Thomas Grieve (1799–1882) was an English scene-painter.

Life

Grieve, son of John Henderson Grieve, theatrical scene-painter (1770–1845), was born at

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London, 11 June 1799, and was a member of a family long associated with

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

as the chief artists employed in the adornment of the dramas, spectacles, and

pantomimes Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

brought out under the management of the Kembles and Laporte. When Mr. and Mrs.

Charles Mathews Charles Mathews (28 June 1776, London – 28 June 1835, Devonport) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well known during his time for his gift of impersonation and skill at table entertainment. His play ''At Home'', in which he pl ...

became lessees of

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

in 1839, Thomas Grieve was chosen as the principal scenic artist, and he painted the effective

panoramas A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...

introduced into their Christmas pantomimes. His services were afterwards transferred to

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...

, and in December 1862 he was the artist who pictorially illustrated the famous annual of ''Goody Two Shoes'', The

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

of ''The Overland Mail'' at the

Royal Gallery of Illustration The Royal Gallery of Illustration was a 19th-century performance venue located at 14 Regent Street in London. It was in use between 1850 and 1873. The gallery was built in the 1820s by the architect John Nash as part of his own house, to displa ...

in 1850, and many illustrations of a similar kind were much indebted for their success to his artistic aid. In conjunction with William Telbin (1812–1873) and John Absolon he produced the panorama of the Campaigns of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in 1852, and subsequently other panoramas of the

Ocean Mail The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wor ...

, the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

, and the Arctic Regions. Macklin's scene painting company was based at 23 Macklin Street (formerly 36 Charles Street) in Covent Garden. The building was specifically designed with a winch so the large theatrical backdrops could be worked on. It is the oldest surviving purpose built scene painting space designed outside of a theatre. In partnership with his son, Tom Walford Grieve, he continued to labour for many years, and the announcement that the scenery for any piece was by Grieve and Son was a sufficient guarantee to the public of the excellence of the work. In the brilliancy of his style, the appearance of reality, and the artistic beauty of his landscape compositions, he has seldom been excelled. He worked on until his death at 1 Palace Road, Lambeth (since known as 47 Lambeth Palace Road), 16 April 1882. He was buried in

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...

on 20 April. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Goatley of Newbury, by whom he had two children, Tom Walford Grieve, born 15 October 1841, a well-known scene-painter, and Fanny Elizabeth Grieve. His brother, William Grieve (1800–1844), was also a scene-painter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grieve, Thomas 1799 births 1882 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters People from Lambeth Burials at West Norwood Cemetery 19th-century English male artists