensible  way  of  taking  recreation. 

Such  had   been  his   way  of  looking  at   life  all 

13 


194  Life  of  James  Holmes 

through  his  career,  and  it  had  robbed  it  of  much  of 
its  harshness  and  many  of  its  minor  worries.  Thus 
he  performed  upon  his  flute — his  early  friend — up  to 
within  a  week  or  two  of  his  death,  and  found  in  it, 
and  in  his  art,  a  never-failing  source  of  consolation 
and  delight. 

Sitting  one  winter  evening  by  the  fire,  shortly 
before  the  end,  with  one  of  his  sons,  and  the  latter 
having  spoken  a  little  despondingly  of  life,  for  death 
had  again  been  busy,  he  said,  "It  is  no  good 
looking  on  the  dark  side.  If  you  do  that  you  will 
always  see  enough  to  make  life  sad,  and  to  depress 
and  discourage  you.  Look  on  the  bright  side ; 
it  is  much  the  best  way.  You  will  then  generally 
find  enough  to  keep  you  cheerful  and  in  good  spirits 
most  of  the  time.  But,  above  all,  seek  for  strength 
and  comfort  in  your  art.  I  have  seen  life  in  all  its 
phases,  and  have  had  my  ups  and  downs ;  but 
remember  when  I  am  gone  that  there  has  at  all 
times  been  but  one  real  and  lasting  pleasure  to  me, 
and  that  has  been  the  study  and  practice  of  my  art." 

Not  long  after  this,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of 
his  age,  h^  quietly  passed  away  in  his  sleep.  As  his 
life  had  been,  for  the  most  part,  happy  and  tranquil, 
so  was  his  death.  About  a  fortnight  previously  he 
had  spent  the  evening  with  some  young  friends,  and 
was  as  gay  and  almost  as  frolicsome  as  the  rest. 


The  End  195 


He  stayed  out  rather  late  and  caught  a  slight  cold. 
For  several  days  no  alarm  was  felt,  but  two  days 
before  his  death  it  took  a  serious  turn,  and  his 
strength  fell  away  with  amazing  rapidity.  Still  he 
kept  up,  and  tbje  very  last  day  of  his  life  he  went 
out  and  took  a  short  walk.  Going  to  bed  rather 
late,  he  fell  into  a  doze,  and  in  that  state  passed 
away.  He  retained  the  full  use  of  all  his  faculties 
to  the  last,  including  his  eyesight,  which  was  hardly 
in  the  least  impaired.  The  date  of  his  death  was 
the  24th  of  February  1860. 


JOHN   VARLEY 


CHAPTER    I 

FIRST    BEGINNINGS 

IT  is  given  to  but  few  men  to  fail  so  utterly  in 
respect  to  everything  relating  to  worldly  affairs,  and 
yet  to  leave  such  a  name  behind  both  for  goodness 
of  heart  and  for  the  sterling  results  of  genius,  as  did 
John  Varley,  the  artist,  and  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Society  of  Painters  in  Water  Colours.  Born 
only  three  years  after  Turner,  and  five  before  David 
Cox,  he  came  into  the  world  at  a  time  when  the 
national  art  of  water-colour  painting  was  still  in  its 
infancy,  and  as  yet  giving  but  slight  indication  of 
the  sturdy  growth  to  which  it  was  shortly  to  attain, 
and  to  attain  in  large  measure  through  his  example 
and  guidance. 

His  father,  Richard  Varley,  was  a  native  of 
Epworth,  in  Lincolnshire,  famous  as  the  birthplace 
of  John  Wesley  ;  but,  not  finding  sufficient  scope 
for  his  talents  and  energy  in  that  place,  he  removed 
into  Yorkshire,  where  he  married,  his  wife  being  a 


2OO  Life  of  John  Varley 

Fleetwood,  a  descendant  of  General  Fleetwood, 
some  time  Lord  Deputy  of  Ireland,  who  married 
Cromwell's  daughter  Bridget.  Thus,  through  his 
mother,  John  Varley  inherited  the  blood  both  of  the 
Cromwells  and  the  Fleetwoods. 

Richard  Varley  did  not  find  Yorkshire  any  more 
to  his  taste  than  Lincolnshire,  and  he  accordingly 
soon  migrated  to  London,  where  his  son  John  was 
born.  This  event  took  place  on  the  i7th  of  August 
1778,  at  Hackney,  in  what  was  previously  the  Blue 
Posts  Tavern,  but  which,  with  its  surrounding 
grounds,  his  father  had  converted  into  a  private 
residence.  It  stood  next  to  the  churchyard,  and 
seems  to  have  been  a  pleasant  and  sufficiently  com- 
modious abode. 

We  have  no  means  now  of  ascertaining  precisely 
what  was  Richard  Varley's  calling.  That  he  was  a 
man  of  some  mechanical  ability  and  of  considerable 
scientific  attainments  there  can  be  no  doubt.  It 
has  generally  been  understood  that  he  was  for  some 
time  tutor  to  the  famous  Earl  of  Stanhope,  but 
doubt  has  recently  been  thrown  upon  this  sup- 
position, the  suggestion  being  that  his  elder  brother 
Samuel  was  the  one  who  held  that  position.  Such 
could  hardly  have  been  the  case,  however ;  for  at  the 
time  of  Richard  Varley's  decease  the  former  was  a 
thriving  watchmaker  and  jeweller,  a  position  he 


First  Beginnings  201 

could  not  have  attained  all  at  once.  It  is  more 
than  probable  that  Richard  was  originally  of  the 
same  profession  as  his  brother,  and  that  he  gave  it 
up  for  the  more  intellectual,  and  very  likely  at  the 
same  time  more  lucrative,  one  of  tutor.  At  all 
events  John  Varley  appears  always  to  have  asserted 
that  his  father  was  tutor  to  the  son  of  Earl  Stanhope, 
father  of  the  celebrated  Lady  Hester  Stanhope,  who 
acted  for  some  time  as  secretary  to  her  uncle  Pitt, 
but  after  his  death  went  to  Syria,  where  she  assumed 
the  male  dress  of  a  native  of  that  country,  and 
devoted  herself  to  the  study  of  astrology. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  merely  recent  observation 
how  deeply  the  opinions  of  a  man  of  original  mind 
may  pervade  and  influence  his  .surroundings,  and 
there  is  no  telling  but  the  character  of  Earl  Stanhope 
may,  through  his  father,  have  had  its  effect  upon  the 
subject  of  this  biography.  Charles  Stanhope  (who 
succeeded  his  father  in  the  peerage  in  1786)  distin- 
guished himself  by  espousing  the  principles  of  the 
French  Revolution,  which  he  carried  out  to  the 
extent  of  setting  aside  the  titles  and  privileges  of  a 
peer.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Society  in  1772,  and  devoted  a  large  portion  of  his 
income  to  experiments  in  science  and  philosophy, 
which  resulted  in  a  number  of  valuable  inventions. 
Amongst  others  were  a  method  of  securing  buildings 


2O2  Life  of  John  Varley 

from  fire  (which,  however,  proved  impracticable),  the 
printing  press  and  the  lens  which  bear  his  name, 
and  a  monochord  for  tuning  musical  instruments. 
He  also  suggested  improvements  in  canal  locks, 
made  improvements  in  steam  navigation  (1795-97), 
and  contrived  two  calculating  machines.  His 
experiments  in  electricity  resulted  in  the  publication 
of  a  volume  on  the  Principles  of  Electricity.  Indeed, 
so  devoted  was  Earl  Stanhope  to  his  scientific  and 
literary  pursuits  that  he  neglected  his  wife  and 
children  for  them.  His  youngest  daughter,  Lady 
Lucy  Rachel  Stanhope,  eloped  with  an  apothecary 
of  Sevenoaks,  who  used  to  serve  the  family,  and 
her  father,  notwithstanding  his  republican  principles, 
never  forgave  her  for  the  mesalliance. 

It  may  have  been  the  example  of  Earl  Stanhope, 
who  would  naturally  be  much  talked  about  in  his 
father's  family,  that  subsequently  caused  John 
Varley  to  turn  his  attention  to  invention,  and 
perhaps  to  speculative  science  generally. 

John  was  one  of  a  family  of  five,  three  boys  and 
two  girls,  all  born  at  the  house  in  Hackney.  After 
John  came  Cornelius,  and  then  William  Fleetwood, 
both  of  whom,  as  we  shall  see,  like  their  elder 
brother,  made  their  mark  as  artists,  as  did  also  one 
of  the  girls,  Elizabeth,  who  became  the  wife  of 
William  Mulready,  the  Academician. 


First  Beginnings  203 

John  almost  from  his  infancy  found  more  delight 
in  drawing  than  in  any  other  amusement.  He  was 
noted  among  his  schoolfellows  not  only  for  the 
possession  of  this  gift,  but  also  for  a  degree  of 
muscular  strength  which  exceeded  that  of  all  the 
lads  of  his  age  with  whom  he  associated.  The 
latter  qualification  was  the  means  of  bringing  him 
frequently  into  hot  water,  for  he  could  never  see  a 
boy  put  upon  or  in  any  way  molested  by  another 
without  interfering.  Many  were  the  times  that  he 
felt  himself  thus  called  upon  to  intervene  in  the 
cause  of  justice.  Of  so  generous  and  amiable  a 
disposition  was  he,  indeed,  and  so  full  of  courage, 
that  he  would  never  think  twice  when  there  seemed 
need  for  his  assistance,  but  would  at  once  take  sides 
with  the  oppressed,  even  though  his  antagonist  were 
a  much  older  or  bigger  lad  than  himself.  The 
consequence  was  that  in  a  short  time  there  was 
hardly  a  youth  in  the  neighbourhood  who  would 
fight  him  alone.  Once,  we  are  told,  when  upon 
some  trifling  occasion  which  produced  a  quarrel 
three  attacked  him  at  once,  he  maintained  the 
unequal  contest  for  several  minutes  arid  objected  to 
any  interference,  till  the  onlookers  stepped  in  and 
insisted  on  fair  play.  He  then  fought  his  three 
antagonists  singly,  and  punished  them  all. 

As  he  grew  in  years  Varley's  bent  for  art  became 


204  Life  of  John  Varley 

stronger.  But  in  accordance  with  the  almost  in- 
variable rule  in  such  cases,  the  disposition  was 
discouraged — at  least  by  his  father,  who  would  not 
hear  of  his  son's  becoming  an  artist.  Painting,  said 
the  elder  Varley,  was  a  poor  trade,  and  none  of  his 
children  should  become  artists.  But  while  man 
proposes,  God  disposes.  At  the  age  of  thirteen 
John  was  placed  with  a  silversmith,  with  the  view 
of  his  serving  an  apprenticeship  to  that  craft.  But 
his  father  dying  (November  1791)  before  he  had 
reached  his  fourteenth  year,  the  intention  was  not 
proceeded-  with.  Friends  urged  his  mother  to 
apprentice  him  to  a  mechanical  trade,  but  either 
from  inability  to  pay  the  premium  required  in  those 
days,  or  for  some  other  equally  cogent  reason,  this 
course  was  not  taken.  Possibly  it  may  be,  as  has 
been  said,  that  she  did  not  wish  to  go  counter  to  her 
son's  desire,  his  heart  being  firmly  set  upon  becoming 
an  artist. 

There  is  a  story,  and  not  by  any  means  an 
unlikely  one,  to  the  effect  that  while  still  a  boy 
Varley  was  in  the  employ  of  a  stockbroker  named 
T  rower,  his  duty  being  to  sweep  out  the  office  and 
run  errands.  This  gentleman,  to  while  away  the 
time,  was  in  the  habit  of  making  sketches  on  scraps 
of  paper,  which  in  the  end  were  generally  thrown 
upon  the  floor.  These  young  Varley  used  to  collect, 


First  Beginnings  205 


and  afterwards  try  to  copy  them.  One  of  these  copies 
Mr.  Trower  by  some  chance  got  hold  of,  and  found 
it  so  well  done  that  he  told  the  youth  he  had  better 
take  to  drawing.  It  is  further  stated1  that  ever 
after  this  Mr.  Trower  and  his  family  assisted  Varley, 
though  in  what  way  or  to  what  extent  is  not  re- 
corded. 

A  short  time  after  his  father's  death  young 
Varley  was  placed  with  a  law  stationer.  His 
nature,  however,  was  one  that  could  not  be  tamed 
down  to  the  sordid  drudgery  of  such  an  occupation, 
and  one  fine  morning,  having  emptied  his  pocket 
in  the  purchase  of  paper  and  pencils,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  halfpence,  he  set  forth  on  his  first 
sketching  excursion.  His  mother  saw  nothing  of 
him  for  several  days.  At  length  he  returned  dirty, 
half- famished,  and  with  sketches  of  Hampstead 
and  Highgate  in  his  portfolio. 

Mrs.  Varley,  who  had  more  taste  for  art  than 
her  husband,  appears  at  length  to  have  been  con- 
vinced '  that  it  was  useless  to  oppose  her  son's 
inclination  to  art,  and  decided  to  give  him  every 
encouragement,  and  to  assist  him  in  his  studies  as 
much  as  was  in  her  power.2  Unfortunately,  how- 

1  Roget,  History  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Painters  in  Water  Colours. 

2  Mrs.  Varley  appears  to  have  been   a  woman  of  exemplary  piety  and 
strength  of  character,  and  thoroughly  worthy  of  her  descent  from  the  Crom- 
wells  and  the  Fleetwoods. 


2o6  Life  of  John  Varley 

ever,  it  was  not  much  that  she  could  do,  for  after 
her  husband's  death  she  seems  to  have  been  greatly 
straitened  in  means.  The  house  at  Hackney  had  to 
be  given  up  ;  and  a  few  years  later  we  find  John 
residing  with  his  widowed  mother  and  his  brothers 
and  sisters  in  a  court  off  Old  Street,  City  Road, 
opposite  to  St.  Luke's  Hospital." 

Left  thus  at  liberty  to  follow  his  bent,  Varley 
resolved  to  support  himself  by  his  pencil.  It  was 
a  courageous  resolution,  and  he  went  nobly  to 
work,  drawing  whatever  came  in  his  way,  copying 
figures,  making  sketches  of  animals,  and  exhibiting 
the  results  of  his  labours  to  his  friends  and  acquaint- 
ance, some  of  whom  encouraged  him  to  renewed 
perseverance  by  an  occasional  purchase.  His  draw- 
ing materials  were  so  constantly  before  him  that  his 
mother  used  to  say,  "  When  Johnny  marries  it  will 
be  to  a  paper  wife."  But  he  found  the  fight,  handi- 
capped as  he  was  by  poverty,  a  terribly  uphill 
one,  and  discovered  ere  long,  as  many  others  have 
done,  that  it  was  easier  to  get  praise  than  halfpence. 

Eager  for  practice  and  instruction,  and  at  the 
same  time  finding  the  need  for  money,  the  youth 
for  a  short  time  found  employment  with  a  portrait 
painter  in  Holborn.  When  at  the  age  of  fifteen  or 
sixteen,  he  succeeded  in  placing  himself  under  a 
teacher  of  the  name  of  Joseph  Charles  Barron,  who 


First  Beginnings  207 


had  a  class  for  drawing  twice  a  week  at  No.  12 
Furnival's  Inn  Court.  In  return  for  tuition  Varley 
was  obliged  to  give  some  menial  services,  such  as 
running  errands  and  doing  odd  jobs  generally,  and 
this  not  only  during  the  class  hours,  but  at  other 
times  also.  In  addition  he  had  to  assist  in  teaching. 
He  drew,  however,  with  the  other  pupils,  and  was 
also  instructed  in  etching.  Among. the  youths  he 
met  here  was  Francia,  one  of  Girtin's  fellow-pupils, 
who  was  likewise  an  assistant,  although  in  a  higher 
position  than  Varley. 

"  Poor  Varley,"  writes  one  who  knew  him  well 
at  this  time — "  Poor  Varley  began  the  world  with 
tattered  clothes  and  shoes  tied  with  string  to  keep 
them  on.  Yet  nothing,"  he  adds,  "  could  damp 
the  ardour  of  his  mind.  His  evenings  were  given 
either  to  drawing  or  to  copying  the  works  of  the 
great  masters,  his  favourites  among  the  latter  being 
Claude  and  Caspar  Poussin.  Only  when  he  could 
no  longer  hold  up  his  head  did  he  go  to  bed.  Yet 
with  the  earliest  dawn  of  day  he  was  again  astir, 
drawing  indefatigably  until  it  was  time  for  him  to 
go  to  business — whatever  for  the  time  being  that 
might  be.  Then,  with  an  old  portfolio  slung  over 
his  shoulder,  he  would  start  off  full  trot,  and  not 
stop  till  he  arrived  at  his  master's  door." 

Many  of  these  details  of  Varley's  early  days  we 


2o8  Life  of  John  Varley 

owe  to  John  Preston  Neale,  a  brother-artist  who, 
though  about  seven  years  his  senior,  did  not  take  to 
art  as  a  profession  until  a  later  period.  According 
to  Redgrave,1  Neale  began  life  as  a  clerk  in  the 
post-office ;  but  he  seems  to  have  spent  his  leisure 
in  the  pursuit  of  tastes  inherited  from  his  father, 
who  was  a  painter  of  insects.  Early  in  March 
1786  he  went  one  Sunday  morning  to  Hornsey 
Wood  to  sketch  and  collect  insects.  There  he 
fell  in  with  John  Varley,  who  was  likewise  out 
sketching.  They  entered  into  conversation,  and 
so  commenced  an  acquaintance  that  lasted  during 
their  joint  lives. 

Becoming  frequent  companions  on  similar  ex- 
peditions, Neale  appears  to  have  tried  to  inocu- 
late Varley  with  his  taste  for  entomology,  but 
signally  failed  in  the  attempt.  He  persuaded  him, 
however,  to  join  him  in  a  project  for  the  produc- 
tion of  a  somewhat  ambitious  work  on  natural 
history.  It  was  to  be  in  royal  quarto,  and  to  be 
called  the  Picturesque  Cabinet  of  Nature ;  consist- 
ing of  landscapes,  beasts,  birds,  insects,  flowers,  etc. 
Varley  was  to  do  all  the  landscape  drawings  ;  Neale 
was  to  etch  them,  as  well  as  to  make  all  the 
other  drawings  and  colour  the  plates.  The  first 
number  duly  appeared  (September  1796),  and 

1  Dictionary  of  Painters. 


First  Beginnings  209 


consisted  of  three  prints — of  horses,  cows,  and  an 
ass. 

Neale  gives  the  following  graphic  description  of 
one  of  his  sketching  excursions  with  Varley  in  the 
same  year.  It  was  on  a  fine  Sunday  morning  in 
spring,  and  John  Varley  and  he  sallied  forth  in 
search  of  the  picturesque.  "  About  seven  A.M.," 
he  writes,  "  we  reached  the  private  madhouse  at 
Hoxton,  and  as  the  foliage  was  beautiful  round  its 
banks,  we  sat  down  to  copy  their  beauties.  We  had 
been  seated  but  a  short  period  when  we  began  to 
frighten  each  other  by  tales  regarding  the  unhappy 
persons  confined  within  this  sad  abode.  Suddenly 
a  terrible  rush  was  heard  among  the  trees  and 
bushes.  Having  previously  raised  our  fears  to  the 
highest  pitch,  we  stayed  not  to  inquire  the  cause  ; 
but  scrambling  up,  made  a  precipitate  retreat  to  the 
middle  of  the  field,  where  we  stopped  to  watch  the 
supposed  maniacs  that  were  making  their  escape. 
We  then  discovered  our  mistake,  the  noise  being 
made  by  some  men  who  were  robbing  the  garden 
falling  from  a  tree,  and  who  were  equally  surprised 
with  ourselves,  supposing  us  there  to  watch  their 
movements.  Having  been  thus  satisfied,  we  re- 
sumed our  seats,  finished  our  sketches,  and  proceeded 
to  Tottenham,  where  we  commenced  sketching  the 

church.   .   .   .  To  give  my  friends  some  idea  of  our 

14 


2io  Life  of  John  Varley 

feelings  at  this  time  as  young  artists,  it  will  be  only 
necessary  to  state  that  we  saw  the  people  going  to 
public  worship ;  in  the  morning,  in  the  afternoon,  and 
in  the  evening  they  found  us  there.  So  exact  were 
our  notions  that  in  colouring  my  sketch  I  copied 
the  colours  and  even  counted  the  bricks,  minutely 
attending  to  every  other  particular.  During  the 
day  we  subsisted  upon  a  crust  of  bread  and  water." 

On  another  occasion  they  drew  and  coloured 
Stoke  Newington  Church. 

Neale  often  visited  Varley  at  his  mother's  house 
in  the  Old  Street  court,  and  he  describes *  a  theatrical 
performance  which  they  got  up  between  them,  hiring 
a  room  of  a  neighbour  for  the  purpose,  and  losing 
money  because  the  venture  proved  a  failure.  One 
of  the  pieces  performed  was  "  George  Barn  well." 

In  a  "  Notice  of  the  Life  and  Labours"  of  Cor- 
nelius Varley,  drawn  up  during  the  latter's  lifetime, 
and  under  his  supervision,  if  not  actually  by  his  own 
hand,  it  is  said  that  as  a  youth  John  Varley  was  so 
advanced  in  his  studies  that  he  "commenced  teaching 
drawing."  This  may  refer  to  the  assistance  he  gave 
to  his  teacher  Barren.  The  latter  must  have  thought 
highly  of  his  pupil's  talent,  for  we  find  that  he  took 
him  as  far  as  Peterborough  on  a  sketching  tour.  He 
made  a  drawing  of  the  cathedral  of  that  city,  which 

1  Roget,"  History  oj  Water  Colour  Society. 


First  Beginnings  2 1 1 


was  greatly  admired,  and  which  subsequently  was  the 
means  of  winning  for  him  his  first  fame  as  an  artist. 
Of  evenings  he  was  enabled  to  take  advantage 
of  the  academy,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  of 
Dr.  Munro,  who,  to  the  profession  of  specialist  in 
insanity,  joined  that  of  art  patron  and  dealer.  He 
had  a  house  on  the  Adelphi  Terrace,  overlooking 
the  river,  and  to  it  resorted  many  of  the  young 
artists  of  that  time — probably,  however,  more  with 
a  view  to  profit  than  for  study.  For  it  was  the 
habit  of  Munro  to  pay  his  students  and  retain  their 
drawings  and  sketches.  This,  at  all  events,  was  his 
method  with  those  who  showed  any  marked  ability, 
like  Turner,  Girtin,  John  Linnell,  William  Henry 
Hunt,  and  others,  his  scale  of  payment  being  from 
half-a-crown  to  three  shillings  an  evening.  Nor 
does  Munro  appear  to  have  made  a  bad  thing  of  it, 
since  for  some  of  the  works  thus  acquired  he  seems 
to  have  obtained  good  prices.1  But,  taking  his 
income  from  this  source  altogether,  it  must  have 
been  small  in  comparison  with  what  he  derived 
from  his  private  asylums  and  from  his  position  as 
one  of  the  physicians  who  attended  George  III 
during  his  malady. 


1  Amongst  John  Linnell's  correspondence  is  a  letter  from  Munro,  in  which 
he  refuses  an  offer  made  by  Linnell  for  one  of  his  drawings  by  Girtin,  saying 
that  he  always  looked  upon  it  as  an  equivalent  for  a  ten-pound  note. 


212  Life  of  John  Varley 

By  these  means  Varley  made  rapid  progress  in 
the  art  he  had  adopted  as  his  profession  ;  and  in 
1 798,  that  is,  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  he 
exhibited  his  first  picture,  a  "  View  of  Peterborough 
Cathedral,"  at  the  Royal  Academy. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE   GROWING    MAN 

FROM  being  an  assistant  to  Barron,  Varley  soon 
developed  into  a  teacher  on  his  own  account.  He 
had  already  commenced  to  do  a  little  in  this  line 
before  sending  his  first  drawing  to  the  Academy ; 
but  the  fame  that  he  won  by  that  exhibit  speedily 
increased  the  number  of  his  pupils,  whilst  it  at  the 
same  time  enabled  him  to  increase  his  prices.  In 
short,  what  with  the  sale  of  his  drawings  (for  they 
were  now  in  demand)  and  his  tuition,  he  was  ere 
long  earning  so  handsome  an  income — for  so  young 
a  man — that  he  was  enabled  to  bring  comfort  back 
to  his  home,  and  to  become  the  chief  stay  and 
support  of  his  mother  and  his  brothers  and  sisters. 
He  at  this  time  lived,  according  to  the  Academy 
catalogue,  at  No.  2  Harris  Place,  a  sort  of  blind 
alley  situated  in  Oxford  Street,  near  the  Pantheon. 
He  subsequently  moved  from  there  to  No.  5  Broad 
Street,  Golden  Square.  This  was  about  1806,  and 


214  Life  of  John  Varley 

his  house  here  was  shared  for  a  time  by  William 
Mulready,  who  had  just  married  his  sister. 

In  the  year  1799  he  was  again  an  exhibitor  at 
the  Royal  Academy,  his  subject  this  year  being 
"A  View  on  the  Thames."  He  continued  to 
exhibit  under  the  same  auspices  until  1804,  when, 
in  conjunction  with,  others,  including  his  brother 
Cornelius,  who,  like  him,  was  devoted  to  landscape 
art,  he  helped  to  found  the  Water  Colour  Society. 

In  the  "Notice"  of  Cornelius  Varley  above 
referred  to,  the  latter  claims  to  have  originated  the 
idea  of  founding  the  Water  Colour  Society.  He 
says  the  notion  occurred  to  him  at  St.  Albans,  and 
that  "on  his  return  to  town  his  brother  John  called 
a  meeting  at  the  Stafford  Coffee  House,  Oxford 
Street,  to  arrange  the  preliminaries  and  fix  the  time 
and  place  of  meeting."  After  the  foundation  of  the 
Society  John  Varley  identified  himself  almost 
exclusively  therewith. 

Many  of  his  subjects  during  these  early  years  of 
endeavour  were  from  the  banks  of  the  Thames, 
always  a  favourite  resort  of  his,  as  it  has  been  to  many 
a  landscape  artist  since.  They  bear  undoubted 
evidence  of  having  been  painted  on  the  spot,  and 
are  marked  by  great  individuality  and  truth  to 
nature — characteristics  which  are  likewise  stamped 
upon  the  drawings  executed  during  three  visits 


The  Growing  Man  215 

made  at  this  period  to  North  Wales,  in  whose  wild 
mountain  scenery  he  found  the  subjects  best  suited 
to  his  brush. 

The  first  of  these  visits  to  the  Principality  took 
place  in  the  summer  of  1799;  it  was  followed  by 
others  in  1800  and  1802.  He  made  many  studies 
during  these  tours,  and  these  supplied  him  with  the 
material  for  numberless  pictures,  with  which,  when 
the  Water  Colour  Society  was  founded,  he  almost 
deluged  its  exhibitions,  sending  to  the  first  no  fewer 
than  forty-two  subjects  (nearly  all  Welsh),  and 
during  the  first  eight  years  contributing  in  all  344 
drawings.  He  also  made  a  journey  to  the  Northern 
counties  for  the  purpose  of  study,  but  he  did  not 
there  find  so  congenial  a  field  for  his  art  as  in  Wales, 
amongst  the  solitude  of  whose  hills  and  vales  he 
received  impressions  that  powerfully  influenced  the 
whole  course  of  his  art. 

On  one  of  these  visits  to  Wales  the  artist  came 
near  losing  his  life  by  being  attacked  by  a  bull.  As 
he  was  seated  sketching  a  bit  of  delightful  scenery, 
altogether  oblivious  of  any  threatening  danger,  he 
was  charged  by  an  infuriated  animal  and  tossed, 
together  with  his  paraphernalia,  several  yards  in  the 
air,  which,  seeing  that  he  weighed  seventeen  stone, 
was  not  a  bad  hoist  for  the  bull. 

This  was  only  one  of  his  "  hairbreadth  "  escapes 


2 1 6  Life  of  John  Varley 

from  serious  injury  or  death  by  the  horns  of  bulls. 
Once  during  the  Old  Street  period  he  was  attacked 
and  tossed  by  a  bull  in  Old  Broad  Street  Road  and 
much  hurt.  Somewhat  later  he  was  in  still  more 
imminent  peril  of  his  life  from  a  similar  cause.  He 
was  crossing  one  of  the  London  bridges — West- 
minster, I  believe — when  an  infuriated  animal,  which 
was  being  driven  to  the  slaughter-house  by  a  butcher, 
ran  at  him  and  threw  him  on  to  the  parapet,  over 
which  he  was  slipping  when  the  man  in  charge  of 
the  creature  caught  hold  of  the  skirt  of  his  coat,  and 
thus  saved  him  from  a  watery  grave. 

When  in  after  life  Varley  turned  his  attention  to 
astrology,  he  declared  that,  by  reason  of  the  con- 
junction of  certain  stars,  he  had  from  his  infancy 
been  liable  to  casualties  from  the  attacks  of  animals. 
Whatever  one  may  think  of  the  prediction — if,  being 
after  the  event,  it  may  be  called  one — certain  it  is 
that  he  seemed  destined  by  some  untoward  fate  to  be 
subject  to  the  onsets  of  infuriated  animals.  For  at 
another  time,  much  later  in  life,  he  came  very  near 
losing  his  life  from  a  furious  onslaught  by  hounds. 
He  was  sketching  at  the  Earl  of  Blessington's 
country-seat  when  he  got  in  the  way  of  the  hunt, 
and  the  hounds  set  upon  him  with  the  utmost  fury. 
Every  stitch  of  clothing  was  torn  off  his  back,  and 
the  maddened  brutes  would  doubtless  have  done 


The  Growing  Man  2 1 7 

him  further  hurt  if  the  huntsmen  had  not  just 
then  ridden  up  and  beaten  them  off.  As  it  was, 
they  found  him  without  a  rag  upon  his  back. 
Either  the  Earl  of  Blessington  or  one  of  the 
gentlemen  of  the  hunt  lent  him  a  cloak  in  his 
extremity,  or  he  would  have  had  to  get  back  to  his 
lodging  as  best  he  could  without  so  much  as 
Adam's  primal  covering  to  hide  his  nakedness. 

A  somewhat  similar  story  is  narrated  of 
Cornelius  Varley,  although  in  his  case  the  incident 
occurred  in  Ireland,  whither,  after  a  third  visit  to 
Wales  (in  1805),  ne  journeyed  and  made  a  number 
of  sketches.  Cornelius,  who  was  of  a  genial  and 
companionable  disposition,  like  his  brother,  was 
greatly  delighted  with  the  Irish  people,  whom  he 
found  both  warm-hearted  and  generous,  though  his 
enjoyment  of  the  country  was  considerably  dashed 
by  an  adventure  he  had  one  day  while  busy 
sketching.  It  was  in  the  hunting  season,  and  quite 
unknown  to  him  a  fox,  slinking  away  from  the 
hounds,  took  refuge  under  the  camp-stool  (or  what- 
ever it  was)  upon  which  he  was  seated,  and  over 
which  he  had  thrown  his  greatcoat.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  minutes  he  became  painfully  aware  of 
Reynard's  malodorous  presence,  and  rose,  sniffing, 
to  discover  the  cause ;  whereupon  the  fox  quickly 
levanted.  The  artist,  with  a  quiet  chuckle  at  the 


218  Life  of  John  Varley 

animal's  odd  choice  of  a  place  of  refuge,  reseated 
himself  and  went  on  with  his  painting.  But  scarcely 
had  he  got  to  work  again  ere  the  hounds  burst  upon 
him,  and  finding  the  scent  very  warm,  upset  him  and 
his  traps  in  no  time.  Poor  Cornelius  found  him- 
self in  a  sad  plight,  and  in  his  perplexity  could  think 
of  nothing  better  to  do  than  mount  a  convenient 
tree.  The  huntsmen,  riding  up  a  minute  or  two 
later,  thought  the  hounds  had  "tree'd"  the  fox,  and 
laughed  uproariously  when  they  found  it  was  "only 
an  artist."  They  joked  him  about  his  "  brush,"  which 
he  had  dropped  in  his  hurry  to  get  up  the  tree,  and 
treated  him,  as  he  thought,  most  unmercifully. 
They  afterwards  solaced  him  to  some  extent  by 
inviting  him  to  the  hunt  supper,  but  nothing  would 
induce  him  to  prolong  his  stay  in  the  country,  or  to 
pay  it  a  second  visit. 

But  to  return  to  the  one  who  is  more  particularly 
the  subject  of  this  memoir.  Much  of  John  Varley's 
work  in  later  years  was  executed  in  haste  and  with- 
out due  care  ;  but  at  this  time,  when  he  was  at  his 
best,  he  was  undoubtedly  a  fine  landscape  painter, 
and  many  of  his  drawings  will  compare  favourably 
with  the  best  work  of  his  contemporaries  ;  albeit  he 
may  have  been  outdone  by  some  of  them,  both  in 
breadth  of  treatment  and  in  grandeur  of  conception. 
His  range  was  not  a  large  one  ;  but  probably  no  one 


The  Growing  Man  219 

has  done  fuller  justice  to  the  sunlit  slopes  of  Welsh 
mountains,  or  to  the  quiet  vales  and  peaceful  lakes 
of  that  delightful  land.  In  this  respect  he  opened 
out  a  new  realm  to  the  landscape  painter,  and 
showed  to  the  art-loving  world  possibilities  in  water 
colours  that  had  hardly  been  dreamed  of  before. 

But  in  estimating  his  influence  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  he  was  the  great  art  teacher  of  his  time, 
and  that  his  enthusiasm  for  painting  in  water  colours 
amounted  almost  to  a  cult,  and  infected  nearly  all 
who  came  under  his  influence.1  It  was  a  saying  of 
his  that  while  painting  in  oil  might  be  compared  to 
philosophy,  the  practice  of  landscape  in  water  colours 
must  assimilate  to  wit ;  and,  considering  the  wonder- 
ful things  that  were  done  in  his  time,  and  the  cleverer 
and  more  daring  ones  that  have  been  effected  since 
in  that  medium,  the  saying  seems  abundantly  justi- 
fied. 

1  As  an  instance  of  the  way  in  which  his  enthusiasm  infected  others,  the 
following  anecdote  may  be  given.  One  day  when  he  called  at  the  Earl  of 
Blessington's  to  give  a  lesson  to  a  member  of  the  family,  he  noticed  the  lackey 
who  opened  the  door  for  him  slip  something  that  looked  suspiciously  like  a 
drawing-board  behind  a  chair.  "What  is  that  you  have  put  away?"  cried 
Varley.  The  man  blushed  and  said  that  he  had  been  trying  his  hand  at  a 
drawing  while  seated  in  the  hall.  He  had,  he  confessed,  been  so  much 
interested  by  hearing  Varley  expatiate  at  his  lordship's  table  on  the  glories 
and  delight  of  water-colour  painting,  that  he  had  expended  a  month's  wages 
on  drawing  materials,  and  had  gone  to  work  in  his  spare  time.  "  Let  me  see 
what  you  have  done  ! "  exclaimed  Varley  ;  and  some  time  later  he  was  discovered 
by  the  Countess  giving  an  impromptu  lesson  to  the  lackey,  having  completely 
forgotten  that  someone  else  was  patiently  waiting  for  his  coming. 


22O  Life  of  John  Varley 

He  put  forth  no  exaggerated  claims  on  behalf 
of  his  favourite  art,  and  it  may  be  somewhat  in 
consequence  of  the  modesty  of  their  aim  that  the 
water-colourists  of  his  school  did  so  much.  "  While 
locality  and  texture  is  (sic)  one  of  the  great  excel- 
lences of  oil-painting,  clear  skies,  distances,  and 
water,  in  which  there  is  a  flatness  and  absence  of 
texturo,  are  the  beauties  most  sought  after  in  the  art 
of  water  colours."  Such  was  his  view  of  the  general 
scope  of  water-colour  painting,  and  within  the  limits 
thus  indicated,  few  have  done  better  than  Varley  at 
his  best.  Tranquil  scenes  of  mingled  hill  and  vale, 
quiet  waters  reposing  in  subdued  sunlight  or  'neath 
evening  skies,  or  wide-rolling,  verdant  champaigns 
— these  were  the  themes  that  Varley  loved  best 
to  handle,  and  these  he  could  touch  and  interfuse, 
as  it  were,  with  a  brooding  poetry.  Stronger  or 
more  venturesome  subjects  he  rarely  attacked, 
perhaps  because  his  sympathies  did  not  run  in  that 
way,  possibly  because  he  doubted  his  powers  of 
accomplishment,  or  the  potentialities  of  his  art.  It 
remained  for  other  men  to  give  us  pictures  of  storm 
and  tempest,  the  turmoil  of  agitated  waters,  and  the 
burning  splendours  of  sunset  and  sunrise  ;  he  was 
content  to  wield  a  calmer  brush,  and  to  revel  in 
quieter  and  more  homely  scenes. 


CHAPTER   III 

CORNELIUS  VARLEY 

As  reference  has  been  made  to  Cornelius  Varley, 
and  as  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  mark  in  his 
day,  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  a  few  particu- 
lars about  him  here.  As  already  said,  he  was  some 
three  years  younger  than  John.  Like  his  younger 
brother  William  and  his  sister  Elizabeth,  Cornelius 
appears  to  have  been  his  elder  brother's  pupil ;  or, 
if  they  were  not  actually  his  pupils,  they  owed  much 
in  respect  to  their  art  development  and  training  to 
his  example  and  instruction. 

Cornelius  was  born  at  the  house  in  Hackney  on 
the  2  ist  November  1781.  The  earliest  impression 
that  he  was  wont  to  refer  to,  was  an  accident  that 
might  have  cost  him  his  life.  When  four  years  old 
he  fell  head  foremost  from  a  first-floor  window. 
Fortunately  he  descended  upon  a  flower-bed  the 
earth  of  which  had  been  newly  turned,  and  to 
its  softness  he  attributed  his  safety  from  harm, 


222  Life  of  John  Varley 

as  he  could  well  remember  his  father  taking  him 
to  see  the  impression  his  head  had  made  in  the 
ground. 

His  father  died  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age, 
and  he  continued  his  studies  at  home  until  he  was 
twelve,  occupying  his  leisure  time  by  going  out  with 
his  elder  brother  to  sketch.     At  that  age  he  went  to 
live  with  his  uncle  Samuel  Varley,  the  watchmaker 
and  jeweller,   who  was  doing  a  thriving  business. 
Like   his   brother,   Samuel    Varley  seems  to  have 
been  a  man  of  considerable  attainments  in  science, 
and  something  of  a  genius  to  boot,  and  under  him 
his   nephew   Cornelius    obtained    an    insight    into 
many  cognate  arts,  besides  being  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  of  watchmaking.      He  first  learned  the 
art  of  working  jewels,  and  on  one  occasion  when 
soldering  a   diamond    in    the   steel   mount   with   a 
blowpipe,  he  saw  it  catch  fire  and  burn  with  a  blue 
flame.    This  phenomenon,  which  is  now  well  known, 
was  at  that  time  new,  and  was  not  fully  confirmed 
until  some  years  after  Cornelius  Varley's  observation. 
Diamonds  are  now  frequently  burned  in  oxygen,  and 
the  exhibition  of  the  experiment  constitutes  one  of 
the  most  instructive   chemical  experiments  of  the 
present  day. 

Samuel   Varley  possessed   air-pumps,    electrical 
machines,  telescopes,  microscopes,  and  generally  an 


Cornelius  Varley  223 


extensive  collection  of  chemical  apparatus.  These 
had  a  greater  attraction  for  young  Cornelius  than 
watchmaking.  His  uncle  had  made  some  small 
microscopic  lenses,  and  Cornelius,  who  had  mastered 
the  art  of  making  jewelled  holes  for  watches,  turned 
his  attention  to  making  lenses  as  his  uncle  had  done, 
although  with  only  partial  success  until  he  devised 
the  method  of  polishing  them  by  making  the  tool  of 
a  composition  of  bees'-wax  hardened  by  oxide  of 
iron ;  and  for  the  smallest  lenses  a  composition  of 
still  tougher  material  made  with  shellac  hardened 
with  polishing  powder.  This  mixture  is  universally 
employed  by  opticians  at  the  present  day.  By  his 
fourteenth  birthday  Cornelius  had  made  his  own 
microscope,  the  lenses  and  the  whole  of  the  mechan- 
ism being  of  his  own  manufacture. 

In  1794  his  uncle  began  a  series  of  chemical 
experiments,  and  as  he  required  a  large  room  for  the 
purpose,  he  took  the  celebrated  Hatton  House, 
which  then  had  the  reputation  of  being  haunted. 
Here  they  carried  on  their  experiments  and  founded 
a  Chemical  and  Philosophical  Society,  of  which  the 
famous  Josiah  Wedgwood  and  other  eminent  men 
became  members.  These  meetings  and  lectures 
and  those  of  the  old  Philosophical  Society  were  the 
forerunners  of  the  formation  of  the  Royal  Institution 
in  the  year  1800. 


224  Life  of  John  Varley 

On  one  occasion,  when  his  uncle  was  delivering 
one  of  his  chemical  lectures  at  Hatton  House, 
Cornelius  was  busy  in  an  adjoining  room  preparing 
the  oxygen  for  one  of  his  experiments.  During  the 
operation  the  retort  exploded,  smothering  him  in 
black  oxide  of  manganese,  and  making  him  as  black 
as  a  sweep.  However,  he  carried  in  the  gas,  for 
which  his  uncle  and  the  audience  were  waiting, 
without  stopping  to  consider  his  sooty  condi- 
tion. When  he  appeared  in  the  lecture-room  there 
was  a  hearty  laugh  at  his  expense.  The  incident 
gained  for  him  the  sobriquet  of  "  Varley 's  Devil,"  a 
name  by  which  he  was  known  to  some  of  the  older 
members  of  the  Royal  Institution  for  many  years  ; 
indeed  until  he  was  long  past  middle  age  he  was 
often  so  called. 

Many  of  the  earliest  experiments  with  compressed 
carbonic  acid  gas  for  freezing  mercury  were  made 
at  Hatton  House,  where  was  devised  and  constructed 
the  first  apparatus  for  charging  water  with  the  gas 
under  pressure,  thus  originating  the  manufacture  of 
soda-water.  In  the  sketch  of  Cornelius  Varley 
above  referred  to,  the  writer  says  that,  among  other 
things  that  were  done  at  Hatton  House,  "they  made 
and  erected  a  large  electrifying  machine  with  a  con- 
ductor twelve  feet  long,  and  produced  with  it  many 
very  interesting  and  useful  experiments  which 


Cornelius  Varley  225 


advanced  materially  the  knowledge  of  electricity  and 
electrical  science." 

Cornelius  still  continued  to  fill  up  his  spare 
moments  by  making  lenses,  and  he  succeeded  in 
producing  one  of  -^^  of  an  inch  focus,  which 
was  exhibited  at  various  scientific  meetings,  and 
was  decided  by  all  present  to  be  the  most  perfect 
that  had  then  been  produced.  Thus  encouraged, 
Cornelius  made  several  such  lenses,  for  which  pur- 
pose he  constructed  special  lathes  for  working  and 
polishing  them.  These  special  tools,  as  well  as  his 
observations  upon  the  microscope,  and  a  number  of 
investigations  relative  to  animal  and  vegetable  life 
which  he  made  therewith,  formed  the  subject  of 
several  communications  addressed  by  him  to  the 
Society  of  Arts,  for  which  he  received  on  various 
occasions  the  Society's  awards  of  silver  and  gold 
medals. 

Earl  Stanhope,  who  was  one  of  the  patrons  of 
the  Hatton  House  lectures,  about  this  time  asked 
Samuel  Varley  to  join  him  with  a  view  to  helping 
him  to  perfect  his  discoveries  in  stereotyping.  He 
consented,  and  his  time  being  thus  fully  occupied, 
the  Hatton  House  lectures  came  to  an  end,  and 
soon  after  the  Royal  Institution  started  into  life. 

Cornelius  now  turned  again  to  art,  joining  his 

brother  once  more  on  expeditions  to  sketch  from 

15 


226  Life  of  John  Varley 

nature.  John  had  now  acquired  fame  as  an  artist, 
and  it  was  his  success,  both  as  a  teacher  and  in  the 
sale  of  his  works,  that  probably  induced  Cornelius 
to  relinquish  those  scientific  pursuits  for  which  he 
seemed  so  strikingly  fitted,  in  order  to  resume  his 
studies  in  art.  Like  John,  he  came  for  a  time  under 
the  influence  and  patronage  of  Dr.  Munro,  and  that 
gentleman  introduced  the  two  brothers  to  the  Earl 
of  Essex  and  to  "the  Prince  Lascelles"  (as  he  was 
then  popularly  called),  afterwards  better  known  as 
Lord  Hare  wood.  He  turned  his  attention  also  to 
teaching,,  and  both  he  and  his  brother  obtained  many 
pupils  through  the  recommendation  of  the  Earl  of 
Essex,  who  not  only  gave  them  great  encourage- 
ment, but  aided  them  with  his  advice  as  a  friend, 
suggesting  the  amount  they  should  charge  for  giving 
lessons,  and  so  forth. 

In  June  1801  Cornelius  was  invited  to  Gilling- 
ham  Hall,  Norfolk,  where  he  gave  lessons  in  drawing 
from  nature  to  Mrs.  Bacon-Schutz  and  her  daughter, 
as  well  as  to  some  of  their  relatives.  This  change 
from  the  work  of  the  laboratory,  notwithstanding 
the  great  fascination  the  latter  had  for  him  in 
appeasing  his  thirst  for  investigation  and  research, 
was  a  very  happy  one,  and  he  felt  the  hardest  day's 
work  he  then  did  in  drawing  from  nature  was  "  a 
glorious  holiday."  He  was  of  a  most  genial  and 


Cornelius  Varley  227 


contented  disposition,  and  became  almost  at  once  a 
universal  favourite  in  all  societies  with  which  he 
mixed.  The  period  of  these  excursions  and  visits 
to  various  country  seats  was  one  of  thorough, 
earnest,  and  truly  healthy  enjoyment.  The  pure 
air,  the  sense  of  liberty  in  roaming  about  and 
exploring  the  works  of  creation,  and  the  certainty  of 
receiving  a  hearty  reception  whenever  he  returned 
indoors,  there  to  be  surrounded  by  the  most  culti- 
vated and  amiable  kindness  that  removed  all  care 
and  brightened  hope,  "left  with  him"  (to  use  his 
own  words)  "an  impression  upon  his  mind  that 
nothing  could  efface." 

From  Norfolk  he  went  into  Suffolk,  making 
numerous  sketches.  He  remained  there  till  mid- 
winter, sketching  out  of  doors  all  day  long,  often 
amid  frost  and  snow. 

During  this  tour  of  mingled  sketching  and 
lesson-giving  the  artist  became  painfully  aware  of 
his  deficiencies  in  respect  to  perspective,  and  he 
returned  to  London  in  the  early  days  of  1802  in 
order  to  lessen  his  ignorance.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  months  he  made  himself  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  laws  of  perspective,  and  from  that  time  was 
able  to  give  his  pupils  instruction  in  what  was  then  a 
greatly  neglected  department  of  study,  and  one  which 
artists  had  for  the  most  part  entirely  overlooked. 


228  Life  of  John  Varley 

In  the  month  of  June  he  travelled  into  North 
Wales,  where  he  was  joined  by  his  brother  John 
and  Mr.  Thomas  Webster,  the  architect  of  the 
theatre  of  the  Royal  Institution.  While  there  he 
made  drawings  of  Snowdon,  the  Pass  of  Llanberis, 
Dolgelly,  Beddgelert,  Carnarvon  Castle,  Harlech, 
Cader  Idris,  etc.,  after  which  he  returned  to  Chester, 
going  thence  to  Chepstow.  In  1803  he  made 
another  tour  in  Wales,  being  accompanied  on  this 
occasion  by  John  Cristall  and  William  Havel. 

In  1804  occurred  the  visit  to  St.  Albans,  where, 
as  he  says,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  the  Water 
Colour  Society.  He  went  there  to  make  some 
drawings  to  illustrate  a  work  by  G.  Lewis.  At 
the  first  exhibition  of  the  newly-formed  Society 
he  exhibited  what  he  calls  "coloured  sketches  and 
views  "  of  St.  Albans  and  of  the  Market  Place,  Ross, 
Hereford,  and  other  places.  Truly  at  this  time 
water-colour  drawings  were  little  more  than  coloured 
sketches,  and  the  colours  indeed  were  very  watery, 
not  to  say  washy ;  but  the  art  gradually  improved 
under  the  influence  of  the  men  who  constituted  the 
early  members  of  the  Water  Colour  Society,  together 
with  colourists  like  Holmes,  Richter,  and  others. 


CHAPTER   IV 

WILLIAM    MULREADY   AND    SONS 

IN  the  year  1803,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  John 
Varley  married  Esther  Gisborne,  a  sister  of  John 
Gisborne,  the  friend  of  Shelley,  with  whom,  as  well 
as  with  Godwin,  the  poet's  future  father-in-law,  and 
his  set,  he  appears  to  have  been  well  acquainted. 
Another  sister  of  Gisborne's  became  the  wife  of 
Copley  Fielding,  the  artist ;  while  a  third  was  married 
to  Muzio  dementi,  the  composer  and  pianist,  and 
improver  of  the  pianoforte  (afterwards  associated 
with  a  leading  firm  in  the  manufacture  of  pianofortes), 
whose  talents  won  for  him  a  resting-place  in  the 
cloisters  of  Westminster  Abbey.1 

1  At  the  early  age  of  twelve  dementi  wrote  a  successful  Mass  for  four 
voices,  and  had  made  such  progress  in  the  pianoforte  that  Mr.  Beckford 
brought  him  (from  Rome)  to  this  country  to  complete  his  studies.  He 
was  then  engaged  as  director  of  the  orchestra  of  the  opera  in  London  ; 
and  his  fame  having  rapidly  increased,  he  went  in  1780  to  Paris,  and  in 
1781  to  Vienna,  where  he  played  with  Mozart  before  the  Emperor.  In  1810 
he  settled  down  in  England,  where  he  died  in  1832.  His  most  important 
compositions  were  his  sixty  sonatas,  and  the  collection  of  studies  known  as 


230  Life  of  John  Varley 

During  these  years  John  Varley  had  not  confined 
his  attention  solely  to  art,  but,  like  his  brother 
Cornelius,  had  given  much  time  and  attention  to 
the  study  of  science.  But  the  " science"  to  which 
he  more  particularly  devoted  himself  was  that  of 
astrology,  in  which  he  became  one  of  the  greatest 
adepts  of  his  day.  Among  fashionable  people  he 
was  better  known  as  a  "  ruler  of  the  planets  "  than 
as  an  artist,  and  many  persons,  while  ostensibly 
calling  upon  him  to  see  his  works,  were  in  reality 
more  attracted  by  his  fame  as  an  astrologer.  Nor, 
seeing  that  he  was  never  loth  to  be  drawn  out 
upon  his  favourite  subject,  did  they  often  go  away 
without  being  given  an  opportunity  of  testing  his 
powers  in  that  respect.  Had  he  been  living  at  the 
present  time  instead  of  fifty  years  ago,  he  would 
undoubtedly  have  run  the  risk  of  being  sent  to  jail 
as  a  rogue  and  vagabond — if,  that  is,  as  is  said,  he 
was  always  ready  to  take  his  fee  for  casting  a  horo- 
scope. There  is  considerable  doubt,  however,  as  to 
whether  he  ever  did  take  money  for  such  services. 
It  was  always  a  hobby  of  his  to  draw  the  nativity  of 
persons  he  met,  and  to  amuse  them  by  his  predic- 
tions. He  would  hardly  have  done  this  if  he  had 


the  Gradus  ad  Parnassum.  He  represented  perhaps  the  highest  point  of 
technique  of  his  day,  and  his  influence  upon  modern  execution  led  to  his  being 
characterized  as  "the  father  of  pianoforte  playing." 


William  Mulready  and  Sons  231 

looked  upon  his  astrology  as  a  money-making 
affair.  <, 

Nor  would  there  have  been  anything  very 
blameworthy  if  he  had  by  this  means  added  a  little 
to  his  income,  which  in  the  early  days  of  his  marriage 
was  probably  small  enough,  though  what  with  his 
art  and  his  teaching  (of  which  he  had  very  soon  as 
much  as  he  could  manage),  it  must  ere  long  have 
been  very  considerable  for  one  of  his  years  and 
position.  But  whatever  his  income,  such  was  his 
kindness  of  heart  (which  made  it  impossible  for 
him  to  refuse  to  help  a  friend  in  need)  and  such  his 
unbusiness-like  habits,  that  even  in  these  early  days 
he  was  never  long  out  of  money  difficulties.  One 
of  the  first  effects  of  his  disadvantages  in  this 
respect  was  that  he  was  thrown  very  much  into  the 
hands  of  the  dealers,  and  from  this  circumstance 
doubtless  arose  much  of  the  weak  and  common- 
place work  with  which  his  name  is  unfortunately 
associated. 

Among  the  number  of  his  pupils  were  William 
Mulready,  R.A.,  who,  as  already  stated,  married  one 
of  his  sisters  ;  William  Henry  Hunt,  the  fruit  and 
flower  painter,  and  delineator  of  scenes  in  humble 
life ;  John  Linnell,  the  famous  landscape  artist ; 
Francis  Oliver  Finch,  who  became  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Society  of  Painters  in  Water  Colours  ; 


232  Life  of  John  Varley 

William  Turner  of  Oxford,  a  landscapist  of  great 
talent ;  Samuel  Palmer  (who  was  hjs  pupil  for  a 
short  time) ;  Ziegler,  a  German  Swiss ;  to  say 
nothing  of  a  host  of  others  who  had  not  the  good 
fortune  to  attain  to  equal  fame  with  some  of 
these. 

Hunt  and  Linnell  were  under  Varley  at  the 
same  time.  Linnell  records1  how  he  was  once 
making  sketches  of  pictures  in  Christie's  sale-room 
in  King  Street,  St.  James's,  when  he  was  accosted 
by  William  Fleetwood  Varley,  who  admired  his 
drawing,  and  advised  him  to  go  and  see  his  brother 
John.  The  young  artist  did  so,  with  the  result 
that  his  father  agreed  to  place  him  under  Varley's 
tuition  for  a  year,  giving  him  a  premium  of 
^100.  Linnell  says  that  he  first  saw  Varley  in  a 
little  house  in  Harris  Place,  Oxford  Street  ;  from 
which  he  removed  to  No.  5  Broad  Street,  Golden 
Square.  He  had  a  cottage  also  at  Twickenham, 
where  his  pupils  lived  some  part,  if  not  the  whole  of 
the  time,  for  the  convenience  of  sketching  from 
nature.  Linnell  and  Hunt  spent  most  of  their  time 
in  this  way,  now  on  the  river,  now  in  the  lanes  and 
fields,  drawing,  as  Varley  told  them,  "  everything  in 
nature,  and  in  every  mood."  He  was  an  enthusi- 
astic admirer  of  nature  himself,  and  he  generally 

1  Life  of  John  Linnell. 


William  M^llready  and  Sons  233 

succeeded  in  inoculating  most  of  his  pupils  with  his 
enthusiasm. 

Linnell,  in  some  autobiographical  notes  which 
he  left  behind  him,  has  much  to  say  about  his 
master,  and  especially  about  this  early  period  of 
their  acquaintance.  Judged  by  this  record,  as  well 
as  by  the  reminiscences  of  all  who  knew  him,  John 
Varley  must  have  been  possessed  of  very  excep- 
tional qualities  even  among  men  of  genius.  Not 
only  was  he  a  man  of  genial  character  and  amiable 
disposition,  but  one  of  large  and  liberal  views,  and 
full  of  striking  and  original  conversation.  His 
house  was  the  resort  of  wits  and  men  of  talent  and 
education  in  every  branch  of  art  and  the  pro- 
fessions, and  he  attracted  and  delighted  all  alike 
by  the  kindliness  of  his  heart  and  the  extent  and 
variety  of  his  knowledge.  Something  of  the  quality 
of  the  man  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  he 
was  as  full  of  play  as  of  work,  that  he  indulged  in 
both  with  equal  vigour  in  due  season,  and  that  he 
never  thought  of  himself  when  he  could  help  a 
friend.  Such  was  the  amiability  of  his  disposition 
in  this  latter  respect  that  he  would  often  put 
teaching  and  commissions  in  the  way  of  his  friends 
that  he  might  have  had  himself. 

He  was  especially  fond  of  boxing,  and  he  used 
to  vary  the  tedium  of  painting  and  teaching  by  an 


234  Life  of  John  Varley 

occasional  bout  with  the  gloves.  His  studio  was 
often  the  scene  of  a  lusty  set-to  of  this  description, 
especially  if  his  brother-in-law,  Mulready,  happened 
to  drop  in,  he  also  being  a  great  adept  in  the  art 
of  self-defence.  Mulready,  being  younger  and  not 
so  stout  as  the  somewhat  heavy  and  elephantine 
Varley,  generally  had  the  best  of  it  at  these 
diversions ;  but,  discomfited  or  not,  Varley  enjoyed 
the  fun,  and  after  a  good  laugh  and  a  rest  for  wind, 
he  would  come  up  again,  smiling  and  undaunted. 

Everybody  in  their  circle,  indeed,  appears  to  have 
caught  th^ir  enthusiasm  for  boxing  (which  was  one 
of  the  fashionable  crazes  of  the  time),  not  excluding 
even  the  diminutive  Linnell,  who  refers  in  his 
Autobiography  to  these  pugilistic  encounters  with 
a  zest  which  half  a  century  of  toil  and  religious 
meditation  had  failed  to  weaken.  He  speaks  of 
others  who  took  part  with  them  in  these  exercita- 
tions,  and  records,  not  without  a  touch  of  pride, 
that  upon  the  walls  of  his  lumber-room  still  hang 
the  veritable  gloves  that  had  drawn  George  Dawe's 
"  claret." 

Mulready  was  a  pupil  of  the  Jew  pugilist, 
Mendoza,  and  he  is  said  to  have  been  the  best 
scholar  that  worthy  ever  turned  out.  He  was  a 
man  of  splendid  physique  and  enormous  strength. 
No  end  of  stories  are  told  of  his  prowess  in  this 


William  Mulready  and  Sons  235 

direction.  He  is  said  to  have  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Mr.  Sheepshanks,  the  art  patron,  by 
defending  him  when  attacked  by  a  number  of 
London  roughs.  Nor  did  his  bout  of  fisticuffs 
prove  a  bad  piece  of  business,  considering  the 
number  of  commissions  it  was  subsequently  the 
means  of  bringing  him. 

Once  a  hackney  coachman  demanded  of  him  an 
exorbitant  fare,  and  when  Mulready  would  not  pay 
it,  he  became  exceedingly  abusive  and  offered  to 
strike  him.  The  artist  thereupon  threw  off  his  coat, 
and  the  two  stood  up  at  the  corner  of  Great  Portland 
Street  and  Oxford  Street  and  fought  for  an  hour, 
Mulready  at  length  doubling  up  his  man  and 
coming  off  victorious.  The  fight  was  witnessed  by 
a  couple  of  thousand  people. 

Mulready  and  Sir  John  Swinburne,  uncle  of  the 
poet,  were  walking  one  evening  near  to  the  gates 
of  Holland  Park,  when  a  man  came  out  of  the 
public-house  opposite  and  rudely  attempted  to  push 
between  them.  They,  naturally  enough,  resented 
the  insult,  whereupon  the  fellow  struck  Mulready. 
The  artist,  carefully  judging  his  distance,  struck  the 
man  a  blow  between  the  eyes,  felling  him  to  the 
ground  like  an  ox.  Sir  John,  afterwards  narrating 
the  circumstance,  said,  "  It  was  a  most  fearful 
blow.  I  heard  it  echo  among  the  trees  overhead." 


236  Life  of  John  Varley 

Mulready  had  four  sons,  all  big  strong  men, 
taking  in  this  respect  after  both  the  Varleys  and 
the  Mulready s.  Their  names  were  Paul,  William, 
Michael,  and  John.  They  were  all  nearly  as  expert 
boxers  as  their  father,  who  appears  to  have  taught 
them  impartially  both  the  arts  in  which  he  was  facile 
princeps.  But  while  one  of  them  at  least  was  his 
equal  as  a  boxer,  none  of  them  came  in  any  way  near 
him  in  regard  to  the  art  of  painting.  They  all 
became  artists,  and  made  their  living  in  that  way, 
but  chiefly  by  portrait  painting  and  teaching.  All  of 
them,  however,  had  the  one  fault :  they  were  too 
academic,  with  the  result  that  they  were  stilted  in 
composition  and  style,  and  so  never  came  to  the 
front. 

A  singular  story  is  told  of  Paul  Mulready,  the 
eldest  of  the  Academician's  four  sons,  touching  his 
fame  as  a  pugilist.  He  was  one  day  going  out  of  his 
house  in  Bayswater  when  he  was  met  at  the  gate  by 
a  rough-looking  fellow  and  incontinently  knocked 
down.  Picking  himself  up  as  quickly  as  he  could, 
Paul  naturally  asked  the  man  to  what  he  was  in- 
debted for  the  blow.  "  Why,  you  see,"  said  he, 
"  I'm  the  Somers  Town  champion,  and  I  'eard  as  'ow 
you  was  a  fust-rate  boxer,  Mr.  Mulready,  and  so  I 
thought  I'd  come  and  'ave  a  turn  with  you."  Paul 
replied  that,  seeing  that  he  had  made  so  free  with 


William  Mulready  and  Sons  237 

his  fist,  he  would  indulge  him,  and  asked  him  where 
he  proposed  the  contest  should  take  place.  The 
answer  of  the  Somers  Town  champion  was  to  the 
effect  that  he  had  already  been  to  the  landlord  of  the 
Rose  and  Crown  opposite,  and  that  that  gentleman 
had  consented  to  let  them  have  a  room  and  see 
fair  play.  The  proposal  was  agreed  to ;  and  the 
story  goes  that  the  worthies  fought  all  night,  and  in 
the  end  finished  with  a  drawn  battle,  so  well  were 
they  matched.  But  Mulready  gave  his  antagonist 
such  a  dressing  that  he  never  fought  again,  while  he 
himself  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  several  days 
after  the  event. 

Albert  Varley,  John  Varley's  eldest  son,  was 
Paul  Mulready's  executor  and  the  guardian  of  his 
son.  When  Paul  was  on  his  death-bed  Varley  went 
to  see  him.  He  found  his  old  friend  greatly  affected 
at  the  prospect  of  his  approaching  dissolution. 
"Good-bye,  Albert,"  he  sobbed  at  length,  "I  shall 
never  see  you  again.  You  have  always  been  a 
good  friend  to  me,  and  I  don't  know  anyone  that 
I  have  thought  so  much  of.  But,  my  dear  boy,"  he 
added,  "you  ought  to  have  fought  the  barber." 
Varley  thought  his  friend  was  surely  wandering,  and 
replied  that  he  did  not  understand  him.  "Don't 
you  remember,"  Paul  asked,  "how  when  we  were 
boys  together,  you  and  I  and  Michael  once  threw 


238  Life  of  John  Varley 

stones  at  a  barber's  apprentice,  and  he  challenged 
you  to  fight,  and  you  would  not ;  the  result  being 
that  Michael,  who  had  to  take  your  place,  got  a 
tremendous  hiding  ?  He  will  never  forgive  you  to 
his  dying  day.  He  has  told  me  so  often — he  told 
me  so  again  the  last  time  I  saw  him.  I  have  always 
taken  your  part ;  but  I  think  you  ought  to  have 
fought  the  barber." 

When  it  was  thus  recalled  to  his  mind,  Varley 
recollected  the  circumstance,  and  could  only  be 
surprised  at  the  way  in  which  the  ruling  passion 
still  showed  itself  strong  in  death. 

Another  anecdote  of  the  family's  boxing  propen- 
sities is  equally  well  worth  recording.  The  sons 
never  got  on  well  with  their  father,  any  more  than 
he  did  with  his  wife.  Referring  to  these  causes  of 
difference  one  day  when  with  Albert  Varley,  Paul 
said,  "  Well,  I  can  forgive  my  father  for  all  that  he 
has  done  wrong  towards  us  except  one  thing,  and 
that  I  will  never  forgive  him  for  as  long  as  I  live." 
"And  what  is  that?"  asked  Varley.  Paul  then 
explained  to  him  that  one  of  the  first  principles  of 
the  pugilistic  art  was  in  fighting  not  to  keep  the 
fist  tightly  clenched  all  the  time.  By  doing  so 
the  muscles  and  ligaments  of  the  forearm  become 
strained  and  too  soon  tired,  whereby  the  boxer  is 
unable  to  continue  to  deliver  his  blows  with  all  the 


William  Mulready  and  Sons  239 

force  that  he  otherwise  would.  The  proper  way, 
he  explained,  was  to  keep  the  hand  flexed  but  not 
tightly  closed  until  actually  about  to  deliver  the 
blow,  when  it  should  be  strongly  clenched.  "  Now," 
said  Paul,  with  vehement  indignation,  "  my  father 
knew  that  secret  for  years,  and  never  told  me!  It 
was  a  mean  thing  to  do,  and  I  will  never  forgive 
him — never !  " 

After  Paul's  death,  amongst  other  documents 
was  found  a  letter  from  his  mother.  It  was  a  recent 
one,  and  was  to  the  following  effect :  "My  dear 
son,  bear  in  mind  that  you  are  now  nearly  sixty 
years  of  age,  and  remember  what  your  uncle,  John 
Varley,  predicted  about  this  year.  Do  not  box  or 
play  at  cricket,  for  you  may  receive  an  injury  to 
your  knee  or  leg  which  may  prove  fatal." 

The  prediction  referred  to  was  contained  in 
the  horoscope  cast  by  John  Varley  at  Paul's  birth 
sixty  years  before,  and  was  remembered  by  his 
mother,  who  knew  how  apt  her  brother's  prophecies 
were  to  turn  out  true. 

It  happened,  however,  that  one  day  in  the 
summer  of  this  year  Paul  went  to  Kennington  Oval 
to  see  a  cricket  match,  when  a  ball,  driven  from  a 
long  distance,  struck  him  on  the  knee.  White- 
swelling  was  produced ;  he  was  ill  for  a  long  time, 
and  finally  the  leg  had  to  be  amputated.  It  was 


240  Life  of  John  Varley 

taken  off  by  Dr.  Holmes  Coote,  and  the  patient  died 
under  the  operation. 

John  Varley  was  quite  as  fond  of  boxing  as 
Mulready,  and  had  he  been  less  ponderous  in  size, 
he  might  have  shown  equal  prowess  as  either  he  or 
his  sons.  As  the  case  stood,  however,  it  was  used 
more  as  a  means  of  exercise  and  relaxation  than 
for  attack  or  defence.  The  gloves  always  hung  up 
in  his  studio,  and  nothing  pleased  him  more  than  to 
put  them  on  and  confront  his  doughty  brother-in- 
law.  Occasionally,  in  order  to  vary  the  fun  and 
excitement,  they  would  put  off  the  gloves  and  toss 
Mrs.  Varley  from  one  to  the  other  across  the  table, 
she  screaming,  while  the  rafters  resounded  with 
their  laughter. 

They  must  have  been  gay,  laughter-loving  times, 
those  of  our  grandfathers  at  the  other  end  of  the 
century,  and  not  a  little  uproarious  to  boot. 

All  Mulready 's  sons  lived  to  an  advanced  age 
except  Paul,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty.  Michael,  the  second,  was  over  eighty  when 
he  died.  All  four  of  them  were  born  before 
Mulready  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  having 
married  Varley's  sister  when  he  was  seventeen. 
When  he  was  little  more  than  twenty -one  he 
separated  from  his  wife,  and  they  never  lived 
together  again.  Incompatibility  of  temper  was 


William  Mulready  and  Sons  241 

generally  supposed  to  be  the  cause  of  their  separ- 
ation ;  but  though  this  may  have  been  the  main 
difficulty  between  them,  the  real  reason  for  their 
final  quarrel  and  parting  was  the  fact  that  Mrs. 
Mulready,  who,  like  her  brothers,  was  a  talented 
artist  and  frequently  exhibited,  used  to  go  into  her 
husband's  studio  when  he  was  out  and  work  upon 
his  pictures.  Mulready  was  a  very  slow  worker, 
sometimes  devoting  a  year  to  a  single  picture,  and 
the  wife  doubtless  thought  she  could  expedite 
matters,  and  bring  a  little  more  grist  to  the  mill,  by 
lending  an  occasional  helping-hand.  But  the  R.A  , 
who  managed  to  put  up  with  a  good  deal,  felt 
obliged  to  draw  the  line  at  having  his  pictures 
touched  upon  by  his  wife.1 

1  According  to  Mulready's  own  statement  to  a  friend  (from  whom  I  had 
my  information),  Mrs.  Mulready,  when  out  of  humour,  used  to  go  into  his 
studio  and  paint  out  the  eyes  of  his  figures. 


16 


CHAPTER  V 

VARLEY    AS    ASTROLOGIST 

BUT  we  are  getting  along  a  little  too  fast.  Mention 
has  been  made  of  Varley's  eldest  son  Albert,  whose 
second  name  was  Fleetwood.  Besides  him  there 
were  four  other  sons :  Henry,  Frank  (who  was 
subject  to  fits  and  died  young),  Charles  Smith, 
and  Hay  don,  the  latter  named  after  Varley's  friend 
Benjamin  W.  Haydon,  the  painter.  Then  there 
were  three  daughters  :  Emma,  Susan,  and  Esther. 
A  characteristic  story  is  related  respecting  the 
naming  of  the  artist's  fourth  son,  Charles  Smith. 
When  the  time  arrived  for  him  to  be  christened 
Mrs.  Varley  was  too  ill  to  leave  her  bed.  She  kept 
reminding  her  husband,  therefore,  not  to  forget  to 
have  the  child  christened  in  time,  but  he  as  con- 
stantly put  the  matter  off.  Finally,  when  it  was  not 
possible  to  delay  a  day  longer,  he  sent  the  servant 
with  the  child  to  the  church.  She  herself  acted  as 
godmother,  but  as  no  one  had  been  provided  to 


Varley  as  A  strategist  243 

stand  as  godfather,  she  asked  a  stranger  who 
happened  to  be  present  if  he  would  act  in  that 
capacity,  and  so  relieve  her  from  a  difficulty.  He 
consented,  but  when  the  girl  asked  him  his  name, 
he  appeared  reluctant  to  take  any  responsibility  in 
the  matter,  and  replied,  "  Oh,  Charles  Smith."  So 
the  boy  was  called  by  that  name. 

Although  so  good-natured  and  even  tender- 
hearted, John  Varley  was  not  the  one  to  spoil  his 
children  or  his  pupils  by  over-indulgence.  With 
both  he  was  a  severe  disciplinarian.  Finch  tells 
how,  if  he  heard  a  noise  in  the  room  above  his 
studio,  where  the  youths  were  at  work,  he  would 
suddenly  take  a  cane  out  of  a  drawer,  rush  into 
their  midst,  administer  castigation  freely  all  round, 
and  as  suddenly  disappear.  It  was  the  day  of  such 
exercises  ;  the  tenets  of  Solomon  were'  observed  in 
all  their  glory,  and  John  Varley  followed  them  like 
the  rest.  Even  the  dog  would  come  in  for  a  share 
of  the  blows  if  he  did  not  behave  himself.  Finch 
records  that  on  one  occasion  the  dog  set  up  a 
barking  when  a  visitor  called.  Out  came  the  cud- 
gel, and  the  dog  was  speedily  reduced  to  silence, 
when  the  rod  was  put  away  with  the  remark,  "  I 
hate  affectation." 

Varley's  son  Albert  frequently  bore  testimony  to 
his  father's  peculiarities  in  this  respect.  "  If  we  got 


244  Life  of  John  Varley 

up  to  any  mischief  or  skylarking,  and  made  a  noise, 
the  next  thing  was  a  vision  of  his  yellow  dressing- 
gown  and  brass-edged  ruler.  He  did  not  stop  to 
ask  who  was  the  ringleader  or  the  greatest  culprit, 
but  treated  all  alike  with  the  greatest  impartiality, 
not  even  sparing  a  visitor,  if  we  should  happen  to 
have  one." 

He  was  a  great  advocate  of  cold-water  bathing, 
and  in  order  that  there  might  be  no  lack  of  this,  he 
had  a  tank  made  at  the  end  of  his  garden,  into 
which,  seizing  each  of  his  sons  by  a  leg  and  an 
arm,  he  phinged  them,  neck  and  crop,  three  or  four 
times  every  morning,  and  then  sent  them  off  to  dry 
and  dress.  If  they  howled  too  much  over  these 
rough  ablutions,  he  gave  them  an  extra  dip. 

Varley  was  a  tremendous  worker.  Always  up 
by  daybreak,  he  set  to  work  at  once,  and  did  not 
intermit  his  industry  until  day  was  done.  He  used 
to  say  that  for  forty  years  he  had  worked  on  an 
average  fourteen  hours  a  day.  He  did  not  even 
stop  work  for  his  meals  ;  but  a  corner  of  the  cloth 
was  turned  up,  and  there  while  he  ate  he  worked  at 
his  drawings.  His  attention  was  given  so  thoroughly 
to  what  he  was  doing  that  he  took  little  notice  of  the 
food  that  was  put  before  him.  Once,  it  is  said,  two 
horribly  bad  eggs  were  given  to  him  by  mistake, 
but  so  intent  was  he  upon  the  drawing  before  him 


Varley  as  Astro  legist  245 

that,  though  the  others  were  offended  by  the  smell 
of  the  eggs,  he  went  on  eating  them  as  though  they 
were  most  deliciously  fresh. 

George  Goodban,  the  artist,  who  married  Varley's 
daughter  Susan,  called  one  day,  and  finding  him  busy 
in  his  studio,  said,  "Well,  have  you  anything  ready 
for  the  Water  Colour  Society?"  Varley  replied, 
"God  bless  my  soul,  no!  When  is  the  day  for 
sending  in  ?  "  Goodban  told  him  that  it  was  in  five 
or  six  weeks.  Varley  replied,  "  I  must  begin  on 
something  at  once."  When  the  day  for  sending  in 
arrived  he  had  forty -two  drawings  ready.  The 
prices  ranged  from  5  guineas  to  250.  All,  or  nearly 
all,  were  sold;  the  Prince  Consort  being  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  highest  priced  one. 

As  reference  has  been  made  to  his  food,  it  will 
be  convenient  to  say  here  that  the  artist  was  as 
abstemious  in  regard  to  drinking  as  to  eating.  He 
cared  little  for  liquors  of  any  kind,  and  seldom 
indulged  in  anything  stronger  than  a  little  table- 
beer.  Even  that  was  ordinarily  too  strong  for  him, 
and  was  usually  diluted  with  water  to  obviate  its 
intoxicating  effects.  His  tea  too  had  to  be  of  the 
weakest  description.  His  money,  therefore,  of 
which  he  made  so  much  and  kept  so  little,  did  not 
go  in  self-indulgence  or  in  feasting. 

In  short,  he  was  an  enthusiast,  and  as  such  gave 


246  Life  of  John  Varley 

but  little  attention  to  anything  save  his  art,  or  the 
" science"  of  astrology  to  which  he  was  so  devoted. 
Every  morning,  as  soon  as  he  rose,  and  before  he 
did  anything  else,  he  used  to  work  out  transits  and 
positions  for  the  day,  or  what  astrologists  desig- 
nate "  secondary  directions  and  transits."  Thus  he 
would  work  up  his  own  horoscope  for  the  day.  As 
an  example  of  what  this  means  I  may  give  the 
following  interesting  incident,  which  shows  something 
of  the  character  of  the  man,  as  well  as  the  nature 
of  his  astrological  studies. 

One  morning  while  living  at  Bays  water  Hill  he 
sent  his  son  Albert  out  immediately  after  breakfast 
with  his  watch  to  get  the  exact  time  at  a  watch- 
maker's close  by.  When  he  returned  with  the  time 
Varley  went  over  his  calculations  again  very  carefully. 
Still  not  being  satisfied,  he  sent  the  boy  out  again 
to  see  if  the  time  was  exact.  When  he  returned 
the  second  time,  saying  the  watch  was  right,  Varley 
said,  "  I  can't  make  it  out ;  there  is  something 
very  serious  going  to  happen  to  me  to-day  so  many 
minutes  before  twelve  o'clock,  but  whether  the 
danger  is  to  me  personally  or  to  my  property  I 
cannot  tell." 

He  went  on  to  explain  that  the  planet  which 
was  thus  menacing  him  was  Uranus,  which,  having 
been  but  recently  discovered,  was  something  of  a 


Varley  as  Astrologist  247 

puzzle  to  astrologists,  because  its  astrological  powers 
were  not  yet  well  understood.  He  had  an  engage- 
ment that  morning,  but  he  was  so  anxious  about  the 
threatened  danger  that  he  would  not  go  out.  His 
reading  of  the  aspect  of  the  heavens  was  to  the 
effect  that  the  peril  would  be  sudden  and  serious. 
Thinking  therefore  that  he  might  be  run  over  or 
get  a  tile  on  his  head,  or  suffer  some  such  accident, 
he  thought  it  would  be  prudent  to  risk  nothing,  and 
so  remained  at  home. 

As  the  hour  of  twelve  approached  he  became 
greatly  agitated,  and  walked  up  and  down  his  studio 
unable  to  settle  to  anything.  A  few  minutes  before 
the  hour  he  said  to  his  son,  "  I  am  feeling  all  right  ;  I 
do  not  think  anything  is  going  to  happen  to  me  per- 
sonally ;  it  must  be  my  property  that  is  threatened." 

Just  then  there  was  a  cry  of  fire  outside.  He 
ran  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  found  that 
it  was  his  own  house  that  was  in  flames.  "  He  was 
so  delighted,"  said  his  son  Albert,  describing  the 
occurrence — "  he  was  so  delighted  at  having  dis- 
covered what  the  astrological  effect  of  Uranus  was, 
that  he  sat  down  while  his  house  was  burning, 
knowing  though  he  did  that  he  was  not  insured  for 
a  penny,  to  write  an  account  of  his  discovery.  He 
had  timed  the  catastrophe  to  within  a  few  minutes. 
He  knew  the  square  or  opposition  of  Uranus  would 


248  Life  of  John  Varley 

have  a  bad  effect,  but  in  what  way  he  could  not  tell. 
Although  he  lost  everything  in  the  fire,  he  regarded 
that  as  a  small  matter  compared  with  his  discovery 
of  the  new  planet's  potentiality." 

However    much   deception    there    may   be    in 

astrology  (of  which   I  leave  others  to  judge),  there 

can  be  no  doubt  of  Varley's  bona  fides  in  the  matter. 

He  thoroughly  believed  in  the  "  science,"  and  if  there 

was  deceit,  he  was  the  subject  of  it  as   much  as 

anybody  who  went  to  him  for  his  forecasts.     Many 

are  the  stories  told  of  the  wonderful  predictions  he 

made,  and   how   astonishingly  they  were  verified. 

On    one   occasion   he  drew  the  horoscope   of  the 

children  of  an  artist  friend,  James  Ward,  and  made 

some   revelations   so    astonishingly   true    that    the 

father  had  the  documents  destroyed,  as  indicating 

beyond  doubt  some  commerce  or  collusion  with  the 

father  of  lies. 

No  one  could  come  in  contact  with  Varley 
without  speedily  being  made  aware  of  his  leaning 
to  astrology.  It  was  "a  mania  with  him,  and  his 
common  theme  at  table,"  says  one  who  knew  him 
well.1  "He  was  no  sooner  introduced  to  a  friend 
than  he  would  ask  him  the  date  of  his  birth,  and 
having  obtained  that  knowledge,  he  would  quickly 
make  out  the  stranger's  horoscope."  Gilchrist  in 

1  My  informant  was  Mr.  William  Vokins,  the  picture-dealer. 


Varley  as  Astrologist  249 

his  Life  of  William  Blake  gives  some  anecdotes  of 
his  success  in  this  direction,  and  others  are  recorded 
in  the  Life  of  John  Linnell.  Some  of  them  are 
astonishing  enough,  as,  for  instance,  the  statement 
that  he  foretold  the  death  of  William  Collins,  R.A., 
to  the  very  day  years  before  the  event  took  place  ; 
also  the  declaration  made  by  Scriven,  the  engraver, 
to  the  effect  that  certain  facts  of  a  personal  nature, 
which  could  be  known  only  to  himself,  were  never- 
theless confided  to  his  ear  by  Varley  to  the  smallest 
particular. 

Nor  were  these  by  any  means  the  most  remark- 
able of  his  astral  revelations  or  vaticinations.  On 
one  occasion  he  drew  the  horoscope  of  a  young  lady 
who  was  then  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  told 
her  that  she  would  marry  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years,  and  that  there  would  be  one  child  issue  of  the 
marriage.  But,  having  gone  thus  far,  he  suddenly 
stopped  and  exclaimed,  "Hallo!  what  is  this?  a 
second  marriage  ! "  Then  he  added  after  a  pause, 
"  There  is  something  wrong  here."  The  young  lady 
asked  him  to  explain,  but  he  declined  to  do  so. 
What  he  saw  was  that  the  second  marriage  was  to 
take  place  before  the  death  of  the  first  husband. 
Hence  his  hesitancy  and  doubt.  But  the  sequel  of 
the  lady's  history  proved  the  truth  of  his  reading  of 
the  horoscope. 


250 


Life  of  John  Varley 


She  was  married  to  a  clergyman,  who  was  vicar 
of  a  parish  somewhere  in  the  east  end  of  London. 
A  few  years  after  their  union,  however,  he  left  her, 
disappearing  so  completely  that  she  neither  saw  nor 
heard  of  him  for  a  long  time.  Then,  after  a  lapse 
of  some  ten  or  twelve  years,  she  received  a  letter 
from  him.  He  was  in  Australia,  and  the  letter 
stated  that  he  had  made  his  fortune  at  the  gold- 
diggings.  A  draft  for  a  large  amount  was  enclosed, 
and  with  it  the  wife  was  instructed  to  furnish  a  house 
and  expect  his  coming  to  join  her  in  a  short  time. 
Nothing  more,  however,  was  heard  from  him,  and 
though  the  wife  caused  inquiries  to  be  made  respect- 
ing him,  she  could  learn  nothing  for  several  years, 
when  she  heard  that  he  was  dead.  Some  time  after 
this  she  married  again,  her  second  marriage  proving 
a  very  happy  one.  Subsequently,  however,  it  turned 
out  that  the  one-time  clergyman  was  not  dead,  but 
was  still  living  in  some  part  of  Australia.  His 
strange  conduct  appears  to  have  been  due  to  insanity. 
Thus  was  Varley 's  prediction  strangely  proved  to  be 
true. 

Here  is  another  of  his  astrological  vaticinations. 
One  morning  when  he  and  two  friends — probably 
artists — were  in  the  country  they  set  out  for  a  walk. 
Before  they  started  he  said  —  having  doubtless 
worked  his  transits  for  the  day — "  We  shall  witness 


Varley  as  A  strategist  2  5 1 

some  horrible  accident  before  we  get  back."  In  the 
course  of  their  walk  they  came  to  a  river  over  which 
a  railway  bridge  was  being  built.  Workmen  were 
busy  driving  piles  for  the  foundations,  and  as  they 
stood  and  watched  the  operations,  a  man,  who  was 
leaning  over  one  of  the  piles  to  do  something, 
was  crushed  to  death  by  the  falling  hammer,  the 
trigger  of  which  had  been  accidentally  pulled.  When 
they  got  back  to  their  inn  one  of  the  men  said, 
"Well,  you  said  we  should  see  a  horrible  accident, 
and  we  have  seen  one — a  horrible  one  indeed ! " 

On  another  occasion  he  sent  his  son  Albert  to 
deliver  a  drawing  to  a  gentleman  who  had  given  a 
commission  for  it.  When  he  got  to  the  house  he  found 
that  it  was  not  in  the  portfolio.  In  consequence  of 
being  insecurely  tied,  it  had  doubtless  slipped  out  at 
the  end  while  the  boy  was  going  carelessly  along. 
When  he  reached  home  he  was  afraid  to  tell  his 
father  of  his  mishap,  anticipating  a  jacketing  for  his 
negligence.  Varley,  however,  looked  at  him  steadily 
and  said,  "  Did  you  deliver  that  picture  ?  "  The  boy, 
trembling,  answered  that  he  had  not,  explaining 
the  accident.  "  I  did  not  think  you  could  have 
delivered  it,"  replied  Varley  very  quietly,  to  the  boy's 
great  relief.  "  I  foresaw  from  the  aspect  of  the 
stars  that  I  should  have  an  accident  with  a  drawing 
to-day." 


252  Life  of  John  Varley 

Mr.  William  Vokins  informs  me  that  Varley  was 
at  his  house  when  his  daughter  was  born.  As  was 
his  custom,  he  at  once,  on  hearing  of  the  event,  took 
out  a  piece  of  paper  and  cast  the  infant's  horoscope. 
When  it  was  done  he  turned  to  Mr.  Vokins  and 
said,  "  Be  very  careful  of  the  child  when  she  is  four 
years  of  age.  At  that  time  she  will  be  in  danger  of 
a  severe  accident  from  fire."  The  parents  did  not 
take  much  notice  of  the  prediction,  and  had  indeed 
almost  forgotten  it,  when,  at  the  age  named,  the 
little  girl  was  so  severely  scalded  that  her  life  was 
for  some  time  despaired  of.  She  lost  both  hearing 
and  sight,  and  was  thus  afflicted  for  two  or  three 
years.  Finally,  she  regained  her  sight,  and  to  some 
extent,  though  not  fully,  her  hearing. 

Varley  made  a  similar  prediction  in  regard  to 
Wakley,  the  well  -  known  truculent  and  radical 
member  of  Parliament  of  those  days,  editor  of  the 
Lancet  and  coroner  for  Marylebone. 

Another  story  connected  with  his  astrological 
leanings  is  as  follows.  Once  his  son  Albert,  who 
was  then  married,  went  to  dine  with  a  famous  Scotch 
physician.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  the  doctor 
said,  "  Why,  Albert,  you  have  a  very  bad  cold.  I 
must  give  you  a  prescription  that  will  cure  it." 
When  Albert  Varley  was  about  to  leave,  his  friend 
wrote  out  the  prescription  and  told  him  to  get  it 


Varley  as  Astrologist  253 

made  up  at  the  nearest  chemist's.  It  was  late,  and 
when  he  got  to  the  first  chemist's  shop  the  man  was 
just  about  to  close  the  door.  He  consented,  how- 
ever, to  make  up  the  prescription,  but  in  his  hurry 
he  forgot  to  put  a  label  on  the  phial.  When  he  got 
home  Varley  took  the  whole  of  the  contents  of  the 
bottle,  and  at  once  fell  insensible  on  his  bed.  In 
course  of  time  he  woke  up,  but  was  unable  to  move. 
He  sent  for  his  friend  the  doctor,  and  told  him  that 
he  had  taken  the  dose  that  he  had  prescribed,  but 
that  it  had  disagreed  with  him.  "  Did  you  take  the 
whole  of  it  ?  "  asked  the  doctor.  "  Yes/'  "  I  don't 
wonder  it  disagreed  with  you  ;  the  wonder  is  you  are 
alive.  The  phial  contained  forty  doses."  Albert 
Varley  had  a  prolonged  illness,  and  at  times  it  was 
not  thought  he  would  recover. 

John  Varley  was  at  this  time  living  at  Kentish 
Town,  which  was  then  really  a  country  suburb. 
One  day  he  walked  down  to  see  how  his  son  was 
progressing.  He  had  found  by  consulting  his 
astrological  books  that  it  was  a  critical  day,  and 
he  was  extremely  anxious,  and  remained  with  the 
patient  until  the  hour  of  danger  was  past. 

He  appears,  however,  not  always  to  have  been 
equally  happy  in  his  forecasts — if,  that  is,  we  are  to 
believe  the  report  of  the  late  Sir  Richard  Burton. 
The  famous  Oriental  scholar  and  traveller  was  well 


254  Life  of  John  Varley 

acquainted  with  Varley  in  his  younger  days,  and  he 
told  the  artist's  grandson  and  namesake,  whom  he 
met  in  Egypt,  that  he  had  learned  how  to  draw 
horoscopes  from  his  grandfather.  In  the  Life  of 
Burton  recently  published  by  his  widow,  he  is 
quoted  as  saying,  "  Mr.  Varley  was  a  great  student 
of  occult  science,  and  perhaps  his  favourite  was 
astrology."  He  adds,  "  Mr.  Varley  drew  out 
my  horoscope  and  prognosticated  that  I  was  to 
become  a  great  astrologer ;  but  the  prophecy 
came  to  nothing,  for  although  I  had  read 
Cornelius  .Agrippa  and  others  of  the  same  school 
at  Oxford,  I  found  Zadkiel  quite  sufficient  for 
me." 

Burton  was  not  the  only  famous  man  who  was 
indebted  to  Varley  for  aid  and  guidance  in  occult 
studies.  Amongst  others  who  went  to  him  for 
instruction  in  the  quasi -science  of  astrology  and 
allied  subjects  was  Bulwer-Lytton,  whose  predilec- 
tion for  studies  of  this  kind  is  manifest  in  his 
novels  Zanoni  and  A  Strange  Story.  He  and 
Varley  worked  at  astrology  together,  and  in  the 
occult  machinery  of  the  works  named  Bulwer  is  said 
to  have  been  much  indebted  to  suggestions  given 
to  him  by  the  artist. 

One  of  the  three  works  to  which  Varley 
appended  his  name  is  a  Treatise  on  Zodiacal 


Varley  as  Astro  legist  255 

Physiognomy.1  It  is  a  curious  work — what  there  is 
of  it,  for  it  was  never  completed,  only  one  of  the 
four  projected  parts  appearing ;  but  the  theories 
enunciated  in  it  are  clear  enough.  He  holds  (with 
Ptolemy  and  other  ancient  writers)  that  persons 
born  under  certain  signs  have  certain  well-defined 
lineaments  of  face,  and  that  for  this  reason  not  only 
their  characters  and  dispositions,  but  to  some  extent 
their  fortunes  also,  can  be  read  in  their  countenances. 
In  his  preface  he  says  :  "  The  apparent  power  of  the 
various  signs  of  the  zodiac  in  securing  a  diversity  in 
the  features  and  complexions  of  the  human  race  "  is 
"as  well  established  among  inquiring  people  as  the 
operation  of  the  moon  on  the  tides,  and  may  be 
properly  termed  a  branch  of  natural  philosophy." 
But,  though  he  goes  on  to  affirm  that  "it  is  a 
subject  capable  of  much  more  ample  and  ready  proof 
than  the  astronomical  fact  relating  to  the  tides,"  he 
unfortunately  fails  to  make  it  clear  to  the  unenlight- 
ened reader.  Indeed,  he  does  not  seem  to  try;  he 
gives  us  such  statements  as  that,  though  "  Lord  Byron 
was  born  under  Scorpio,"  he  "received  enough  of 
the  Taurus  principle  to  prevent  his  nose  from  being 

1  Its  full  title  is  "  A  Treatise  on  Zodiacal  Physiognomy,  illustrated  with 
Engravings  of  Heads  and  Features,  accompanied  by  Tables  of  the  Rising  of 
the  Twelve  Signs  of  the  Zodiac  ;  and  containing  also  New  and  Astrological 
Explanations  of  some  of  the  Remarkable  Persons  of  Ancient  Mythological 
History." 


256  Life  of  John  Varley 

aquiline,  and  to  give  to  his  character  a  degree  of 
perverseness  or  eccentricity  ;  "  but  he  does  not  show 
us  by  what  subtle  chains  or  gradations  of  influence 
the  zodiacal  sign  of  the  Bull  militates  against  the 
enjoyment  of  a  straight  nose. 

Among  the  "  heads  and  features  "  illustrating  the 
text  (which  are  from  the  drawings  of  his  friend 
Linnell)  there  appears  Blake's  portrait  of  the 
"  Ghost  of  a  Flea,"  of  which  he  says  that  "it  agrees 
in  countenance  with  a  certain  class  of  persons  under 
Gemini,  which  sign  is  the  significator  of  the  Flea, 
whose  brown  colour  is  appropriate  to  the  colour  of 
the  eyes  of  some  full-toned  Gemini  persons."  In 
this  sentence  we  have  a  slight  indication  of  the  way 
in  which  we  come  by  the  colour  of  our  eyes,  but  it 
still  leaves  us  in  the  dark  as  to  the  exact  astral 
influences  that  make  or  mar  a  perfect  nose. 

In  this  amusing  little  work  the  author  hazards 
several  vaticinations,  of  one  of  which  Lord  Rosebery 
would  do  well  to  take  note.  So  far  as  one  can 
gather  from  the  somewhat  vague  phraseology,  it 
predicts  that  Ireland  will  not  make  much  headway 
in  the  line  of  her  present  political  aspirations  until 
the  year  2001.  At  that  time,  however,  she  will 
experience  "the  regard  of  a  great  monarch,  and 
probably  of  a  great  continental  nation,  and  of  the 
people  signified  by  Virgo,"  whoever  they  may  be. 


Varley  as  Astrologist  257 

"  Englishmen  will  then  make  choice  of  many  Irish 
ladies  for  their  wives,  and  the  country  may,  under 
the  auspices  of  this  star  (Regulus),  become  eminent 
for  the  education  of  females !" —which  of  course 
signifies  the  very  best  sort  of  Home  Rule. 

In  his  day  Varley's  fame  as  an  astrologer  made 
him  almost  better  known  among  a  certain  class  of 
people  than  his  celebrity  as  an  artist.  One  who 
knew  him  well  says  he  has  seen  him  the  centre  of  a 
group,  consisting  of  ladies  of  aristocratic  position, 
well-known  authoresses,  and  others,  who  hung  upon 
his  words  while  he  told  their  fortunes,  in  which  he 
became  so  absorbed  as  to  forget  the  lessons  he 
should  at  the  time  have  been  giving.  It  was  a 
common  thing  for  him  to  question  people  whom  he 
met  casually  as  to  the  date  of  their  birth.  Having 
obtained  the  desired  information,  he  would  proceed 
to  draw  their  horoscopes  and  tell  them  their  future. 
In  this  way  he  would  frequently  be  able  to  tell  a 
person  that  he  was  in  error  as  to  the  time  of  his 
birth,  explaining  that  as  Jupiter  (or  it  might  be 
some  other  planet)  was  at  the  time  in  such  and  such 
a  conjunction,  his  countenance  must  necessarily 
have  been  quite  different  from  what  it  was  if  he  had 
been  born  under  the  aspect  of  the  heavens  prevail- 
ing at  the  reputed  time  of  his  birth.  On  the  same 

principle  he  was  able,  it  is   said,  from  a   person's 

17 


258  Life  of  John  Varley 

physiognomy  to   name  the  star,  or  conjunction   of 
stars,  under  whose  influence  he  was  born. 

In  addition  to  his  Zodiacal  Physiognomy,  Varley 
was  the  author  of  two  other  works,  both  of  them  on 
the  art  upon  which  rests  his  more  permanent  title  to 
fame.  One  is  entitled  Observations  on  Colouring 
and  Sketching  from  Nature,  and  the  other  A 
Practical  Treatise  on  Perspective.  The  former  was 
to  have  been  completed  in  twelve  numbers,  but  four 
only  were  issued.  They  were  published  by  the 
author  himself,  who,  on  the  cover  of  the  work,  gives 
his  address  as  44  Conduit  Street.  Each  part 
contains  a  couple  of  landscapes  in  monochrome,  and 
these  serve  as  texts  for  the  author's  remarks. 
Although  without  any  approach  to  style,  often  even 
without  grammar,  they  are  ably  put  together  from 
the  artist's  point  of  view.  What  he  has  to  say  is 
clearly  and  concisely  stated,  and  his  views  on  light 
and  shade,  colouring,  and  composition  are  so  well 
stated  that  the  merest  novice  cannot  rise  from  the 
reading  of  them  without  bringing  away  very  definite 
notions  as  to  the  scope  and  methods  of  the  art  of 
which  Varley  was  a  master ;  while  to  the  young 
beginner  in  water-colour  painting  they  would  be 
invaluable.  The  wonder  is  that  this  treatise, 
together  with  that  on  Perspective,  has  not  been 
republished  with  annotations  bringing  it  up  to  date. 


CHAPTER   VI 

BLAKE    AND    LINNELL 

THE  most  interesting  period  of  Varley's  life — to  the 
literary  world  at  least — is  probably  that  which 
brought  him  in  contact  with  the  mystical  painter 
and  poet,  William  Blake.  This  may,  roughly 
speaking,  be  said  to  comprise  the  period  from  1819 
to  1826.  He  was  introduced  to  Blake  by  his  former 
pupil,  John  Linnell,  who  was,  at  the  period  named, 
married,  and  steadily  making  his  way  to  the  success 
and  fame  which  he  subsequently — though  not  till 
comparatively  late  in  life — achieved. 

Linnell's  first  meeting  with  the  dreamer  took 
place  in  1818,  the  two  being  brought  together  by 
the  younger  Mr.  Cumberland  of  Bristol.  As 
Linnell  and  Varley  were  at  that  time  residing  near 
to  each  other,  the  one  in  Cirencester  Place  and  the 
other  in  Great  Titchfield  Street,  and  frequently 
met,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the  introduction 
occurred  at  Varley's  house,  where  they  subsequently 


260  Life  of  John  Varley 

often  met  in  the  evening.  Sometimes  Linnell 
would  be  present,  an  attentive  observer  and  listener, 
taking  everything  in,  but  saying  little.  On  one 
occasion  he  made  a  characteristic  sketch  of  the  two 
as  they  were  arguing  together.1  It  shows  Varley 
alert,  eager,  inquisitive,  Blake  calm,  thoughtful,  con- 
templative. What  a  contrast  they  present!  It 
would  be  hard  to  find  two  men  more  opposite  in 
their  general  qualities,  and  yet  they  were  perfectly 
at  one  in  regard  to  their  belief  in  the  possibility  of 
the  ghosts  or  spirits  of  men  dead  making  themselves 
visible  to  the  living. 

Thus  when  Blake  had  got  his  seeing  cap  on, 
Varley,  sitting  by,  would  say — I  quote  from 
Gilchrist :  "  *  Draw  me  Moses,'  or  David ;  or  would 
call  for  a  likeness  of  Julius  Caesar,  or  Cassibellaunus, 
or  Edward  the  Third,  or  some  other  great  historical 
personage.  Blake  would  answer,  '  There  he  is  ! ' 
and  paper  and  pencil  being  at  hand,  he  would  begin 
drawing  with  the  utmost  alacrity  and  composure, 
looking  up  from  time  to  time  as  though  he  had  a 
real  sitter  before  him  ;  ingenuous  Varley  meanwhile 
straining  wistful  eyes  into  vacancy  and  seeing  nothing, 
though  he  tried  hard,  and  at  first  expected  his  faith 
and  patience  to  be  rewarded  by  a  genuine  appari- 
tion. .  .  . 

1  Reproduced  in  the  Life  of  Linnell. 


Blake  and  Linnell  261 

"Sometimes  Blake  had  to  wait  for  the  Vision's 
appearance  ;  sometimes  it  would  come  at  call.  At 
others,  in  the  midst  of  his  portrait,  he  would 
suddenly  leave  off,  and,  in  his  ordinary  quiet  tones, 
and  with  the  same  matter-of-fact  air  another  might 
say,  '  It  rains,'  would  remark,  '  I  can't  go  on, — it  is 
gone!  I  must  wait  till  it  returns';  or,  'It  has 
moved.  The  mouth  is  gone ' ;  or,  *  He  frowns  ;  he  is 
displeased  with  my  portrait  of  him,'  which  seemed 
as  if  the  vision  were  looking  over  the  artist's 
shoulder  as  well  as  sitting  vis-a-vis  for  his  likeness. 
The  devil  himself  would  politely  sit  in  a  chair  for 
Blake,  and  innocently  disappear." 

The  portraits  were  often  criticised,  but  Varley 
never  doubted  their  genuineness.  He  believed 
implicitly  Blake's  statements  in  respect  to  them,  and 
indeed  appears  to  have  regarded  them  as  perfectly 
authentic. 

In  the  way  described,  Blake  executed  for  Varley, 
always  in  his  presence,  some  fifty  or  more  pencil 
drawings  of  these  historical  or  mythical  personages. 
They  were  generally  of  small  size,  although  two,  now 
in  the  possession  of  his  grandson  and  namesake,  are 
larger.  They  are  carefully  drawn,  and  rather  pleasing 
in  expression,  albeit  somewhat  feminine.  One  re- 
presents Jonathan,  the  friend  of  David,  and  the  other 
Harold  the  Second  after  the  Battle  of  Hastings. 


262  Life  of  John  Varley 

Most  of  the  Heads  were  subsequently  purchased 
by  John  Linnell,  and  are  still  in  the  possession  of 
the  family.  The  majority  bear  the  date  August 
1820,  but  a  few  were  executed  nearly  a  year  earlier. 
The  name  and  date  are  in  the  handwriting  of  Varley, 
who  is  very  explicit  in  his  description.  Thus  one  is 
endorsed  "  Richard  Cceur  de  Lion,  drawn  from  his 
spectre.  W.  Blake  fecit,  Oct.  14,  1819,  at  quarter 
past  twelve,  midnight."  There  is  a  second  inscribed 
"  Richard  Cceur-de-Lion,"  and  different  from  the 
first.  Another  is  described  as  "  The  Man  who 
built  the  Pyramids,  Oct.  18,  1819,  fifteen  degrees 
of  2,  Cancer  ascending."  In  a  third  we  have 
"Wat  Tyler,  by  Blake,  from  his  spectre,  as  in  the 
act  of  striking  the  tax-gatherer,  drawn  Oct.  30,  1819, 
i  h.  P.M." 

But  the  most  curious  of  all  the  Visionary  Heads, 
or  Heads  from  the  Spectre,  and  the  one  that  has 
perhaps  excited  the  greatest  curiosity,  and  called 
forth  the  most  remark,  is  the  "  Ghost  of  a  Flea." 
Of  it  Varley  gave  an  engraved  outline  and  a  descrip- 
tion in  his  Treatise  on  Zodiacal  Physiognomy.  The 
latter  is  sufficiently  singular,  and  at  the  same  time 
characteristic  of  the  author,  to  be  worth  quoting. 
It  is  as  follows:  "This  spirit  visited  his  (Blake's) 
imagination  in  such  a  figure  as  he  never  anticipated 
in  an  insect.  As  I  was  anxious  to  make  the  most 


Blake  and  Linne II  263 

correct  investigation  in  my  power  of  the  truth  of 
these  visions,  on  hearing  of  this  spiritual  apparition 
of  a  Flea,  I  asked  him  if  he  could  draw  for  me 
the  resemblance  of  what  he  saw.  He  instantly 
said,  *  I  see  him  now  before  me.'  I  therefore  gave 
him  paper  and  a  pencil,  with  which  he  drew  the 
portrait  of  which  a  facsimile  is  given  in  this  number. 
I  felt  convinced,  by  his  mode  of  proceeding,  that  he 
had  a  real  image  before  him  ;  for  he  left  off,  and 
began  on  another  part  of  the  paper  to  make  a 
separate  drawing  of  the  mouth  of  the  Flea,  which 
the  spirit  having  opened,  he  was  prevented  from 
proceeding  with  the  first  sketch  till  he  had  closed  it. 
During  the  time  occupied  in  completing  the  drawing 
the  Flea  told  him  that  all  fleas  were  inhabited  by  the 
souls  of  such  men  as  were  by  nature  bloodthirsty 
to  excess,  and  were  therefore  providentially  confined 
to  the  size  and  form  of  insects ;  otherwise,  were  he 
himself,  for  instance,  the  size  of  a  horse,  he  would 
depopulate  a  great  portion  of  the  country." 

The  Treatise  on  Zodiacal  Physiognomy  contains 
also  an  engraved  outline  of  another  of  the  Spectre 
Heads — that  of  the  Constellation  Cancer.  Coloured 
copies  of  three  of  the  Visionary  Heads  —  those, 
namely,  of  William  Wallace,  Edward  I.,  and  the 
Ghost  of  a  Flea — were  made  for  Varley  by  Linnell. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  before  closing  this  chapter 


264  Life  of  John  Varley 

that  Linnell,  who,  knowing  both  men  intimately, 
was  well  qualified  to  judge,  considered  Varley  to  be 
of  a  more  credulous  turn  of  mind  than  Blake.  This, 
indeed,  appears  to  have  been  one  of  the  weak  points 
in  his  character.  A  phrenologist  of  that  time — a 
man  of  some  eminence  in  the  world  of  science  and 
letters,  and  well  known  to  Varley — attributed  to  him 
excessive  credulity.  "  He  believed  nearly  all  he 
heard,  and  all  he  read,"  was  his  judgment  upon  him. 
It  appears  to  have  been  borne  out  by  his  phreno- 
logy, a  science  which  scientific  men  had  not  yet 
learned  to  taboo  because  unfashionable. 

Varley  tried  hard  to  convince  Blake  of  the  truth 
of  astrology,  but  could  never  make  much  headway 
in  that  direction.  It  involved  a  theory  too  material- 
istic for  the  transcendental  spirituality  of  the  mystic. 

Curiously  enough,  too,  neither  Blake  nor  Linnell 
—both  strongly  religious  men,  though  differing  on 
points  of  doctrine — could  make  any  impression  upon 
Varley's  scepticism  in  regard  to  current  religious 
dogmas.  Though  credulous  to  the  last  degree,  the 
spiritual  was  a  realm  to  which  he  seems  to  have  had 
an  utterly  blind  eye.  According  to  Mr.  Atkinson- 
above  quoted — he  knew  no  distinctive  God  or  creed. 
"  He  belonged  to  no  sect,  took  no  private  road,  but 
looked  through  Nature  up  to  Nature's  God." 

Could  there  have  been  a  finer  exemplification  of 


Blake  and  Linne II  265 

the  truth  of  Gall's  doctrine  of  the  plurality  of  faculties 
than  these  three  men  presented — Varley,  Blake,  and 
Linnell  ?  Here  was  a  trio  devoted  heart  and  soul 
to  art,  full  of  genius,  full  of  enthusiasm,  and  yet  in 
all  other  respects  how  different!  In  Blake  we  see 
the  calm,  confident  transcendentalist,  a  man  who 
with  the  inward  eye  looked  sheer  into  the  spiritual 
world,  the  full  and  complete  circle,  so  to  speak,  of 
which  this  nether  and  outer  world  is  but  a  broken 
and  imperfect  segment ;  neglecting  this  world,  and 
in  turn  neglected  of  it ;  a  mere  child,  in  fact,  so  far 
as  earthly  things  go,  but  spiritually  a  man  of  such 
stature  as  the  world  seldom  sees.  Varley  was  the 
converse  of  all  this.  Worldly  to  the  last  degree,  all 
his  schemes,  ideas,  and  feelings  were  stamped  as  of 
the  earth  earthy.  Though  extremely  credulous,  and 
ready  to  believe  on  the  least,  or  even  on  no  evidence, 
yet  when  it  came  to  the  supernal  wonders,  the  divine 
attributes,  manifested  on  every  hand,  there  was  no 
sentient  tablet  to  receive  impressions  ;  his  mind  was 
there  a  blank. 

In  Linnell  we  see  again  a  different  type.  In 
him  we  have  a  more  fully  rounded  and  filled  out 
man,  and  yet  he  too  had  his  frailties.  With  genius 
perhaps  greater  than  either,  greater  even  than  Blake 
in  respect  to  art,  more  normal  and  manageable  ; 
with  the  same  fine  spiritual  turn,  though  wedded  to 


266  Life  of  John  Varley 

less  heterodox  views,  he  was  nevertheless  far  from 
being,  like  Blake,  disqualified  by  his  unworldly 
powers  for  the  business  of  the  world.  Indeed,  he 
possessed  a  superabundance  of  those  prudential 
faculties  of  the  mind  that'  specially  qualify  a  man  for 
worldly  success.  In  this  respect  he  could  set  an 
example  to  the  physical  and  material  Varley.  In 
truth,  it  might  have  been  better  for  his  fame  if  he 
had  been  less  gifted  in  this  respect,  as  it  made 
enemies  for  him  among  those  of  his  profession  who 
were  less  successful  than  himself;  it  appears  to  have 
caused  him  enemies  too  among  dealers,  who  found 
in  him  a  match  for  themselves  in  all  that  concerns 
business  matters.  The  latter  are  pardonable,  but 
it  is  hard  to  find  words  of  condemnation  strong 
enough  for  brother  painters  who,  in  order  to  justify 
their  injustice  to  him,  invented  falsehoods  to  prove 
him  to  be  unutterably  selfish  and  mean. 

That  he  was  "  canny  "  no  one  can  deny  ;  but  that 
he  was  so  despicable  as  to  make  his  aged  father  pay 
five  shillings  a  week  for  his  board  while  living  under 
his  roof  one  cannot  believe  without  doing  violence 
to  one's  feelings.  Yet  it  is  stated  on  the  authority 
of  someone  who  pretends  to  have  witnessed  the 
scene,  that  on  one  occasion  he  was  present  at  the 
artist's  tea-table  when  a  white-haired  old  man  whom 
he  did  not  know  entered  the  room  and  took  his 


Blake  and  Linnell  267 

place  with  the  rest.  A  mug  of  tea  and  a  plate  of 
bread  and  butter  were  placed  before  him  ;  but  before 
he  touched  either  he  took  five  shillings  from  his 
pocket  and  pushed  them  with  a  trembling  hand 
towards  Mr.  Linnell,  saying,  "  Here  is  my  week's 
money,  John.  Let  me  have  a  receipt  for  it."  A 
receipt  was  at  once  pencilled  on  a  bit  of  paper  and 
handed  to  him.  The  old  man  scanned  it  carefully, 
then,  as  he  folded  it  and  put  it  in  his  pocket, 
he  turned  to  the  stranger  and  said,  "That,  sir, 
is  the  way  father  and  son  do  business."  The 
fact  that  the  story  has  been  given  to  me  in  three 
different  versions,  each  fathered  on  a  different 
person,  is  perhaps  proof  sufficient  of  its  utter  lack 
of  foundation  in  truth. 

That  John  Linnell  was  very  keen  after  the 
shekels,  very  shrewd  in  driving  a  bargain,  and  equally 
cautious  not  to  be  done  In  any  way,  is  beyond  doubt. 
There  are  many  anecdotes  —  genuine  ones  —  in 
attestation  of  the  fact.  Perhaps  the  following  is  as 
good  and  characteristic  a  specimen  as  could  be  found, 
and  it  has  the  merit  of  being  perfectly  authentic,  as 
I  have  it  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Budden  (of 
Messrs.  Budden,  Fisher,  and  Company,  of  Lime 
Street),  who  writes  : — 

"  John  Linnell  was  sometimes  at  my  office  to  see 
my  partner,  Mr.  J.  H.  Spencer  (since  dead),  who  had 


268  Life  of  John  Varley 

lived  in  Oporto,  and  was  a  first-rate  judge  of  port 
wine.  They  on  one  occasion  went  to  the  vaults  of 
the  London  Dock  and  selected  for  him  a  pipe  of 
genuine  fine  port  wine.  After  they  had  done  this, 
Linnell  turned  to  the  cooper  and  borrowed  his  scribe 
(with  which  the  casks  are  marked),  and  stooping 
down  with  the  lamp,  and  using  the  tool  on  the  head 
of  the  cask,  he  returned  it  to  the  man,  saying, 
'There!  you  won't  imitate  that.'  The  cooper, 
after  inspecting  the  cask  head  for  a  short  time, 
exclaimed,  '  Why,  sir,  it's  your  own  profile ! '  And 
so  it  was.  A  few  days  after  he  went  to  the  dock  in 
a  cart,  and  after  getting  the  pipe  out  of  the  bonded 
customs  vaults,  duty  paid,  he  rode  home  with  it 
among  the  straw  in  the  cart,  *  with  his  martial  cloak 
around  him.' '  Mr.  Budden  adds  :  "  If  this  cask 
head  were  still  in  existence  it  would  be  a  curiosity." 
As  Varley 's  residence  in  Great  Titchfield  Street 
has  been  referred  to,  it  may  be  as  well  to  say  that  I 
understand  it  was  here  that  he  suffered  great  loss 
from  being  burnt  out.  On  two  other  occasions  he 
was  subjected  to  a  similar  disaster :  one  has  been 
already  referred  to  in  connection  with  his  astrological 
leanings  ;  the  other  fire,  his  grandson,  John  Varley, 
informs  me,  took  place  in  Conduit  Street,  where  he 
had  a  gallery  as  well  as  a  studio. 


CHAPTER   VII 

CHARACTER    OF   VARLEY 

THAT  Varley  was  a  most  original  and  eccentric 
character  there  can  be  no  question.  All  who  knew 
him,  or  were  in  any  way  brought  in  contact  with 
him,  agree  on  this  point.  Linnell,  who,  as  we  have 
seen,  lived  in  his  house  for  a  year,  and  from  1805, 
when  they  first  became  acquainted,  until  1842,  when 
Varley  died,  knew  him  intimately,  has  but  two  criti- 
cisms to  make  against  him.  One  is,  that  he  was 
lacking  in  the  qualities  that  constitute  a  shrewd, 
successful  business  man  ;  the  other,  that  he  was  not 
of  a  religious  turn,  or,  in  other  words,  that  he  was 
not  much  given  to  church-going  or  to  dogmatic 
religion.  In  spite  of  these  defects,  however — and 
they  were  the  negative  of  the  qualities  upon  which 
his  critic  set  the  highest  value,  and  were  those 
which  characterized  him  the  most — Linnell's  admira- 
tion for  Varley  was  very  high.  He  was  accustomed 
to  say,  and  indeed  he  wrote  in  his  Autobiography, 


270  Life  of  John  Varley 

that  Varley  was  possessed  of  many  noble  qualities, 
and  that,  while  he  was  not  a  religious  man,  he  was 
not  a  hypocrite.  It  is  curious  to  note  too  this 
further  judgment,  namely,  that  he  might  not  have 
been  a  better  man,  even  if  so  good,  had  he  made  a 
profession  of  religion.  One  can  well  believe  that. 
Popular  religion — the  all-absorbing  effort  and  desire 
to  save  the  soul,  or  the  skin — has  a  tendency  to  make 
men  selfish  ;  and  this  Varley  could  not  be.  He  was 
indeed  the  very  antithesis  of  selfishness.  Mr. 
William  Vokins,  one  of  the  few  persons  still  living 
who  kneW  Varley  well,  bears  emphatic  testimony  to 
his  unselfish  disposition.  "  His  kindly,  unsuspicious 
nature,"  he  writes,  "was  constantly  bringing  him 
into  difficulties.  He  could  not  say  'No'  when  his 
purse  or  name  was  of  any  use,  and  it  was  no 
uncommon  thing  for  him  to  lose  a  lesson  (the  fee 
for  which  was  one  or  two  guineas)  in  order  that  he 
might  aid  some  case  of  distress.  But  more  than 
this — he  would  often  give  to  others  who  were  in 
need  what  he  actually  wanted  for  himself,  and  so 
put  himself  in  the  most  unheard  -  of  difficulties. 
Nor  was  it  always  the  deserving  he  thus  assisted  ; 
often  enough  the  very  opposite  was  the  case ; 
for,  as  Linnell  says,  he  profited  scarcely  at  all 
by  experience,  and  put  implicit  confidence  in 
the  most  treacherous  and  crafty  people.  Indeed, 


Character  of  Varley  2  7 1 

though  a  man  in  stature  and  years,  he  seems  to 
have  retained  to  the  last  the  simple  and  unsus- 
pecting heart  of  a  child." 

He  was  indeed  of  such  an  easy-going,  sympa- 
thetic disposition,  that  he  absolutely  could  not 
refuse  to  help  others  when  in  difficulties.  He  was 
constantly  being  asked  to  put  his  name  to  bills,  and 
he  as  constantly  consented.  Invariably,  of  course, 
he  had  to  pay  or  go  to  the  sponging-house  as  the 
result.  Things  at  last  arrived  at  such  a  pass  that 
he  did  not  feel  that  all  was  right  unless  he  was 
arrested  for  debt  at  least  once  or  twice  a  month. 
With  the  utmost  regularity  the  tipstaff  would  make 
his  appearance  and  say,  "  Mr.  Varley,  I  am  afraid  I 
must  trouble  you  to  come  along  with  me."  Varley 
took  the  visit  as  a  matter  of  course,  replying,  "  Just 
wait  a  minute  until  I  put  together  a  few  materials, 
and  I  shall  be  at  your  service." 

The  materials  were  a  portfolio  with  two  or  three 
boards,  colours,  brushes,  etc.  With  these,  as  soon 
as  he  arrived  at  the  place  of  detention,  he  would 
rapidly  execute  a  couple  of  drawings,  and  when 
they  were  finished  he  would  get  the  bailiff  to  take 
one  to  his  friend  Mr.  Vokins,  and  the  other  to 
another  dealer,  and  with  the  proceeds  pay  off  his 
debt.  No  wonder  much  of  the  work  of  his  later 
years  was  of  a  somewhat  slipshod  character. 


272  Life  of  John  Varley 

In  one  year  he  had  upwards  of  thirty  writs 
served  upon  him,  and  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  for 
the  convenience  of  other  people !  Again  and  again 
had  he  to  suffer  arrest  and  go  to  the  sponging-house, 
with  the  result  that  he  was  obliged  to  pay  double  or 
treble  the  amount  of  his  debt  before  he  got  free. 
Yet  nothing  broke  the  spirit  of  the  man.  Always 
cheerful,  hearty,  and  brimming  over  with  kindness, 
he  would  even  protract  his  stay  in  the  house  of 
detention  in  order  to  cheer  and  hearten  the  down- 
cast and  despairing  men  whom  he  found  there  who 
were  not  able  to  bear  up  under  their  load  of  trouble 
and  worry  as  he  did. 

He  even  found  a  beneficent  providence  in  his 
tribulations.  "All  these  troubles  are  necessary  to 
me,"  he  once  said  to  his  friend  Linnell.  ""  If  it  were 
not  for  my  troubles  I  should  burst  with  joy !  "  Nor 
were  his  debts  his  only  troubles  ;  for,  besides  a  son 
grievously  afflicted  (with  epilepsy  or  some  kindred 
disorder),  he  had  a  helpmate,  who,  though  she  was 
not  wasteful  and  extravagant,  yet  lacked  the  ability 
to  make  up  for  his  unbusinesslike  disposition. 
Gilchrist  says  she  "  dissipated  as  fast  as  he  could 
earn  "  ;  but  that  gentleman  was  too  apt  to  take  any 
one's  tittle-tattle  as  evidence  of  truth,  much  to  the 
detriment  of  his  otherwise  very  interesting  work.1 

1  The  Life  of  William  Blake. 


Character  of  Varley  2  73 

Here  is  an  instance  in  point.  Speaking  of  Varley's 
astrological  leanings,  he  says  he  was  "not  learned 
or  deeply  grounded,  or  even  very  original  in  his 
astrology,  which  he  had  picked  up  at  second-hand." 
This  is  the  reverse  of  fact.  There  may  not  be  much 
to  be  said  in  favour  of  a  "  science  "  the  principles  of 
which  appear  to  be  based  on  a  wild  and  untenable 
theory ;  yet  what  there  is  of  it,  that  Varley  seems 
to  have  known  well  and  thoroughly.  In  fact  he  was 
such  an  enthusiast  on  the  subject  that  he  would 
often  devote  hours  to  it  that  would  have  been  better 
perhaps  and  more  profitably  spent  in  painting  or 
teaching.  There  is  probably  a  considerable  amount 
of  truth  in  Linnell's  criticism  upon  him  when  he  says 
that,  though  he  was  always  calculating  nativities,  he 
could  never  calculate  probabilities.  Or,  did  he  place 
too  much  reliance  on  the  "  promise  "  of  the  stars,  and 
find  them  fail  him  at  the  last  moment  ?  This  would 
be  quite  like  him,  with  his  immense  faith,  his  easy 
good-nature,  and  his  unquenchable  friendliness. 

"  He  was  a  most  sincere  and  kind-hearted 
friend,"  says  Mr.  Vokins — too  often  to  his  own  hurt 
and  undoing,  as  would  appear.  •  "  It  was  extra- 
ordinary," says  Linnell,  "how  easily  Varley  acquired 
a  large  and  valuable  professional  connection  among 
the  nobility  and  others,  and  how  ready  he  was  to 
recommend  to  their  notice  and  employment  his 

18 


274  Life  of  John  Varley 

brother-artists.  I  believe  Mulready  was  greatly 
indebted  in  that  way  to  Varley."  He  adds  that  all 
his  acquaintance  benefited  by  his  generous  activity 
to  serve  them,  and  no  one  more,  perhaps,  than 
himself. 

As  to  his  character  in  other  respects,  Gilchrist 
pictures  him  not  untruthfully,  although  with  a  touch 
of  caricature,  as  was  his  wont,  and  apparently  his 
delight.  Contrasting  Blake,  Linnell,  and  Varley  as 
they  appeared  to  an  eye-witness  (possibly  Samuel 
Palmer)  at  Linnell's  place  at  Hampstead  "  in 
animated  converse,"  he  presents  us  with  the  follow- 
ing picture  :  "  Blake,  with  his  quiet  manner,  his 
fine  head — broad  above,  small  below  ;  Varley's  the 
reverse.  Varley,  stout  and  heavy,  yet  active,  and  in 
exuberant  spirits — ingenious,  diffuse,  poetical,  eager, 
talking  as  fast  as  possible.  Linnell,  original,  brilliant, 
with  strongly-marked  character,  and  filial  manner 
towards  Blake,  assuming  nothing  of  the  patron, 
forbearing  to  contradict  his  stories  of  his  visions, 
etc.,  but  trying  to  make  reason  out  of  them.  Varley 
found  them  explicable  astrologically — 'Sagittarius 
crossing  Taurus,'  and  the  like  ;  while  Blake,  on  his 
part,  believed  in  his  friend's  astrology  to  a  certain 
extent.  He  thought  you  could  oppose  and  conquer 
the  stars." 

To  this  picture  Gilchrist  adds  that  "  Varley  was 


Character  of  Varley  275 

a  terrible  assertor,  bearing  down  all  before  him  by 
mere  force  of  loquacity.  .  .  .  But  there  was  stuff  in 
him.  His  conversation  was  powerful,  and  by  it 
he  exerted  a  strong  influence  on  ingenuous  minds." 
Then  we  have  this  further  touch,  again  with  a  slight 
leaning  towards  caricature  :  "  Varley  was  a  genial, 
kind-hearted  man  ;  a  disposition  the  grand  dimen- 
sions of  his  person  —  which,  when  in  a  stooping 
posture,  suggested  to  beholders  the  rear-view  of  an 
elephant — well  accorded  with."  Truly  he  was  of  a 
broad,  solid  build,  heavy  in  mould,  and  not  much 
like  an  artist  to  casual  lookers  ;  indeed,  more  like  a 
farmer  in  appearance ;  generally  somewhat  untidy 
in  his  dress,  wearing  at  all  times  and  in  all  seasons 
a  tail-coat  with  great  salt-box  pockets — a  not  un- 
common habit  in  those  days. 

These  pockets  were  apt  to  be  stuffed  full  with 
all  kinds  of  indiscriminate  odds  and  ends  calculated 
to  be  of  use  some  time  or  other.  But,  whatever  else 
happened  to  be  there,  one  article  was  never  wanting, 
namely,  a  plenteous  supply  of  pills.  These  were 
not  of  his  own  invention  and  manufacture,  as  it  has 
been  the  habit  of  some  to  represent,  but  were  made 
on  the  prescription  of  a  well-known  doctor  of  that 
day,  and,  like  many  others,  were  held  to  be  good  for 
most  of  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  At  least,  Varley 
had  faith  in  them  ;  and  used  to  carry  them  about 


276  Life  of  John  Varley 

with  him,  and  prescribe  and  give  them  freely  to 
all  and  sundry  who  appeared  in  any  way  to  be 
ailing.  One  day  he  was  accosted  by  a  poor  fellow 
whom  he  met  by  the  wayside,  and  who  asked  him 
for  alms.  "  I  have  not,  unfortunately,  a  single 
copper  left,"  replied  the  famous  painter  with  un- 
feigned regret,  "  but "  (taking  a  box  of  pills  from 
his  pocket)  "here  is  a  box  of  pills  which  I  will  give 
you ;  they  are  excellent  things — good  for  almost 
every  complaint."  The  beggar  took  the  pills  with 
a  rueful  countenance,  doubting  probably  whether 
they  would  quite  meet  his  particular  case,  but  unable 
to  refuse  them  from  so  genial  a  giver. 

These  pills,  still  known  as  "  Varley's  Pills,"  are 
sold  and  -taken — doubtless  with  as  much  benefit  as 
the  generality  of  such  medicaments — to  this  day. 

This  habit  of  carrying  about  pills  was  so  peculiar 
that  nearly  every  one  who  came  in  contact  with 
Varley  was  made  aware  of  it — even  to  the  con- 
ductors of  the  omnibuses  running  from  Bayswater 
to  the  City.  There  was  a  standing  condition  of 
hostility  between  them  and  him  on  account  of  his 
enormous  size,  which  caused  him  to  take  up  the 
room  of  two  ordinary  persons.  For  this  reason 
the  conductors  were  wont  to  pretend  not  to  see  him 
when  he  hailed  them  ;  at  other  times  they  would 
shake  their  heads  when  he  made  signs  for  them  to 


Character  of  Varley  277 

stop,  and  he  was  obliged  to  offer  double  fare  in 
order  to  get  them  to  take  him  up.  But  even  that 
bribe  would  not  always  tempt  them  to  do  so  ; 
accordingly  he  was  in  the  habit  of  conciliating  their 
hostile  mood  by  an  occasional  gift  of  a  box  of  pills. 

In  respect  to  size  and  girth,  he  presented  a 
striking  contrast  to  his  second  wife  (a  sister  of 
Joseph  Lowry,  the  inventor  of  a  machine  for  line 
engraving,  which  entirely  revolutionized  that  art),  to 
whom  he  was  married  in  his  later  years.  She  was 
as  thin  and  lath-like  as  he  was  broad  and  stout,  and 
many  were  the  jokes  passed  at  their  expense  ;  which, 
however,  never  disturbed  Varley,  whatever  may 
have  been  their  effect  upon  his  better -half.  She 
appears  to  have  been  a  most  excellent  woman, 
affectionate  and  devoted  to  the  last  degree,  and  so 
far  as  her  husband  put  it  in  her  power  to  do  so, 
made  his  later  years  happy  and  comfortable.  All 
who  knew  Mrs.  Varley  spoke  in  the  highest  terms 
of  her  many  good  qualities,  and  it  is  said  that  when 
she  became  a  widow  Bury  the  architect  sought  her 
in  marriage. 

Notwithstanding  Varley's  almost  inexhaustible 
good-nature  and  kindliness  of  disposition,  there  was 
one  source  of  annoyance  which  tried  his  patience 
exceedingly,  and  which  he  often  said  had  caused 
him  more  chagrin  than  almost  all  his  other  troubles 


278  Life  of  John  Varley 

put  together.  This  was  the  disgraceful  conduct  of 
his  son-in-law,  George  Pyne,  who  had  married  his 
daughter  Esther,  a  woman  as  high-minded  and  as 
refined  in  manners  as  he  was  the  reverse.  There 
appear  to  have  been  no  depths  of  infamy  to  which 
this  creature  could  not  sink.  Though  wedded  to  a 
woman  as  comely  as  she  was  accomplished,  and  as 
fondly  devoted  to  him  as  wife  could  be  until  his 
habits  made  him  an  object  loathsome  to  every 
decent-minded  person,  he  used  to  leave  her  for  the 
worst  sinks  of  vice  ;  whence  he  had  repeatedly  to  be 
redeemed,  his  clothes  and  everything  he  had  having 
been  pawned  or  sold  for  the  wherewithal  to  carry 
on  his  debauch. 

Although  a  clever  artist,  he  was  too  erratic  as  a 
worker  and  too  unstable  as  a  man  to  be  able  to  carry 
on  an  independent  home,  and  so  he  was  allowed  to 
share  the  house  of  his  too -indulgent  father-in-law, 
with  the  result  that  Varley  was  frequently  obliged 
to  support  both  him  and  his  wife,  when  he  was  too 
idle  or  in  too  vicious  a  mood  to  work.  Nor  was 
this  the  worst  of  the  matter ;  for  when  the  wretch 
had  not  the  means,  the  fruit  of  his  own  industry,  to 
indulge  his  appetite,  he  would  steal  from  his  wife's 
father,  sneaking  into  his  room  at  night  and  taking 
the  money  from  his  pocket,  and  robbing  him  in  any 
other  way  that  chance  afforded.  Yet  this  was  a 


Character  of  Varley  279 

man  of  so  much  natural  talent  that  he  could  have 
earned  any  amount  by  his  brush  had  he  been  so 
minded,  while  he  was  the  author  of  one  of  the  best 
works  on  perspective  that  has  ever  been  written. 
Fortunately,  the  new  divorce  law  came  into  opera- 
tion in  time  enough  to  enable  his  wife  to  get  rid  of 
him,  and  to  become  the  companion  of  a  man  who 
was  better  worthy  of  her  and  made  her  in  every  way 
a  happy  and  contented  woman.  Esther  Varley's 
petition  is  said  to  have  been  the  second  under  the 
new  law. 

This  Pyne,  the  ne'er-do-well  husband  of  Varley's 
daughter,  should  not  be  confused  and  confounded 
with  another  Pyne  of  Varley's  acquaintance,  namely, 
J.  Pyne,  better  known  as  "Walnuts-and-Wine  Pyne" 
— a  very  different  man,  and  of  a  very  different 
character,  from  the  one  described  above.  J.  Pyne 
was  one  of  the  original  eight  or  nine  artists  who 
founded  the  Old  Water  Colour  Society,  and  a  man, 
one  would  think,  after  Varley's  own  heart ;  at  any 
rate  he  would  appear  to  have  been  very  much  after 
his  pattern — in  one  respect  at  least. 

At  one  time  he  came  into  a  legacy  of  ^300, 
and,  thinking  it  too  small  a  matter  to  invest,  he 
put  it  into  a  bag  and  hung  it  up  by  the  fireside. 
Whenever  anything  was  wanted,  it  was,  "Well, 
take  a  guinea  out  of  the  bag."  But  to  his 


280  Life  of  John  Varley 

astonishment,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  when  he 
was  in  need  of  a  little  money  himself,  and  went  to 
the  bag,  he  found  it  empty. 

A  similar  story  is  told  of  Wills  the  dramatist. 
Whenever  he  drew  money  for  a  picture  or  for  one  of 
his  plays  it  was  put  on  a  shelf  over  the  door,  and 
whoever  wanted  money  simply  reached  up  and 
took  what  he  had  a  mind  to.  As  Wills  had  many 
pensioners,  as  well  as  many  parasites,  and  all  were 
in  the  habit  of  helping  themselves,  it  may  be 
imagined  that  the  hoard  never  lasted  long. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CLOSING    SCENES 

ALTHOUGH  troubles  thickened  with  his  increasing 
years,  Varley  to  the  end  preserved  the  same  hopeful 
and  amiable  disposition  ;  he  never  lost  his  faith  in 
men,  nor  any  of  his  willingness  to  help  them,  even 
to  the  extent  of  greatly  inconveniencing  himself  and 
his  family ;  while  his  energy  for  work,  whereby  he 
still  hoped  to  overcome  all  his  difficulties,  remained 
unimpaired  to  the  last.  He  was,  indeed,  one  in  ten 
thousand — a  man  such  as,  in  the  main,  the  world 
needs  more  of. 

Enthusiasms  like  his,  whether  for  art,  science,  or 
literature,  are  as  the  salt  of  the  earth,  and  preserve 
it  from  the  canker  of  either  selfhood  or  worldli- 
ness.  His  imprudence  and  lack  of  business  judgment 
occasioned  him  many  miseries,  although  he  regarded 
them  rather  as  wholesome  checks  to  his  otherwise 
too  great  happiness  ;  but  the  world  derived  nothing 
except  gain  from  the  enthusiasm  he  had  for  his  art. 


282  Life  of  John  Varley 

That  he  would  have  done  better  for  the 
world  in  this  respect  but  for  his  improvidence  is 
undoubted.  For,  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
dealers,  and  not  being  able  to  go  to  that  Nature 
which  had  been  his  early  inspiration,  his  later  works 
were  more  or  less  of  the  nature  of  compositions 
merely.  He  had  probably  his  early  sketches  in 
Wales  and  elsewhere  to  go  by,  but  his  resort  was 
chiefly  to  the  stores  of  memory,  whence  he  derived 
an  almost  endless  series  of  pictures  of  mountain 
and  lake  scenery.  Thus,  though  possessing  many 
of  his  distinctive  qualities,  they  became  mannered 
and  conventional,  and  not  in  any  way  comparable  to 
the  work  of  his  early  and  middle  period,  in  which 
we  find  such  a  breadth  of  effect,  combined  with 
such  simplicity  of  treatment,  that  they,  together  with 
the  works  of  Bonnington  and  one  or  two  others  of 
their  school,  so  aroused  attention  in  France  and 
stimulated  imitation,  that  they  laid  the  foundation  of 
modern  landscape  art  in  that  country. 

Varley 's  best  works  are  pre-eminently  distin- 
guished by  these  two  great  qualities  of  breadth  and 
simplicity.  His  tints  are  refreshingly  light,  with  a 
full  and  free  pencil ;  and  his  colour  is  fresh  and 
pure.  Body  colour  is  rarely,  if  ever,  used  in  his 
best  works,  and  seldom  indeed  do  we  find  a  man 
better  versed  in  the  rules  of  composition,  which  he 


Closing  Scenes  283 


applied  with  the  aptitude  of  true  genius.  He  had, 
in  truth,  an  inborn  instinct  for  composition,  which 
he  had  further  strengthened  by  making  himself 
master  of  its  principles.  Few  can  read  his  treatise 
on  the  subject  without  being  convinced  of  the 
fulness  of  his  knowledge  of  composition,  even  if 
they  had  not  obtained  such  conviction  from  his 
drawings. 

He  was  weakest  perhaps  in  his  foliage,  which 
he  treated  rather  as  a  mass  than  in  individual  detail. 
In  the  delineation  of  mountain  scenery  he  has  had 
few  equals.  Ruskin  in  his  Modern  Painters  calls 
attention  to  this  quality  in  Varley,  and  says  that 
Turner  and  he  were  the  only  men  he  knew  who 
could  draw  mountains. 

As  already  said,  he  usually  confined  himself  to 
the  more  everyday  aspects  of  nature,  to  common 
sunlight  and  the  fulness  of  summer  foliage,  rarely 
venturing  upon  autumnal  tones  or  sunsets  or  their 
effects.  We  occasionally  meet  with  the  effects  of 
light  and  shade  in  mountain  valleys  or  amid  cleft 
rocks,  with  still  reflecting  water,  that  exhibit  here 
also  the  seeing  eye  and  the  master  hand. 

He  did  not  feel  strong  in  regard  to  figures, 
and  used  frequently  to  get  other  artists  to  put 
them  in  for  him,  as  in  his  "  Burial  of  Saul,"  one 
of  the  few  pictures  in  oil  that  he  executed, 


284  Life  of  John  Varley 

the  figures  of  which  were  painted  by  his  friend 
Linnell. 

Varley  almost  invariably  used  a  paper  prepared 
by  himself,  and  subsequently  called  by  his  name. 
It  consisted  of  ordinary  whitey-brown  or  thin  yellow 
paper  laid  down  on  good  Whatman  paper.  This 
gave  him  the  rich  warm  tone  to  work  on  that  he 
so  much  affected.  If  he  wanted  to  get  a  brilliant 
point  of  light,  he  would  just  moisten  the  surface 
with  a  handkerchief  and  rub  it  clean  away.  Many 
of  his  finest  sunset  effects  are  obtained  in  this  way. 

His  son  Albert  was  at  one  time  in  the  habit  of 
using  the  same  kind  of  paper,  and  on  the  occasion 
of  a  visit  paid  to  Paris  in  1826  he  brought  home 
with  him  a  wire-marked  cartridge  paper  made  in 
Holland,  which  his  father  greatly  admired  and  used 
much  of.  This  was  an  imitation  of  what  was  known 
as  his  paper,  and  was  called  by  his  name.  A  manu- 
factory in  Holland  was  making  this  paper  within  a 
few  years  past,  and  possibly  may  be  still. 

His  last  great  trouble,  which  probably  shortened 
his  days,  was,  like  so  many  previous  ones,  the  result 
of  his  utter  inexperience  in  business  matters.  He 
had,  in  common  with  his  brother  Cornelius,  inherited 
from  his  father  a  gift  for  mechanics  and  invention, 
and  generally  had  some  mechanical  contrivance  on 
hand.  In  his  later  years  his  ideas  ran  chiefly  on 


Closing  Scenes  285 


the  improvement  of  carriages.  His  place  at 
Bays  water  Hill  was  strewn  all  over  with  wheels,  in 
the  construction  of  which  he  had  hit  upon  some 
secret,  or  conceived  he  had,  by  which  the  draught 
of  vehicles  would  be  greatly  facilitated.  But  though 
he  spent  both  time  and  money  on  his  invention, 
nothing  came  of  it — nothing,  at  least,  except  further 
trouble. 

He  took  out  a  patent  for  his  invention — a  cab 
with  eight  wheels,  which  by  some  sort  of  com- 
pensatory action  were  supposed  to  render  the  vehicle 
both  safer  and  swifter.  Such,  at  least,  is  the  account 
generally  given  of  the  thing.  But  it  did  not  come 
up  to  expectation.  Indeed,  the  first  trial  with  the 
cab  proved  so  disastrous  that  the  man  who  had 
advanced  the  money  in  order  that  the  invention 
might  be  tested  and  the  patent  secured  was  nearly 
shaken  to  pieces  in  it.  He  was  a  nervous  little 
man,  with  a  somewhat  slipshod  hold  on  life,  and 
when  he  had  once  landed  out  of  the  vehicle  in  safety 
he  exclaimed,  "  Never  no  more,  Mr.  Varley — never 
no  more !  Ten  minutes  in  the  thing  has  all  but 
shaken  the  life  out  of  me ;  ten  more  would  quite 
finish  me.  Never  no  more,  thank  you,  John." 
The  old  gentleman  was  so  emphatic  that  it  became 
a  byword  among  Varley's  friends  when  speaking 
of  his  invention :  "  Never  no  more,  thank  you, 


286  Life  of  John  Varley 

John."  Varley  never  heard  the  words  which  brought 
the  scene  to  his  mind  but  he  laughed  till  his  sides 
ached. 

And  yet  it  was  no  laughing  matter.  The  scheme 
which  was  started  to  work  the  invention  turned  out 
so  disastrous  that  it  proved  to  be  the  last  straw  that 
broke  the  camel's,  one  might  almost  say  the  elephant's, 
back.  In  order  that  Varley  might  participate  in  the 
expected  profits  of  the  undertaking,  a  friend,  as 
already  said,  agreed  to  advance  ^1000.  Unfor- 
tunately the  advance  was  made  in  acceptances 
instead  of  in  money.  Varley  discounted  the  bills 
and  acquired  a  share  ;  but  his  friend  failed  to  honour 
the  bills  when  they  matured,  and  the  scheme  ending 
in  failure,  the  discounted  bills  were  thrown  back 
upon  Varley,  who  was  unable  to  meet  them.  Great 
embarrassments  followed  ;  writs  were  issued  upon 
his  furniture  and  effects,  and  also  upon  his  person. 

In  his  extremity  Varley  reaped  the  reward  of 
previous  kindnesses  shown  to  a  poor  fellow  who 
was  obliged  to  act  as  jackal  to  a  notorious  bill-dis- 
counting lawyer  of  Golden  Square,  whose  clerk  he 
was.  One  who  knew  the  man  describes  him  as  a 
sort  of  Newman  Noggs,  and  bis  master  as  another 
Jonas  Chuzzlewit,  whom  he  thinks  Dickens  must 
have  known,  if  he  was  not,  indeed,  the  original  of 
that  famous  creation.  The  man's  name  was  Righey, 


Closing  Scenes  287 


and  he  and  two  others  of  his  cloth,  named  respect- 
ively Theobalds  and  Reynolds,  were  never  long 
without  having  their  clutches  upon  poor  Varley. 
Reynolds,  be  it  said  to  his  honour,  only  took  5 
per  cent  for  his  discounting  transactions,  but  he 
had  in  addition  to  be  sweetened  with  presents  of 
drawings — from  Varley,  that  is.  Whether  it  was  his 
custom  in  like  manner  to  require  "  inducements  "  in 
kind  from  his  other  clients  is  not  recorded,  but 
after  a  visit  to  one  of  his  lawyer  friends  Varley  one 
day  staggered  into  the  shop  of  a  friendly  dealer 
weighed  down  with  a  load  of  pickles,  which  the 
worthy  had  compelled  him  to  buy.  Said  Varley,  as 
he  disgorged  the  bottles,  one  after  another,  from  his 
pockets,  "  There's  a  lot  of  them  ;  but  they  will  come 
in  useful ;  and  I  had  to  do  something  to  put  him  in 
a  good  humour." 

The  clerk  in  question  was  deputed  to  serve 
Varley  with  a  writ,  but  instead  of  doing  so  he  took 
the  artist  to  his  own  humble  lodging,  over  a  tripe- 
and-trotter  shop  in  Gray's  Inn  Lane.  Having  thus 
placed  him  in  safety,  he  took  a  note  for  him  to  his 
friend  Vokins,  who  at  once  hastened  to  his  assist- 
ance. 

Mr.  Vokins  found  him  in  great  discomfort,  but 
as  usual  still  cheerfully  at  work.  This  had  always 
been  his  panacea  for  every  evil,  and  his  never-ending 


288  Life  of  John  Varley 

solace  in  trouble ;  and  now,  in  his  sixty-sixth  year, 
he  was  as  sanguine  as  ever  and  talked  as  confidently 
as  ever  of  the  industry  and  perseverance  that  would 
soon  overcome  all  difficulties.  But,  as  the  sequel 
showed,  his  hopper  of  work  had  been  filled  and  there 
was  little  more  for  him  to  do. 

On  the  following  day  he  was  got  away  from  the 
tripe-shop  by  stealth,  and  conveyed  to  Mr.  Vokins's 
private  residence  at  67  Margaret  Street,  Cavendish 
Square.  There  the  artist  remained  six  weeks  in 
hiding,  painting  away  as  indefatigably  and  as 
hopefully  as  ever,  for  the  most  part  happy  and 
cheerful,  though  worried  in  mind  and  not  well  in 
health. 

One  of  his  last  acts  before  being  carried  off  by 
the  lawyer's  clerk  was  to  go  to  the  gardens  of  the 
Royal  Pharmaceutical  Society,  Chelsea,  to  make  a 
sketch  of  a  famous  cedar  there.  In  order  to  do  this 
he  sat  upon  the  damp  grass.  As  the  result  he 
caught  a  severe  cold,  which  flew  to  his  kidneys, 
resulting  in  severe  inflammation.  He  took  but  little 
notice  of  it  at  first,  thinking  that  the  confinement  and 
want  of  exercise  had  resulted  in  a  slight  attack  of 
indigestion.  One  day,  feeling  very  low,  he  thought 
he  would  like  some  stout.  This  was  got  for  him, 
and  he  drank  it ;  but  so  unused  was  he  to  such 
potations  that  the  effect  of  it  was  to  increase  the 


Closing  Scenes  289 


inflammation  to  such  an  extent  that  his  death  speedily 
ensued. 

During  his  stay  with  Mr.  Vokins  he  was  visited 
by  many  distinguished  persons.  Hearing  that  Mr. 
Varley  was  staying  with  him,  they  would  beg  to  be 
introduced,  "  not  more,"  says  Mr.  Vokins,  "for  his 
artistic  celebrity  than  for  his  astrological  knowledge, 
and  for  the  interest  there  was  in  the  man  himself, 
for  his  was  a  most  genial  spirit." 

He  was  visited  too,  as  a  matter  of  course,  by  his 
friends,  his  son  Albert  being  frequently  with  him. 
To  the  latter  he  said  one  day,  as  he  sat  by  his  bedside, 
"  I  shall  not  get  better,  my  boy.  All  the  aspects  are 
too  strong  against  me  for  me  to  recover."  He  had, 
as  usual,  been  consulting  his  astrological  books, 
which  were  at  the  time  lying  on  the  bed  beside  him. 

Thus  did  this  extraordinary  man  pass  away, 
mourned  and  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him— 
grieved  over  even  by  men  like  the  poor  lawyer's 
clerk,  who  had  only  come  in  contact  with  him  casu- 
ally and  as  an  embarrassed  debtor  ;  but  even  to  such 
as  he  Varley  could  not  help  showing  his  true  nature 
and  disposition,  kindly  and  good-natured  to  the  core. 
There  appears  to  have  been  something  as  extra- 
ordinary about  his  sudden  demise  as  about  his  life. 
The  doctor  who  had  attended  him  could  not  make  it 

out,  and  in  order  to  resolve  his  doubts,  he  asked  per- 

19 


290  Life  of  John  Varley 

mission  to  make  a  post-mortem  examination.  He 
was  a  surgeon  at  one  of  the  hospitals,  and  after 
making  the  autopsy,  he  brought  some  of  the  students 
to  see  the  body.  "  I  want,"  he  said,  "  these  gentlemen 
who  are  studying  medicine  to  see  the  body  of  a  man 
of  his  age  who  has  the  organs  of  a  child."  The 
heart,  lungs,  liver,  all  the  organs,  in  fact,  except  the 
kidneys,1  were  in  a  perfectly  healthy  condition,  and 
"as  though,"  to  use  the  surgeon's  expression,  "he 
had  never  used  them."  The  doctor  added  that  this 
perfectly  normal  condition  of  the  organs  was  one 
of  the  most  marvellous  things  he  had  witnessed  in 
the  whole  course  of  his  experience. 

Mr.  Vokins,  in  a  few  notes  he  gave  me  about 
Varley  for  my  Life  of  John  Linnell,  says  he  doubts 
if  the  former  ever  had  an  enemy.  But  he  appears 
to  have  had  one  at  least — perhaps  the  only  one. 
Mr.  Vokins  was  a  personal  and  deeply -interested 
witness  of  a  scene  in  which  this  individual  mani- 
fested his  hostility. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Phrenological  Society,  held 
in  Exeter  Hall  shortly  after  Varley 's  death,  a  paper 
was  read  upon  his  phrenological  peculiarities,  illus- 
trated by  a  cast  of  his  head.2  The  writer  of  the  paper 
held  that  the  conformation  of  the  skull  was  singularly 

1  One  of  the  kidneys  weighed  6  oz.,  the  other  16  oz. 
2  This  cast  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  grandson  and  namesake. 


Closing  Scenes  291 


confirmatory  of  the  science  of  phrenology.  A  discus- 
sion followed,  in  which  much  was  said  pro  and  con., 
although  nothing  derogatory  to  the  high  character  of 
the  deceased.  But  finally  a  man  rose  from  the  body  of 
the  hall  who  took  quite  an  opposite  view  to  all  that 
had  been  advanced.  He  said  that  he  had  known 
Varley  personally,  and  that  so  far  from  his  develop- 
ments being  in  favour  of  phrenology,  they  were  quite 
the  reverse ;  for,  instead  of  being  the  generous, 
liberal-minded  man  he  had  been  described  to  be,  he 
held  him  to  be  little  better  than  an  impostor. 

Considerable  excitement  was  caused  by  this 
address,  which  was  delivered  by  John  Lewis  senior, 
the  engraver,  who,  it  afterwards  turned  out,  had  been 
under  no  small  obligation  to  the  man  whose  memory 
he  traduced.  Such  is  gratitude  ! 

However,  there  was  one  present  who  was  both 
able  and  ready  to  speak  in  favour  of  the  deceased 
artist.  This  was  Mr.  Vokins,  who  happened  to  be 
in  the  gallery.  He  was  observed  by  someone  who 
knew  him  and  his  connection  with  Varley,  and  Dr. 
Elliotson,  who  occupied  the  chair,  was  asked  to  call 
upon  him  to  speak.  Invoked  thus  by  name,  he  rose 
and  spoke  at  some  length  in  vindication  of  his  friend's 
character  for  unselfishness  and  liberality.  He  was 
himself  indebted  to  him  for  numberless  acts  of  kind- 
ness, and  he  knew  many  others  who  were  equally  his 


29  2  Life  of  John  Varley 

debtors.  Referring  to  these,  he  concluded  by  say- 
ing that  if  Varley  did  err — and  undoubtedly  he  did 
—it  was  in  consequence  of  the  inherent  and  un- 
quenchable generosity  of  his  spirit,  and  from  the  fact 
of  his  being  unable  to  say  "  No." 

Mr.  Vokins  spoke  warmly  and  with  enthusiasm, 
and  carried  the  meeting  with  him  almost  to  a  man. 

Mr.  Vokins  concludes  his  story  by  saying  that  on 
the  following  morning  a  gentleman  holding  a  high 
position  in  the  Civil  Service  left  his  card  at  his  busi- 
ness place,  and  said  how  much  he  should  like  to  see 
him.  On  their  subsequently  meeting,  the  gentleman 
thanked  him  very  warmly  for  his  vindication  of 
Varley,  and  remained  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with 
him  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

The  Edinburgh  Phrenological  Journal  for  1843 
contains  a  report  of  the  proceedings  at  the  meeting 
here  referred  to.  It  was  Mr.  Atkinson,  F.S.A., 
who  read  the  paper  "  On  the  late  John  Varley,  the 
eminent  painter."  He  described  him  as  having  been 
a  man  of  wonderful  genius  and  intellect,  original  in 
all  his  conceptions,  grand  in  all  his  designs,  and 
an  ardent  admirer  of  Nature  and  Nature's  works. 
"  He  loved  the  sublime  and  beautiful,  the  cloud-capt 
mountains,  the  lovely  valley,  the  placid  lake,  the 
umbrageous  wood  impervious  to  the  sun.  These 
were  his  delights  to  view,  and  these  he  was  enabled  to 


Closing  Scenes  293 


transfer  to  canvas.  In  landscape  painting  he  stands 
pre-eminent ;  none  have  excelled  him ;  few  can 
equal  him.  He  was  the  founder  of  this  species  of  art 
in  water  colours.  In  manners  he  was  lively,  affable, 
benevolent,  and  communicative ;  his  charity  was  as 
large  as  his  expansive  heart.  He  knew  no  definite 
God  or  creed.  He  bowed  to  no  sect,  he  took  no 
private  road,  but  looked  up  through  Nature  to 
Nature's  God.  As  our  memory  has  its  dark  side,  so 
has  human  nature  its  frailties.  Varley's  may  have 
been  quite  amiable — it  was  credulity.  He  believed 
nearly  all  he  heard — all  he  read.  He  was  an  astro- 
nomer and  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  occult 
science  of  astrology.  He  imagined  the  starry  hosts 
to  possess  an  influence  over  the  actions  and  feelings 
of  men,  and  that  there  are  more  things  in  heaven  and 
earth  than  are  dreamed  of  in  our  philosophy.  Varley 
was  wholly  devoted  to  worldly  pursuits,  and  was 
consequently  always  in  difficulty.  A  cast  of  his 
head  was  exhibited.  The  coronal  region  was  large, 
the  social  faculties  fully  developed,  and  the  intellectual 
of  a  high  degree.  Ideality,  his  predominant  senti- 
ment, was  strikingly  large,  also  benevolence  and 
constructiveness. " 


CHAPTER    IX 

CONCLUSION 

VARLEY,  the  incomparable,  was  survived  by  both  his 
brothers.  William,  who,  like  his  brothers,  turned 
his  attention  to  teaching,  had  gone  to  Cornwall 
about  1810,  where  he  taught  with  much  success, 
as  afterwards  at  Bath  and  Oxford.  At  the  latter 
place,  in  consequence  of  the  thoughtless  frolic  of  a 
party  of  students,  he  was  nearly  burned  to  death. 
As  it  was,  his  nerves  suffered  a  shock  from  which 
they  never  recovered.  In  his  later  years  he  was 
sheltered  in  the  house  of  his  son-in-law.  He  died 
at  Ramsgate  in  February  1856,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one. 

His  other  brother,  Cornelius,  survived  him 
thirty-one  years,  dying  on  the  2nd  of  October  1873, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years.  Of  this 
worthy's  youthful  achievements  in  science  something 
has  already  been  said.  It  may  be  added  that  in 
1809  (when  he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age)  he 


Conclusion  295 


invented  what  he  called  the  Graphic  Telescope  and 
Portable  Table,  by  which,  in  an  artist's  hands, 
portraits  from  life  and  views  from  nature  can  be 
taken  with  greater  facility  and  accuracy,  of  any  size, 
and  in  correct  perspective.  With  this  instrument, 
which  he  turned  to  much  use,  Cornelius  Varley 
made  many  sketches  of  country  scenery,  drawings 
of  machinery,  as  well  as  pencil  drawings  from  life. 
He  subsequently  improved  the  telescope,  and  had  it 
patented  in  1811.  Hereupon  a  difficulty  arose  ;  the 
opticians  of  that  day  were  not  sufficiently  advanced 
in  the  science  of  their  trade  to  manufacture  these 
instruments.  This  made  it  necessary  for  the 
inventor  to  turn  manufacturer,  which  he  did  with 
some  regret,  his  desire  being  to  devote  all  his  time 
to  art  and  scientific  research. 

The  Colosseum,  the  institution  in  Regent's  Park 
so  well  known  in  former  years,  built  for  the  reception 
of  the  panorama  of  London,  had  its  origin  in  the  in- 
vention of  the  Graphic  Telescope.  Mr.  T.  Horner, 
the  originator  of  the  panorama,  after  having  satisfied 
himself  of  its  capabilities,  erected  an  observatory  in 
the  dome  of  St.  Paul's,  fitted  up  one  of  these  instru- 
ments, and  so  traced  his  gigantic  picture. 

From  this  time  forth  Cornelius  Varley's  time 
was  divided  between  mechanical  pursuits  and  the 
arts.  He  made  many  improvements  in  the  micro- 


296  Life  of  John  Varley 

scope,  devising  among  other  things  the  lever 
microscope  for  watching  the  movements  of  animal- 
culae.  For  this  invention  he  received  the  gold  Isis 
medal  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  of  which  he  had 
become  a  member  in  1814.  He  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  Kensington  Palace,  the  Duke  of  Sussex, 
who  was  then  president  of  the  Society,  giving  soirees 
there,  at  which  Varley  exhibited  his  microscopes 
and  other  apparatus.  It  pleased  the  little  man 
greatly  when  His  Royal  Highness  on  one  occasion 
said,  "  I  need  not  remind  you,  Mr.  Varley,  that 
there  is  always  a  knife  and  fork  laid  for  you  here." 
There  was  not  in  Cornelius  the  sturdy  independence 
and  the  indifference  to  rank  and  fashion  that  there 
was  in  his  brother  John,  and  it  must  at  the  same 
time  be  said,  there  was  none  of  that  incapacity  to 
look  after  his  own  affairs  that  the  elder  displayed. 

At  the  formation  of  the  Royal  Institution 
Cornelius  Varley  became  a  member,  and  at  the  first 
Friday  evening  meeting  he  exhibited  the  very  first 
diamond  lens  that  had  then  been  made,  whereby  a 
great  increase  of  aperture  as  compared  with  glass  was 
obtained,  with  the  same  magnifying  power.  Varley 
likewise  delivered  the  fourth  Friday  evening  lecture 
at  the  Institution.  This  was  on  the  24th  of  Feb- 
ruary 1826,  Professor  Faraday  having  delivered  the 
inaugural  discourse  on  the  3rd  of  the  same  month. 


Conclusion  297 


In  1821  he  had  married  Elizabeth  Straker,  a 
cousin  of  Miss  Barnard,  afterwards  the  wife  of 
Professor  Faraday.  One  of  the  issue  of  this 
marriage  was  Cromwell  Fleetwood  Varley,  F.R.S., 
the  electrician,  who  had  so  much  to  do  with  the 
laying  of  the  first  Atlantic  cable,  a  man  of  striking 
originality,  and  possessed  of  not  a  little  of  the  genius 
of  his  father  and  of  his  still  more  gifted  uncle,  John 
Varley,  of  whom  he  from  time  to  time  related  to 
the  writer  many  interesting  facts  and  anecdotes. 
Singular  to  relate,  Cromwell  Varley  was  a  confirmed 
spiritualist ;  and  the  way  he  became  one  was  this. 
There  was  much  talk  about  the  "  phenomena "  of 
spiritualism  and  the  "  manifestations  "  to  be  seen  at 
spiritualist  circles.  Believing  these  to  be  all  sheer 
trickery  and  humbug,  he  thought  that  the  applica- 
tion of  a  little  of  the  scientific  method  to  which  he 
had  all  his  life  been  trained  would  speedily  result  in 
a  thorough  exposure  of  "the  whole  rag-tag  and 
bobtail  of  conjurors  and  quacks,"  as  he  put  it 
himself,  "  who  were  imposing  upon  and  making 
capital  out  of  the  credulous  public."  He  was  so 
sure  of  being  able  to  show  up  the  whole  system  of 
trickery  and  fraud  practised  by  the  mediums,  that  he 
designed  to  write  a  pamphlet  on  the  subject  for  the 
enlightenment  of  the  world.  But  when  he  went  to 
work  to  apply  his  scientific  tests,  he  found  the 


298  Life  of  John  Varley 

matter  not  so  easy  as  he  thought.  In  short,  he  was 
speedily  made  aware  that  he  had  got  into  deeper 
water  than  he  had  imagined,  and,  instead  of 
exposing  spiritualism,  became  a  convert  thereto. 

But  to  return  to  Cornelius  Varley:  in  1822  he 
accepted  the  appointment  of  governor  of  some  mines 
in  Brazil,  a  very  lucrative  appointment,  and  every- 
thing was  arranged  for  the  voyage ;  but  on  his 
discovering  that  slaves  were  to  be  employed  on  the 
estates  he  at  once  threw  up  the  engagement,  an 
act  thoroughly  characteristic  of  the  man,  and  illus- 
trative of 'the  intense  aversion  he  had  all  through 
life  to  every  kind  of  tyranny,  whether  physical  or 
moral. 

In  1850  Mr.  Varley  was  elected  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  exhibitors  in  Class  10  of  the  Great 
Exhibition  of  1851,  and  received  a  prize  medal  from 
the  jurors  for  his  Graphic  Telescope  forty  years 
after  its  introduction.  He  was  the  author  of 
papers,  among  others,  on  the  following  subjects : 
Atmospheric  Electricity,  communicated  to  the  Philo- 
sophical Magazine;  Improvements  in  Lathes  for 
cutting  Screws,  for  polishing  Lenses,  and  in  the 
Manufacture  of  Iron  and  Steel ;  on  Live  Boxes  for 
Animalculae  ;  Cages  for  keeping  Plants  and  Animals 
alive  for  several  Days  to  watch  their  Progress  and 
Development ;  and  on  a  Phial  Microscope  for  the 


Conclusion  299 


continuous  observation  of  Chara  vulgaris  and 
Nitella.  These  latter,  with  other  microscopic 
observations,  were  communicated  to  the  Society  of 
Arts,  and  are  published  in  their  Transactions ;  while 
a  series  of  microscopic  observations  extending  over 
thirty  years,  communicated  to  the  Royal  Microscopic 
Society,  were  published  in  the  journals  of  that 
Society.  He  was  likewise  the  author  of  A  Treatise 
on  Optical  Drawing  Instruments,  and  he  published 
a  series  of  Etchings  of  Boats  and  other  Craft  on  the 
River  Thames.  The  last-named  was  the  only  work 
amongst  the  many  he  wrote  dealing  directly  with 
the  subject  of  art  to  which  he  put  his  name. 

As  an  artist  Cornelius  Varley  did  not  come  near 
his  more  celebrated  brother.  His  works  were  few, 
and  for  the  most  part  of  a  semi-classical  and  some- 
what conventional  character,  introducing  architecture 
and  groups  of  figures.  They  were  composed  with 
care  and  generally  finished  with  much  elaboration. 
There  was  a  quality  in  his  work,  however,  which 
always  gained  for  him  the  respect  of  his  brother- 
artists. 

Among  his  chief  works  exhibited  at  the  Water 
Colour  Society  were,  in  1809,  "A  Mountain 
Pastoral";  1 8 10,  " The  Sleeping  Shepherd"  ;  1811, 
"  Evening"  and  "  Palemon  and  Lavinia";  and 
1815,  View  at  Ardfert,  Ireland.  In  1816  he 


300  Life  of  John  Varley 

exhibited  "Evening  in  Wales";  in  1819,  "  Ruins 
of  Troy";  1820,  "  The  Vale  of  Tempe."  In  the 
following  year  he  resigned  his  membership  of  the 
Society. 

For  forty  years  he  formed  one  of  a  small  sketch- 
ing club,  which  met  at  the  houses  of  members,  and 
comprised  such  men  as  J.  M.  W.  Turner,  R.A., 
J.  J.  Chalon,  R.A.,  A.  E.  Chalon,  R.A.,  H.  P.  Bone, 
Josh.  Cristall,  F.  Stevens,  and  W.  M.  Sharp. 

Cornelius  Varley  had,  while  a  member  of  the 
Water  Colour  Society,  occasionally  sent  a  work  to 
the  Academy  exhibition ;  later  he  exhibited  his 
principal  pictures  there,  though  seldom  more  than 
one  at  a  time.  He  exhibited  for  the  last  time  in 
1859. 

At  his  death  he  was  the  oldest  member  of  the 
Society  of  Arts  and  the  last  survivor  of  the  founders 
of  the  Water  Colour  Society. 

John  Linnell,  who  knew  Cornelius  Varley  as 
well  as  he  did  his  more  famous  brother,  speaks  of 
him  as  having  been  of  a  more  religious  turn  than 
John.  He  was  by  profession  a  Baptist,  and  it  was 
through  his  inducement  that  Linnell  himself  went  to 
hear  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  John  Martin,  a  well- 
known  Baptist  of  that  day,  and  in  the  end  became  a 
member  of  his  church.  But  while  he  makes  this 
statement  about  Cornelius,  he  confesses  that  he  had 


Conclusion  30 1 


not  the  courage  to  follow  his   convictions  to  their 
logical  or  legitimate  conclusion,  as  he  himself  did. 

Where  Cornelius  had  the  advantage  over  his 
brother  was  in  the  methodical  habits  in  which  he 
had  been  trained  by  his  uncle  Samuel,  and  which 
served  him  to  good  purpose  all  through  his  life. 
Hence  he  was  enabled  to  make  the  most  of  his 
smaller  abilities,  and  to  keep  clear  of  financial 
difficulties  which  his  brother,  with  a  far  greater 
income,  was  doomed  to  struggle  with  all  his  days, 
and  finally  had  to  succumb  to.  Treatises  have  been 
written  to  establish  the  truth  of  the  thesis  that 
genius  is  near  allied  to  madness.  But  it  would 
be  just  as  easy  to  prove  that  the  eccentricities  of 
genius  are  often  to  be  accounted  for  by  partial 
idiocy — that  is,  the  lack,  or  rather  inadequacy,  of 
one  or  more  faculty,  and  the  preternatural  size  or 
activity  of  others.  In  Varley  we  see  the  almost 
total  extinction  of  the  power  that  values  money  and 
watches  over  the  pocket,  whilst  his  sense  of  the 
beautiful  and  the  faculty  that  makes  a  man  the  per- 
fection of  good-nature  and  geniality  were  present  in 
the  highest  degree.  Nor  does  he  appear  to  have 
had  the  slightest  sense  of  order  or  method  in  his 
mental  equipment,  or  any  idea  of  foresight  or 
circumspection.  His  son  Albert  used  to  say  that 
when  his  father  was  living  in  Conduit  Street,  and 


302  Life  of  John  Varley 

was  in  the  receipt  of  an  income  of  something  like 
^"3000  a  year,  he  appeared  always  to  be  impecunious, 
and  would  frequently  go  to  him  and  borrow  small 
sums  of  money. 

Moreover,  connected  with  his  marvellous  and 
indefatigable  industry,  he  displayed  a  carelessness, 
and  one  might  almost  say  a  wastefulness,  that  was 
astounding.  When  he  had  money  it  frittered  away 
in  what  others  would  call  extravagances  and  useless 
expenditures.  For  instance,  he  would  have  the 
most  expensive  articles  of  furniture  made,  and  when 
they  were  obtained,  he  would  think  no  more  of  them, 
but  allow  them  to  go  to  rack  and  ruin  in  the  most 
absurd  way.  Once  when  he  was  living  in  Titchfield 
Street,  Linnell,  then  his  near  neighbour,  found  a 
costly  set  of  deal  drawers,  which  had  been  specially 
constructed  for  him,  full  of  valuable  paper  and 
sketches,  under  a  shed  in  the  yard,  exposed  to  rain, 
and  soiled  by  fowls,  which  used  it  as  a  roosting- 
place.  Careful  John  Linnell's  sense  of  order  and 
economy  was  shocked  by  such  wastefulness.  He 
therefore  bought  the  drawers,  removed  them  to  his 
house,  and  there  had  the  article  cleansed  and 
Varley's  paper  and  sketches  put  in  order. 

Surely  these  facts  go  in  favour  of  a  theory  of 
partial  idiocy,  rather  than  in  favour  of  that  of  the 
madness  of  genius.  But,  notwithstanding  all  our 


Conclusion  303 


speculations  on  this  subject,  our  knowledge  in  rela- 
tion to  psychology  is  still  in  its  infancy,  and  probably 
will  be  for  a  long  time  to  come.  When  we  come  to 
look  at  the  matter  in  the  right  light,  however, 
such  peculiarities  as  those  displayed  in  the  character 
of  John  Varley  will  be  of  the  utmost  value. 

All  the  portraits  of  Varley  that  I  have  been 
able  to  discover  are  two  sketches  by  John  Linnell, 
in  one  of  which  (reproduced  in  my  Life  of  John 
Linnell}  he  is  shown  arguing  with  William  Blake ; 
a  pencil  drawing  by  William  Henry  Hunt,  in  the 
possession  of  his  grandson ;  and  a  lithograph 
published  by  Messrs.  Vokins,  after  a  drawing  by 
himself.  All  represent  him  as  a  man  of  marked 
physical  characteristics  and  of  great  constitutional 
vigour;  but  in  Hunt's  drawing  we  see  him  in  a 
much  more  refined  aspect  than  in  Linnell's  vigorous 
and  life-like  sketches. 


THE  END 


Printed  by  R.  &  R.  CLARK,  Edinburgh 


V* 


'®£6 


^p$fl 


r.-^W.  . 


ND 

497 

H78S7 


Story,  Alfred  Thomas 

James  Holmes  and  John 
Varley 


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