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History menu > The McCulloch collection > Victorian Art and Artists (1)The McCulloch CollectionThis article has no connection with Malvern Photo albumThis page contains images of some Victorian painters and a sculptor who had works in the 'McCulloch Collection of Modern Art', which featured at the Royal Academy Winter Exhibition in 1909; possibly some of the portraits might be of art dealers.The images come from an old photograph album. Information is known about some of the photographs, while others remain a mystery to us, so if you can identify any of the sitters or paintings we would love to hear from you. Subsequent pages in this section describe some of the many works of art purchased by the Victorian collector George McCulloch. In recent months we have discovered a lot more about him and the most significant sources are listed on our page review of books about George McCulloch and Broken Hill. Click the 'Index' button above to view the list of associated 'Art' pages, or go to the art menu Contents of this pageAbout the McCulloch Collection of Modern Art The Royal Academy Winter Exhibition of 1909 The Millers Daughter by Yeend King OverviewIn Victorian times, while the 'water cure doctors' in Great Malvern were selling restorative cures to the well-off, painters and sculptors in London were busy creating and selling modern works of art to affluent merchants and businessmen. While Victorian and Edwardian art has never been especially popular or as valuable as the old masters, there are still many paintings people appreciate. For example, we came across a greetings card in Barnards Green Post Office and on the cover was a copy of a painting named 'On His Holiday' by American artist John Singer Sargent circa 1902. Besides many other works, Sargent also made a charcoal drawing of Lady Lettice Mary Elizabeth Grosvener, Countess Beauchamp of Madresfield Court in 1911, and circa 1922 painted the famous WWI General Henry Sinclair Horne (1861 - 1929) who had been educated at Southleigh prep school in Albert Road, Great Malvern. The original oil painting of 'On His Holiday', which measures 53 by 95 inches, is now in the Lady Lever art gallery in Port Sunlight, but not always on display. You may have glimpsed it on the BBC programme 'The Antiques Roadshow'. We also found the painting listed in the catalogue of the Royal Academy of Arts Winter Exhibition of 1909, (ref 1) along with many other works of art. Inspired to dip into the world of Victorian painters, we found two books by Jeremy Maas, who was born in Penang, Malaysia, about 1928, who became an authority on Victorian art; we have been reading his books in order to find out a little more (see references 2 and 3 below). (Jeremy Mass is the father of Rupert Maas who appears, as an art expert, in the BBC television programme the Antiques Road Show and is owner of the Maas Gallery in London). About the McCulloch Collection of Modern ArtThe painting 'On his Holiday' was once part of the 'McCulloch Collection' which was formed by Scottish born George McCulloch who made his fortune at the Broken Hill mine in Australia. In retirement he amassed a collection of, what were then, modern paintings, which he displayed in his house in London at 184 Queens Gate (ref 3). The Royal Academy Winter Exhibition of 1909The Royal Academy Winter Exhibition of 1909 was held at Burlington House in London. The exhibition featured the modern paintings and sculptures which had once formed the collection of the late George McCulloch who had died in December 1907 aged 59 years. An associated publication, a Special Edition of the Royal Academy Art Journal was published the same year, devoted to the McCulloch Collection of Modern Art. Copies of the Journal, which contained 140 illustrations, are no longer readily available in antiquarian bookshops, but copies can be viewed at the Victoria and Albert Museum and British Library in London, and the Art Gallery of South Australia (ref 4). Apparently, according to the Times newspaper, the exhibition caused some controversy. Many people saw it as an opportunity to view an amazing collection of then modern paintings while critics thought it a cynical opportunity for McCulloch's widow Mary and her third husband James Coutts Michie to advertise the paintings prior to sale. We were interested to find out more about the McCulloch collection and found a copy of the exhibition catalogue on the Royal Academy website, which we have transcribed. PhotographsIn the Victorian photograph album are photographs of well dressed men and women, some possibly artists or dealers, sitting in front of paintings listed in the McCulloch Collection. We attempted to capture these old photographs with our two Megapixel digital camera. The quality of the digital images was not very good, but we thought some historians of Victorian art might be interested to see them as it seems to us that while images of paintings can be found on the Internet, sadly there are few photographs of the painters, patrons and fine art dealers themselves; though the book 'The Victorian Art world in Photographs' (ref 3) does contain images of some Victorian painters and patrons, and has helped us identify one or two of the people below. We guessed that the original photographs were taken between 1894 and 1900 or thereabouts, possibly by McCulloch himself. In some cases we now know who the person is; in other cases we have made an educated guess, but stand to be corrected; whilst there are others, especially women, unidentified. If you can provide missing information about any of the sitters or paintings we would love to hear from you. (You may observe that the people in these photographs are rarely smiling; the probable reason for this was that in those days you had to sit very still for about one minute while the exposure was made). First unknownWe had wondered if the striking first photo in the album (see below) might be of David Croal Thomson (1855-1930), a Scottish born art dealer, critic, and editor of the Royal Academy Art Journal (ref 5), but we are told he is in another picture on the next page.
First photo - not yet identified Can you tell us who the man in the picture above might be? The large painting in the background has been identified as 'A Spate, Glen Affaric' by the Scottish painter John MacWhirter. Pascal Dagnan BouveretThe photograph below was probably taken in 1898. It shows the French painter Pascal Dagnan Bouveret sitting in front of his painting of 'The Last Supper'. The man in the portrait is Dagnan's patron George McCulloch. The Winter Exhibition catalogue (ref 1) lists painting number 104 thus:- Portrait of the late GEORGE McCULLOCH ESQ PJA Dagnan-Bouveret HFA Three quarters portrait standing facing the spectator; his right arm leaning on a table; brown coat; grey background. Signed and dated PAJ Dagnan-B 28th April 1898. Canvas 50 X 88 inches.
Pascal Dagnan Bouveret McCulloch bought many of his paintings (ref 1). Sir David MurrayWe identified the sitter below from his portrait by Scottish painter James Coutts Michie which is in the Aberdeen Art Gallery. During the whole of his life in London, David Murray, who was born in Glasgow, occupied the same bachelor's quarters - the studio of Millais in Langham Chambers, Portland Place. McCulloch bought several of his paintings (ref 1).
Sir David Murray (painter) Edward Onslow FordEdward Onslow Ford was well known for his nude bronzes. In the photo below he is pictured with his sculpture named Echo which we believe is now in the Lady Lever art gallery. The young man on the left of the photograph, is his son Wolfram Onslow Ford who became a painter. The listing in the Winter Exhibition catalogue (number 355) simply reads:- STATUE - Bronze. Echo. Nude female figure, standing with upraised arms. E. Onslow Ford RA This photograph below appears on page 103 of the Winter 1909 Special Edition of the Art Journal.
Sculpture of Echo Below is another photograph of Edward Onslow Ford.
Edward Onslow Ford James Coutts MichieWe identified James Coutts Michie (1859 - 1919) in the photograph below from his painting by John Pettie in the Aberdeen art gallery. In this photograph he is sitting on the edge of a table in front of part of a painting named The Daphnephoria by Lord Leighton (1830 - 1896) that is now in The Lady Lever art gallery. The Daphnephoria is a very large painting. The canvas measures 89 by 201 inches.
James Coutts Michie Stanhope ForbesWe wondered if the sitter in the photograph below might be the painter Stanhope Forbes; what do you think?
Stanhope Forbes It has been suggested that the painting in the background could be a work by Charles Napier Hemy (ref 7). The Miller's Daughter by Yeend KingWe don't know who the man in the photo below is, but the painting behind him is 'The Miller's Daughter' by Yeend King. Nine of his paintings were exhibited at the Winter Exhibition of 1909 and he used this title for other paintings. Catalogue number 151 THE MILLER'S DAUGHTER Yeend King 'It is the miller's daughter, and she has grown so dear, so dear'. A man is talking to a girl close to a weir; the mill is in the background. Signed Yeend King. Canvas 45 by 65 inches.
Another photo (see below) shows a younger man in front of the same painting, with the Star of David on a chain on his waistcoat. Possibly being Jewish that made us wonder whether he might be Alfred Elias (1846 - 1912), the brother of Miss Annette Elias who was a member of the Society of Women Artists; two of her paintings were in the McCulloch collection:-
Their father Hyam Elias, who was a wealthy silk merchant, is buried in Balls Pond Road Jewish Cemetery, London. Alfred Elias, who was a soldier and painter, married Emily Wilde Wynn who was born in the USA. We wondered whether her ancestors could be traced back to the American War of Independence?
Other possibilities are that the man above might be either the Jewish art dealer Charles Davis MVO (1849 - 1914), the Jewish art dealer Asher Wertheimer (1844 - 1918) or his eldest son Edward Wertheimer also a picture dealer who was born Marylebone 1873 and died at Paris on 2nd January 1903; some say on his honeymoon, after eating a bad oyster. Sadly Edward's brother Alfred Wertheimer, a Chemical Engineer, educated Harrow and Trinity College Cambridge, died only the year before in Johannesburg, South Africa aged 25 years; possibly weeks after the end of the Second Boer War. Earlier, Alfred had worked in the laboratory of the Stirling Chemical Works in London. The American artist John Singer Sargent painted several portraits of Asher Wertheimer and his family. Charles Davis's brother Frederick Davis (1825 - 1899) was also a prominent art dealer and you can read more about both men in 'The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History' (ref 6). Frank Bramley?We had first wondered if the man in the photo below might be Frank Bramley ARA (1857 - 1915) but the consensus is likely not; probably an older man, possibly an art dealer or acquaintance. Only one of Frank Bramley's paintings was in the McCulloch Collection, but it was a famous painting which is now in the Auckland Art Gallery of New Zealand. The painting had been sold in 1913 to art dealer William Walker Sampson, then via artist Marcus Stone to the Auckland Art Gallery (ref 8). Catalogue 172 OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN The funeral of a small girl in a fishing village; the coffin is borne by four girls dressed in white, and in front are several little girls singing. Signed and dated Frank Bramley 1891. Canvas 71.5 by 99.5 in. From the Winter Exhibition catalogue we identified the painting behind him as 'The Sculpture Gallery' by Lawrence Alma Tadema. Catalogue number 5 THE SCULPTURE GALLERY Sir L Alma-Tadema RA A slave is turning round a great vase that stands on a pedestal, so as to show it to the two visitors, a gentleman and a lady, seated near; beyond them stand another lady and two children. Signed L Alma-Tadema op cxxv Canvas 88 by 66 inches
A contemporary of George McCulloch, who also collected works of art, was the successful civil engineer Sir John Aird (1833-1911), whose firm built the Aswan Dam. John Aird exhibited his collection at his London home at 14 Hyde Park Gardens. John Aird's obituary which appeared in the Times on 7th January 1911 included a brief overview of his art collection; however we have found little else published about Aird's collection on-line. Robert Henry Benson (1850 - 1929), a merchant banker, was another art collector and patron of the artist John Singer Sargent. Please click to continue to page 2 References
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Last updated 13th November 2018 |
