Hal Hurst, (18651938) was an English painter,

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 ...

miniaturist A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

, illustrator and founding member of the

Royal Miniature Society The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers, more commonly known as the Royal Miniature Society (RMS), is an art society founded in 1895 dedicated to upholding and continuing the tradition of miniature painting and sculpture, ...

.''The Dictionary of British Artists 1880–1940'' (Antique Collectors Club, 1980)Houfe, S. ''The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators and Caricaturists'' (Antique Collectors' Club, 1996)

Life and work

Born Henry William Lowe Hurst in London in 1865, he was the son of Henry Hurst, a well-known African traveller and publisher (

Hurst and Blackett Hurst and Blackett was a publisher founded in 1852 by Henry Blackett (26 May 1825 – 7 March 1871), the grandson of a London shipbuilder, and Daniel William Stow Hurst (17 February 1802 – 6 July 1870). Shortly after the formation of their part ...

). He was educated at St. Paul's School in London and soon after started recording the political instability of Ireland through drawings and illustrations.''Who's Who in Art'' (Third Edition, 1934)Waters, G. ''Dictionary of British Artists Working 1900–1950'' He travelled to the United States of America where he found work illustrating newspapers in New York City and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Hal returned to Europe studying art at 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 pur ...

Schools and the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

in Paris. He exhibited extensively at all the principal London galleries and was elected member of the

Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

in 1896,

Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London. History In 1831 the so ...

in 1898, and the

Royal Institute of Oil Painters The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as ROI, is an association of painters in London, England, and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil. It is a member society of the Federation of British Artists. Histor ...

in 1900. He was a founder member of the Royal Miniature Society from its inception in 1896 and elected Vice-President, a position he held until stepping down in 1913 – he was given the distinction of Honorary member status the following year. Hal shared a studio at 23a

South Audley Street South Audley Street is a major shopping street in Mayfair, London.'South Audley Street: Introduction', in Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings), ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1980), pp. 290–291. Bri ...

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London with

Alyn Williams Alyn may refer to: Places * Alyn Gorge, a gorge section of the River Alyn *River Alyn, a tributary of the River Dee * Ogof Hesp Alyn, a cave * Bryn Alyn, a hill * Alyn Waters, a country park situated in the county of Wrexham People Given n ...

founder of the

.Sladen, D. ''Twenty Years of My Life'' (Kessinger Publishing, 2004) An motivated, prolific and respected artist, Hal illustrated in excess of 20 published books including

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's ''

The American Claimant ''The American Claimant'' is an 1892 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. Twain wrote the novel with the help of phonographic dictation, the first author (according to Twain himself) to do so.Punch, Harper's Weekly, Vanity Fair, The Idler and the Illustrated London News, amongst others. He married and had one son and two daughters with whom he lived at 9 Colville Mansions,

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

. He was the friend and neighbour of Douglas Sladen, the well-known author and travel writer, who also owned many of Hurst's paintings. Sladen described Hurst as being 'a very clever painter' and having a 'beautiful young wife.' The

National Art Library The National Art Library (NAL) is a major reference library, situated in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), a museum of decorative arts in London. The NAL holds the UK's most comprehensive collection of both books as art and books about art, ...

, London holds letters written by Hurst to Sir Isidore Spielmann and Reginald S. Hunt. Hal Hurst died in 1938.

Exhibitions

Solo *Exhibition of paintings & sketches by Hal Hurst, R.B.A. – The Modern Gallery (1899), London *"Facts and fancies" in oil and water colour by Hal Hurst, R.I., R.B.A. –

The Dore Gallery ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

, London *Exhibition of Water Colours by Hal Hurst, H.R.M.S., R.B.A., R.I – Winnipeg Art Gallery, Canada Group *London of today together with some portraits by Hal Hurst, R.I., R.B.A., V.P.R.M.S. –

, London *Exposition Universalle – Paris (1900)

Partial bibliography

Illustrations for Books: *''From Whose Bourne'' (1893) (written by Robert Barr and Luke Sharpe) *''A Woman Intervenes'' (written by Robert Barr and Luke Sharpe) *''The Serious Wooing'' (1908) (written by John Oliver Hobbes, pseud Pearl Mary-Teresa Craigie)
''The American Claimant''
(1892) (written by

; co-illustrator

Dan Beard Daniel Carter "Uncle Dan" Beard (June 21, 1850 – June 11, 1941) was an American illustrator, author, youth leader, Georgist and social reformer who founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905, which Beard later merged with the Boy Scouts of Ame ...

)
''Sir Roger's Heir – a Period Romance''
(1904) (written by F. Frankfort Moore) *''The Knights of the White Rose'' (written by George Griffith) *''Sappers and Miners or The Flood Beneath the Sea'' (c.1900) (written by George Manville Fenn) *''Sou'wester And Sword: A Story of Struggle on Sea And Land'' (1917) (written by Hugh St. Leger) *''Novel Notes'' (1893) (written by Jerome K. Jerome) *''Those Children'' (1899) (written by Curtis Yorke) *''The Great Court Scandal'' (1907) (written by William Le Queux) *''Through the Sikh War: A Tale Of The Conquest Of The Punjaur'' (c.1890) (written by G. A. Henty) *''Hunting for Gold, or Adventures in Klondyke'' (1897) (written by Hume Nisbet) *''Vernon's Aunt: Being the Oriental Experiences of Miss Lavinia Moffat'' (1894) (written by Sara Jeannette Duncan (Mrs. Everard Cotes)) *''The Stir Outside The Cafe Royal; A Story Of Miss Van Snoop Detective: The Harmsworth Magazine Volume I 1898-9'' (1899) (written by Clarence Rook)Patricia Craig and Mary Cadogan, ''The lady investigates'', Oxford (1981) p.24 *''The Billsbury Election and Other Papers from Punch; With twenty-eight illustrations by Hal Hurst'' (1892) (written by Rudolf Chambers Lehmann) *''The Arcadians: Souvenir Presented By Robert Courtneidge on the Occasion of the Second Anniversary Friday 28 April 1911'' (1911) (written by

Robert Courtneidge Robert Courtneidge (29 June 1859 – 6 April 1939) was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera ''Tom Jones'' (1907) and the producer of '' The Arcadians'' (1909). He was t ...

) *''The Pictorial Record'' (1887) (written by Walter Tomlinson, with special articles by Thomas W. Harris, Charles Estcourt, and Joseph Nodal. Edited by John Howard Nodal) *''A Woman of the Commune'' (1896) (written by G. A. Henty) *''A Servant of the Public'' (c.1900) (written by Anthony Hope) *''Ships That Pass in the Night'' (1905) (written by Beatrice Harraden)
''The Viper of Milan''
(written by Marjorie Bowen) Illustrations for Periodicals and Magazines: *''Harper's Weekly'' (18 February 1888) *''Vanity Fair'' Cycling in Hyde Park (11 June 1896) *''Illustrated London News'' Cup Day at Ascot (25 June 1898) *''Illustrated London News'' (Christmas 1901) *''Cassell's Family Magazine'' Cover illustration *''The Idler'' (June 1893)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Hal 1865 births 1938 deaths English illustrators 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters English portrait painters Landscape artists People educated at St Paul's School, London Portrait miniaturists Vanity Fair (British magazine) artists Members of the Royal Society of British Artists Members of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Members of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours British children's book illustrators 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists