John Masey Wright (1777–1866) was an English watercolour-painter. He was the son of an organ-builder and was apprenticed to the same business, but, as it proved distasteful to him, he was allowed to follow his natural inclination for art. As a boy he was given the opportunity of watching

Thomas Stothard Thomas Stothard (17 August 1755 – 27 April 1834) was an English painter, illustrator and engraver. His son, Robert T. Stothard was a painter ( fl. 1810): he painted the proclamation outside York Minster of Queen Victoria's accession to the t ...

when at work in his studio, but otherwise he was self-taught. About 1810 Wright became associated with

Henry Aston Barker Henry Aston Barker (1774 – 19 July 1856) was a Scottish landscape and panorama painter and exhibitor, the son of Robert Barker whose business he continued. Life and works Barker was born in Glasgow, the younger son of Robert Barker, the panor ...

, for whose panorama in the Strand he did much excellent work, including the battles of Coruña, Vittoria, and Waterloo. He was also employed for a time as a scene-painter at the opera-house. But his reputation rests upon his small compositions illustrating Shakespeare and other poets, which were extremely numerous and executed with admirable taste and feeling in the manner of Stothard. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1812 to 1818, and in 1824 was elected an associate of the Watercolour Society; he became a full member in 1825, and thenceforward to the end of his long life was a regular exhibitor. His drawings were largely engraved for the ‘Literary Souvenir,’ ‘Amulet,’ ‘Forget-me-not,’ and similar publications; also for fine editions of the works of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

and Burns, and for the ‘Gallery of Modern British Artists.’ Plates from his Battle of Vitoria’ and ‘The Ghost, a Christmas Frolic,’ appeared in 1814, and ‘Devotion,’ a subject from Boccaccio, was engraved by

Charles Heath Charles Theodosius Heath (1 March 1785 – 18 November 1848) was a British engraver, currency and stamp printer, book publisher and illustrator. Life and career He was the illegitimate son of James Heath, a successful engraver who enjoyed ...

in 1833. Though extremely industrious, Wright was poorly remunerated for his work, and during his later years received a small pension from the Watercolour Society.

Personal

Wright was born on Tuesday 14 Oct. 1777 at Pentonville, London, where his father was an organ-builder. He died on Sunday 13 May 1866. He married a Miss Meadows and with her had a son and a daughter.

Gallery

File:John Massey Wright - Mrs. Martha Udney - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Mrs. Martha Udney'', 1801 File:Juliet and the Nurse (Wright, c. 1810s).jpg, ''Juliet and the Nurse'', c. 1810s File:Mistress Ford and Falstaff (Wright, c. 1810s).jpg, ''Mistress Ford and Falstaff'', c. 1810s File:Mercutio bidding farewell to Juliet's nurse (Wright, c. 1820s).jpg, ''Mercutio bidding farewell to Juliet's nurse'', c. 1820s

References

*Freeman Marius O'Donoghue, "John Masey Wright" ''Dictionary of National Biography'', 1885–1900, Volume 63 *Roget's Hist. of the ‘Old Watercolour’ Society *Redgrave's Dict. of Artists *Graves's Dict. of Artists, 1760−1893. *"Obituary: J. M. Wright", ''The Art journal, Volume 6; Volume 19; Volume 29'', Publisher Virtue and Co., 1867
page 55
;Attribution

External links

John Masey Wright
by Cundall, Downes & Co, at the National Portrait Gallery
John Masey Wright (1777-1866), 'The Return of Olivia
at the Victoria and Albert Museum * , an engraving by

William Humphrys William Humphrys (1794 – 21 January 1865) was an engraver of pictures, book illustrations and postage stamps. Humphrys was born in Dublin. At an early age he moved to the United States where he studied engraving techniques under George Murray ...

of the painting in The Literary Souvenir annual for 1826, with a poem by

Felicia Hemans Felicia Dorothea Hemans (25 September 1793 – 16 May 1835) was an English poet (who identified as Welsh by adoption). Two of her opening lines, "The boy stood on the burning deck" and "The stately homes of England", have acquired classic statu ...

relating how Richard I. was discovered in captivity by Blondel. * , an engraving by Edward Francis Finden of a painting in the Friendship's Offering annual for 1827, with a poem by

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, John 1777 births 1866 deaths English watercolourists People from Pentonville Painters from London