Richard Caton Woodville Jr. (7 January 1856 – 17 August 1927) was an English artist and illustrator, who is best known for being one of the most prolific and effective painters of

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

scenes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography

The son of

Richard Caton Woodville Richard Caton Woodville (30 April 1825 – 13 August 1855) was an American artist from Baltimore who spent his professional career in Europe, after studying in Düsseldorf under the direction of Karl Ferdinand Sohn. He died of an overdose of mor ...

Sr., an American who was also a talented artist, Woodville studied at the

Düsseldorf school of painting The Düsseldorf school of painting is a term referring to a group of painters who taught or studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Academy (now the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf or Düsseldorf State ...

under the Prussian military artist

Wilhelm Camphausen Wilhelm Camphausen (8 February 1818, Düsseldorf16 June 1885, Düsseldorf), was a German Painting, painter who specialized in historical and battle scenes. Biography He studied under Alfred Rethel and Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow. As an historical ...

, and then

Eduard von Gebhardt Franz Karl Eduard von Gebhardt (13 June 1838 – 3 February 1925) was a Baltic German painter of portraits and historical scenes, and a professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Biography He was born to Ferdinand Theodor von Gebhardt (1803� ...

, before briefly studying in Russia and then Paris under

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The ran ...

. Woodville spent most of his career working for the ''

Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...

'', where he quickly developed a reputation as a talented reporter and writer, but was also published in ''

Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictiona ...

'', '' Strand Magazine'', and ''

The Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

''. Richard Caton Woodville first experienced battle first-hand when he was sent by the ''Illustrated London News'' to report upon the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 ( tr, 93 Harbi, lit=War of ’93, named for the year 1293 in the Islamic calendar; russian: Русско-турецкая война, Russko-turetskaya voyna, "Russian–Turkish war") was a conflict between th ...

, and then again in the

1882 Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...

, where he made numerous sketches in December 1882, and also obtained photographs of the trenches at Tel-e-Kebir for his friend and co-artist

Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville (31 May 183518 May 1885) was a French academic Painting, painter who studied under Eugène Delacroix. His dramatic and intensely patriotic subjects illustrated episodes from the Franco-Prussian War, the Crimean ...

, who had been commissioned to paint a scene of the battle. In 1879, Woodville's ''Before Leuthen, 3 December 1757'' was exhibited in 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 ...

. It proved popular, and afterwards he began to regularly be exhibited in

Burlington House Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. Toda ...

, where 21 of his battle paintings were eventually shown. His most popular works there were ones that dealt with contemporary wars, such as the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

, ''Candahar'' ic and ''Maiwand: Saving the Guns'', (

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

), the

Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...

, and the

First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

. His works from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

were exhibited at the

Fine Art Society The Fine Art Society is a gallery based in both London and in Edinburgh's New Town (originally Bourne Fine Art, established 1978). The New Bond Street, London gallery closed its doors in August 2018 after being occupied by The Fine Art Society si ...

in 1883, where his painting ''The Moonlight Charge at Kassassin'' proved very popular. The following year he exhibited by Royal Command another painting he had done of the war in Egypt, entitled ''The Guards at Tel-e-Kebir'' (

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

). In 1896 he designed the reverse of the British South Africa Company Medal. He continued to paint scenes of battle, and few battles or wars that Great Britain fought during his life were not touched upon by him, including the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, and

World War I 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 ...

. Despite his precocious talent for capturing the dramatic moments of contemporary battles, Woodville also enjoyed recreating historical scenes in both

oil 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 ...

and

watercolour 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 t ...

. The ''

'' commissioned him to complete a commemorative special series recreating the most famous British battles of history. He depicted ''The Charge of the Light Brigade'' (

Palacio Real de Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

) and ''The Charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman'' (

), ''Battle of Blenheim'', ''Battle of Badajos'' and several ''Battle of Waterloo'' pictures. During World War I, Woodville was compelled to return to the depiction of current events, and three of his Great War works were displayed in the

. These were ''The 2nd Batt. Manchester Regiment taking six guns at dawn near St. Quentin'', ''Entry of the 5th Lancers into Mons'', and ''Halloween, 1914: Stand of the London Scottish on Messines Ridge'' (

London Scottish Regiment The London Scottish was a reserve infantry regiment then a company of the British Army. In its final incarnation it was A (The London Scottish) Company, the London Regiment until, on 1 April 2022, soldiers in the company transferred to foo ...

Museum Trust) exhibited in the year of his death, 1927. During his lifetime, Woodville enjoyed great popularity and was probably considered the best artist of his genre. He wrote as well as painted, and was often the subject of magazine and journal articles. He had a deep passion for the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and had even joined the

Berkshire Yeomanry The Berkshire Yeomanry was a part time regiment of the British Army formed in 1794 to counter the threat of invasion during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was the Royal County of Berkshire's senior volunteer unit with over 200 years of volunta ...

in 1879, staying with them until 1914 when he joined the National Reserve as a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He married Annie Elizabeth Hill in 1877 and had twin sons, actor Anthony Caton Woodville and painter William Passenham Caton Woodville, in 1884. His wife sued him for divorce in 1892. In spite of his success, Caton Woodville suffered financial problems, and was declared bankrupt in 1905.

Death and legacy

On 17 August 1927, Woodville was found shot at his studio at

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

; a revolver was also found. An inquest determined that he was of unsound mind when he committed suicide. Caton Woodville died effectively destitute and his grave (No 10112 in the old section of

St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green St Mary's Catholic Cemetery is located on Harrow Road, Kensal Green in London, England. It has its own Catholic chapel. History Established in 1858, the site was built next door to Kensal Green Cemetery. It is the final resting place for mo ...

) was not marked at the time of his death. In September 2013 a headstone, commissioned by his great-grandson, was placed on the grave.''Soldier's Small Book'' (newsletter of the Victorian Military Society) October/November 2013 Richard Caton Woodville is still exhibited in the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bo ...

, the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

, and the Royal Academy.

Paintings (by date)

*''Before Leuthen, 3 December 1757'' (1879 – Private Collection) *''Turkish Reconnoitring Party in Balkans'' (Russo-Turkish War) (1878 – Private Collection) *''Candahar: The 92nd Highlanders & 2nd Goorkhas storming Gaudi Mullah Sahabdad'', (1881 – Private Collection) *''Cruel To Be Kind'', (1882 –

) *''The Moonlight Charge at Kassassin'' (1883) *''Maiwand: Saving the Guns'' (1883 –

) *''In the Nick of Time'', (1883 – Private Collection) *''The Guards at Tel-e-Kebir'' (1885 –

) *''The Late Commander Wyatt-Rawson, R.N., killed at Tel-el-Kebir, 13 September 1882'', (1885 –

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

) *''The Charge of the Light Brigade'' (1894 –

) *''Waterloo: The Old Guard'', (

) *''The Storming of the Great Redoubt at the Battle of the Alma'', (1896 –

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

) *''The Relief of the Light Brigade'', (1897 –

) *''A Gentleman in Khaki'', (1899, to promote the charitable efforts of ''

The Absent-Minded Beggar "The Absent-Minded Beggar" is an 1899 poem by Rudyard Kipling, set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and often accompanied by an illustration of a wounded but defiant British soldier, "A Gentleman in Kharki", by Richard Caton Woodville. The song w ...

'') *''Life Guards charging at the Battle of Waterloo'', (1899 – Private Collection) *''Gordon's Memorial Service at His Ruined Palace in Khartoum, the Day after The Battle of Omdurman'', (1899 –

) *''The Dawn of Majuba'', (1900 –

The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum is located at Wolseley Barracks (the former CFB London) in London, Ontario, Canada. History Although original architectural drawings of Wolseley Hall drafted in 1886 show space allocated to a museum, the museum ...

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

) *''French Hussards fording a River'', (1901 – Private Collection) *''Lindlay: Whitsunday, 1900'' (Church service on the veldt), (1901 – 5th Battalion,

Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

) *''All that was left of them'', (1902 – 17th/21st Lancers Museum,

Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle ( ) is a faux historic castle and stately home in Leicestershire, England, situated west of the town of Grantham and northeast of Melton Mowbray. The Castle was first built immediately after the Norman Conquest of 1066 an ...

) *''Scotland Yet! On to Victory'' (Scots Greys at Waterloo), (1904 –

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British ...

) *''At the Trumpet's Call'' (Marston Moor), (1904 – Private Collection) *''General Wolfe Climbing the Heights of Abraham on the Morning of the Battle of Quebec'', (1906 –

) *''The Returning Orderly'', (1908 – Williamson Art Gallery,

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

) *''Napoleon before Wagram'', (1909 – Private Collection) *''Sic Transit Gloria Mundi'' (Retreat from Moscow), (1911 – Private Collection) *''Napoleon Crossing the Bridge to Lobau Island'', (1912 –

) *''Poniatowski's Last Charge at Leipzig'', (1912 –

) *''Napoleon conferring the Legion D'Honneur on a Russian General, 1804'', (1912 – Private Collection) *''Drawn Sabres: Napoleon's Guards at the Battle of Wagram'',

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

*''A Narrow Shave! Dragoon in Napoleon's Army 1810'' (Private Collection) *''Marshal Ney at Eylau'', (1913 –

) *''The First VC of the European War'', (1914 –

) *''The Last Call'' (Trumpeter falling at Charge of Light Brigade), (1915 –

The Queen's Royal Hussars The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish) (QRH) is a British armoured regiment. It was formed on 1 September 1993 from the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars. The regiment and its antece ...

) *''The Piper of Loos'', (

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...

Regimental Association) *''The Battle of the Somme'', (1917 –

Guards Museum The Guards Museum is a military museum in Central London, England. It is in Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk near Buckingham Palace, which is the home of the five regiments of Foot Guards (the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guar ...

) *''The 2nd Batt. Manchester Regiment taking six guns at dawn near St. Quentin'', (1918 –

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The Du ...

) *''Entry of the 5th Lancers into Mons'', (1919 –

Queen's Royal Lancers The Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1993 and amalgamated with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) on 2 May 2015 to form the Royal Lancers. History The regiment was formed in ...

) *''The Charge of the 9th Lancers at Moncel, 7 September 1914'', (1921 –

9th Queen's Royal Lancers The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but wa ...

) *''Halloween, 1914: Stand of the London Scottish on Messines Ridge'' (1927 –

Museum Trust)

Paintings (non-military)

*''Ascending The Great Pyramid'' *''Tyrol – Turning The Great Corner'' *''Burma – Minister of State With Attendants'' *''Bull-Fighting'' *''Trades – Estate Agent 'Sold *''Fishing For Bass on the South Coast of England'' *''London – Hyde Park in the Row'' *''Lost Their Way''

Biography

Death and legacy

Paintings (by date)

Paintings (non-military)

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links