Martin Snape (31 December 1852 – 24 November 1930) was an English painter of the Victorian and

Edwardian era The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

Biography

Born in

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

in 1852, Snape worked in a variety of media (

oils An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

watercolours Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

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

, etc.). He concentrated mainly on

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

subjects including landscapes from the Meon Valley, and shore and maritime scenes around

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it i ...

and his home town of Gosport. He exhibited 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 ...

between 1874 and 1901. Living in Spring Garden Lane, near

Gosport railway station Gosport railway station was a terminus station designed by William Tite and opened to passenger and freight trains in 1841 by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). It was closed in 1953 to passenger trains, and in 1969 to the remainin ...

, Snape was associated with the Gosport area all his life. In 1922 he was commissioned to design the seal for the newly created Borough of Gosport (though the council logo is now a stylised modern version, the original design is still used by the Gosport Borough Football Club). In 1923 he was chosen to give the speech of welcome to the 91st Annual conference of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

which was being held in Portsmouth. He died in 1930 but his most famous painting, '' Forton Creek'', one of a series, still hangs in

Gosport Town Hall Gosport Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, Gosport, Hampshire, England. The structure currently serves as the headquarters of Gosport Borough Council. History The first municipal building was an ancient market hall and cour ...

. Snape is buried in the churchyard at St Mary's, the parish church of

Rowner Rowner is a small settlement which forms part of the borough of Gosport, on the south coast of Hampshire, England. History As Roman burial shrouds were found in the grounds of the church, it would seem to indicate there was a presence in the ar ...

. He had a great fondness for the village of Rowner, which was the subject of many of his paintings and was a personal friend of a former

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

, the Revd Edward Prideaux-Brune. The new premises of the charity Gosport Voluntary Action has been named Martin Snape House in his memory.

References

Martin Snape 1853-1930
(Gosport Discovery Centre).
Martin Snape – biography
(Richard Martin Gallery, Gosport). *''BMA Archives'', 1923 *Bull, M. ''Town Hall Art Riddle'' (Gosport,Solent Reporter, 31 January 1986) p1. *Fisher, S.W. ''A Dictionary of Water Colour Painters'' (Foulsham, Slough, 1972). *Gates, W. G. & Snape, M. (ill.).''Portsmouth in the Past'' (EP, 1925). *Locke, S. ''Snape Exhibition Information'' (Havant, Havant Museum, 1985). *Snape, M. ''Scenes of Old Portsmouth'' (Charpentier, Gosport, 1924). *''An art show takes sisters back to their childhood'', uncredited, The News, Portsmouth, 19 September 1969, p7

External links

searchable database of works, Hampshire County Council {{DEFAULTSORT:Snape, Martin 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters English watercolourists Landscape artists English engravers English illustrators People from Gosport 1852 births 1930 deaths 20th-century British printmakers People educated at Burney's Academy 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists 20th-century engravers