George Denholm Armour (1864–1949) was a British painter and illustrator.
[Carlton Gallery](_blank)
/ref>[Horace Laffaye, ''Polo in Britain: A History'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2012, pp. 145-146] During his career he made hundreds of illustrations for ''The Graphic
''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...
'', ''Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'' and '' Country Life'', most connected with horses and riding. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics, the 1932 Summer Olympics, and the 1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
.
Early life
George Denholm Armour was born in Waterside or Carmunnock, Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
on 30 January 1864, to parents Robert Armour and Marion Paterson, and had several brothers and sisters. He grew up in Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
and went to school in Fife. He graduated from the University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
and the Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...
.
Career
He moved to Tangiers
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...
, Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
, to paint and buy horses. When his money ran out, he moved to 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 ...
and shared a studio with Phil May. He met Joseph Crawhall III
Joseph Crawhall (20 August 1861 – 24 May 1913) was an English artist born in Morpeth, Northumberland.
Life
Crawhall was the fourth child and second son of Joseph Crawhall II and Margaret Boyd. Crawhall specialised in painting animals and b ...
on a hunting and painting holiday, and they both ran a stud farmhouse in Wheathampstead
Wheathampstead is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, north of St Albans. The population of the ward at the 2001 census was 6,058. Included within the parish is the small hamlet of Amwell.
History
Settlements in this area were ...
, Hertfordshire, England.
During the early 1890s Armour had space at 6 North Charlotte Street, Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, while residing at nearby 7A Frederick Street. For a short period of time he shared the North Charlotte address with writer to the Signet, Adam West Gifford.
In 1898, he married Mary Emma Taylor Robb (1864–1925), and Crawhall was his best man at the wedding. They had one son, Robert. He did illustrations for ''The Graphic
''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...
'', ''Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'' and '' Country Life''. By 1903 they had moved into Etchilhampton House, Wiltshire.
In 1910, he studied military equestrianism at the Spanish Riding School
The Spanish Riding School (german: Spanische Hofreitschule) is an Austrian institution dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, based in Vienna, Austria, whose performances in the Hofburg are also ...
in Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. In 1913, he became an honorary member of the Meadowbrook Polo Club
The Meadowbrook Polo Club (originally styled as the "Meadow Brook Club"), located in Old Westbury, New York, is the oldest continuously operating polo club in the United States, first established in 1881.Marie, Kim (August 27, 201The Power of The ...
.
During the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he commanded the remount depot in 1914/1915 at Purton Stoke
Purton Stoke is a small village in north Wiltshire, England, within the civil parish of Purton. The village is located along a side road off the Purton to Cricklade road, approximately north of Purton village. A small country lane gives acces ...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, before commanding the depot at Salonika
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
from 1917 to 1919. It was Armour who requisitioned a transfer of old friend, former Australian jackaroo and Scottish poet, Will H. Ogilvie to assist at Purton Stoke. As temporary major, he was awarded the Greek Medal for Military Merit, 3rd Class, as well as an Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, 'For services rendered in connection with military operations in the Balkans'. He retired from the British Army on 22 February 1922 at the rank of lieutenant colonel.
By 1920, Armour was living at 'Parkside', a Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
in Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of Bath and southwest of ...
, west Wiltshire; while being a member of the Savage Club
The Savage Club, founded in 1857, is a gentlemen's club in London, named after the poet, Richard Savage. Members are drawn from the fields of art, drama, law, literature, music or science.
History
The founding meeting of the Savage Club took ...
in London. When his wife Mary died in June 1925, he married Violet Burton in September 1926. They lived in Malmesbury
Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...
. By 1927, they were living at Easton House, one mile east of Corsham. He became a member of the Royal Scottish Academy.
He died at Liddington
Liddington is a village and civil parish near Swindon in Wiltshire, England. The settlement lies southeast of Swindon town, close to junction 15 of the M4 motorway, which is approximately away via the B4192.
History
The parish has been an a ...
Manor, Swindon, Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
on 17 February 1949.
Works
Some of his paintings are owned by the City of Glasgow
Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of th ...
, the National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
, the Aberdeen Art Gallery
Aberdeen Art Gallery is the main visual arts exhibition space in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1884 in a building designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, with a sculpture court added in 1905. In 1900, it received the art ...
, the National Galleries of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. His painting, ''A Polo Match'', was sold at Christie's in 1988.
Books
* ''Pastime with good company'' (1914), Country Life publisher, 55 reproductions. Reprinted 1930.
* ''Bridle & Brush – Reminiscences of an Artist Sportsman'' (1937, republished 1986), Ashford Press Publishing, 384 pages, 127 drawings and four colour plates by Armour; an autobiography.
* ''Horse laughter'' (1938), a series of anecdotes and stories, co-authored with Will H. Ogilvie, illustrated by Armour, 87 pages, published by Duckworth, London.
Illustrator
* Thomas Scott Anderson's ''Hound and horn in Jedforest: Being some experiences of a Scottish M.F.H.'' (1909). Scott Anderson's daughter married Will H. Ogilvie.
* R. S. Surtees's ''Handley Cross'' (1910), Hodder and Stoughton publishers, with 'a large number of spirited watercolour drawings'.
* Edward Dirom Cuming's ''With rod and gun'' (1912) of shooting and fishing.
* Edward Dirom Cuming's ''Coaching
Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...
days and ways'' (The British Sport Series) (1913), Hodder and Stoughton, about horse-drawn coach transport.
Paintings
* ''Two Huntsmen on Horseback, One Blowing a Horn''
* ''Miss Esme Jenner (1896/1897-1932), as Master of the Sparkford
Sparkford is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Weston Bampfylde.
It is situated near the junction of the A303 from London to Exeter and the A359 from Frome to Ye ...
Vale Harriers''
* ''The Sound of the Horn, Twilight and Dimsey''
* ''Mater pulchra, filia pulchrior: Twilight and Dimsey''
* ''On the Staircase''
* ''George Denholm Armour, Artist, Self-Portrait''
* ''Upper Half of Male Nude''
* ''Study of Reclining Female Nude and Bearded Male''
* '' D. Milburn (U.S. back)'', polo player
* ''A Nearside Shot by Leslie Cheape'', polo player
* '' Larry Waterbury Scoring'', polo player
* '' Capt. Ritson Making a Run'', polo player
* ''Saving a Goal''
* ''Mounted Polo Player''
* ''A Polo Match''
* ''A Faithful Hunter''
* ''Portrait of a Hunter''
References
External links
Armour's Punch Illustrations
in HeidICON
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armour, George Denholm
1864 births
1949 deaths
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art
Spanish Riding School
19th-century Scottish painters
Scottish male painters
20th-century Scottish painters
Artists from Liverpool
Olympic competitors in art competitions
19th-century Scottish male artists
20th-century Scottish male artists
Scottish military personnel
British Army personnel of World War I
British Army officers