The Irish House of Commons in 1780 by Francis Wheatley

Francis Wheatley RA (174728 June 1801) was an English

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

and

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

Life and work

Wheatley was born at Wild Court,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the son of a master tailor. He studied at William Shipley's drawing school and the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purp ...

, and won several prizes from the Society of Arts. He assisted in the decoration of

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

, and aided John Hamilton Mortimer in painting a ceiling for

Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first prem ...

Brocket Hall Brocket Hall is a neo-classical country house set in a large park at the western side of the urban area of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. The estate is equipped with two golf courses and seven smaller listed buildings, apart fr ...

in Hertfordshire. In his youth, he lived a dissipated life. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1778, built up a good practice and was praised by the critics. But he fell in with extravagant company and was forced to flee his creditors: so he eloped to Ireland with Elizabeth Gresse, wife of a fellow artist

John Alexander Gresse John Alexander Gresse (1741–1794), was an English painter and drawing-master. Early life Gresse was born in London in 1741. His father was a native of Rolle, on the Lake of Geneva, and owned a small property close to Oxford Street, on wh ...

(1741–1794). In the summer of 1779 he was in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

with Elizabeth, whom he passed off as his wife, and established himself there as a portrait-painter, executing, among other works, the best-known interior of the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fr ...

. He also painted the review of the Dublin regiments of the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respon ...

in College Green in November 1779, the basis for a best-selling print bought by numerous Irish Patriot supporters. He was careful to include the grandees of Dublin and also exotic visitors such as Princess Dashkov. The circumstances of his private life were revealed, and he returned to London. He produced small landscapes, portraits, or street scenes, and began to work in imitation of the French painter

Jean-Baptiste Greuze Jean-Baptiste Greuze (, 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting. Biography Early life Greuze was born at Tournus, a market town in Burgundy. He is generally said to have formed ...

. His scene from the

Gordon Riots The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. They began with a large and orderly protest against the Papists Act 1778, which was intended to reduce official discrimination against Britis ...

of 1780 was

engraved Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

James Heath James Heath may refer to: * James Heath (historian) (1629–1664), English royalist historian * James Heath (engraver) (1757–1834), English engraver * James P. Heath (1777–1854), U.S. congressman from Maryland * James E. Heath (active since 18 ...

; this was noted as one of his best, but was lost to a fire. He painted several subjects for Boydell's

Shakespeare Gallery The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery in London, England, was the first stage of a three-part project initiated in November 1786 by engraver and publisher John Boydell in an effort to foster a school of British history painting. In addition to the e ...

, designed illustrations to Bell's edition of the poets, and practised to some small extent as an

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

and

mezzotint Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process of the '' intaglio'' family. It was the first printing process that yielded half-tones without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzotint achieves tona ...

-engraver. It is, however, as a painter, in both oil and water-color, of landscapes and rustic subjects that Wheatley is best remembered. He was elected an associate of the

in 1790, and an academician in the following year. In 1774 Francis Wheatley married Rosamond Mann at St Paul, Covent Garden, London, England and that was thought to be the first marriage of the artist. In 1787 he married one of his most popular models, the young Clara Maria Leigh (1768–1838), who was also an artist. They had four daughters, Clara Maria (1788 - 1847) who married Thomas Clark Brettingham in 1814, Frances (Fanny) (1790 - 1848) who married Charles Middleton in 1817, Caroline Groves (1793 - 1879) who married James Adams in 1812 and Emma (Feb 1795 - Mar 1795) and a son Francis (1791 - 1872) who married Martha Ewing in 1813. A contemporary biographer noted: "He died June 28th, 1801, aged fifty-four, leaving a widow and four children." After Wheatley died, his widow married in 1807 the Irish actor

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

, and as Mrs Pope she was known as a painter of flowers and portraits. The marriage of Caroline Groves Wheatley to James Adams at St George, Hanover Square and recorded in its register was witnessed by Clara Maria Pope, Marianne Leigh (a sister of Clara Maria Pope), Clara Maria Wheatley and Frances Wheatley. The marriage of Clara Maria Wheatley to Thomas Clark Brettingham at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster and recorded in its register was witnessed by Clara Maria Pope and Thomas Key. Thomas Key, husband of Mary Lawe nee Barry, was a cousin-in-law of Clara Maria Pope and was the father of

Thomas Hewitt Key Thomas Hewitt Key, FRS (20 March 179929 November 1875) was an English classical scholar. Life He was born in London and educated at St John's and Trinity Colleges, Cambridge, and graduated 19th wrangler in 1821. From 1825 to 1827 he was t ...

. Francis, the son, according to their register, was baptised at the Percy Chapel, St Pancras during 1791, the same location as his sister Frances was baptised during 1790. His marriage at St Mary-le-Bone, Middlesex was recorded in their register. Francis junior was a beneficiary along with his sisters in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury will of Marianne Leigh, an unmarried sister of his mother Clara Maria, the will being written in 1843 and proved in 1851: "I leave my three beloved nieces Clara Maria Brettingham, Fanny Middleton and Caroline Adams £10 each and Frank Wheatley £5". The England probate records indicate that at the date of Francis Wheatley, the son, death in 1872 his sister, Caroline Groves Adams wife of James Adams, was his only surviving next of kin. Frances (Fanny) Wheatley was married in Bangalore, Madras, India and that event was reported in the 16 July 1818 edition of the Caledonian Mercury, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland thus: "At Madras, in September last, Captain Middleton, of the 22d light dragoons, to Frances Wheatly, second daughter of the late Francis Wheatley, Esq. R. A.". The baptisms and birth dates of Clara Maria and of Caroline Groves were recorded in the parish registers of St Mary,St Marylebone Road,St Marylebone,London and of St Pancras Old Church, London respectively. Clara Maria was first cousin once removed to Sir

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...

through her mother Elizabeth nee Barry. Francis Wheatley's life and work was reviewed by Mary Webster.Webster, Mary "Francis Wheatley". The Paul Mellon Foundation for British Art, London. 1970

Selected gallery

File:Arthur Phillip.jpg,

Arthur Phillip Admiral Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Greenwich Hospital School from June 1751 unti ...

File:Francis Wheatley - The Salmon Leap, Leixlip - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Salmon Leap, Leixlip'' File:Francis Wheatley - Portrait of a Sportsman with His Son - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Portrait of a Sportsman with His Son'' File:Francis Wheatley - Captain Stevens - Google Art Project.jpg, Captain Stevens File:Return from shooting.jpg, Duke of Newcastle seated on his horse next to his friend Colonel Litchfield, along with his gamekeeper, Mansell, and four Clumber Spaniels. File:Francis Wheatley - A Gentleman and his Dog in a Landscape - Google Art Project.jpg, ''A Gentleman and his Dog in a Landscape File:Helena and Count Bertram before the King of France (Wheatley, 1793).jpg, ''Helena and Count Bertram before the King of France''

References

External links

* *
Francis Wheatley online
(ArtCyclopedia)
Francis Wheatley
(

Yale Center for British Art Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

)
Wheatley's paintings of Shakespeare scenes
(

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of h ...

, English department)
A market scene
(Oil on canvas - Sphinx Fine Arts)
Parlington Hall was the home for the Irish House of Commons until 1905
Now at Lotherton Hall {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheatley, Francis 1747 births 1801 deaths English landscape painters English watercolourists English portrait painters Royal Academicians People from Covent Garden Painters from London