William James Webbe (or Webb) (born July 13, 1830 in

Redruth Redruth ( , kw, Resrudh) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England. The population of Redruth was 14,018 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also inc ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, England – died 1904 in England) was an early English

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

painter and illustrator, known for his rustic, religious, and book paintings.

Life

Webbe was born on 13 July 1830 at Redruth, Cornwall, and baptized on the 23rd of that month at St Austell, Cornwall. He was one of eight children of

Wesleyan Church The Wesleyan Church, also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church and Wesleyan Holiness Church depending on the region, is a Methodist Christian denomination in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Namibia, Sierra Leone, L ...

minister Rev. Samuel Webb and Sarah née Stirrup. He married Besse before 1871, the couple had two children, Wilfred Mark Webb and Ethel Alice Webb, and lived in London. He travelled abroad, to Dusseldorf, where he study art, where he was probably influenced by Nazarenes art. Webbe returned to England in 1853, and made his debut at the Royal Academy. He took part in exhibitions 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 ...

, the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...

, and the Royal Society of British Artists from 1853 to 1878. File:Webbe Two lambs in a barn.png, ''Two lambs in a barn'', signed and dated 'W. J. Webb April 1853' (lower left), oil on board File:Webbe Twilight.jpg, ''Twilight'', c. 1855, oil on canvas File:William J. Webbe - Rabbit amid Ferns and Flowering Plants - 1981.441 - Museum of Fine Arts.jpg, ''Rabbit amid Ferns and Flowering Plants'', 1855 File:Webbe Chanticleer and the fox.jpg, ''

Chanticleer and the Fox Chanticleer and the Fox is a fable that dates from the Middle Ages. Though it can be compared to Aesop's fable of The Fox and the Crow, it is of more recent origin. The story became well known in Europe because of its connection with several po ...

'', signed with initials and dated 'WJW 1857' (lower left) Webbe was an early convert to Pre-Raphaelitism. Allen Staley wrote about Webbe in his book ''The Pre-Raphaelite Landscape'' (1973), and noted that two of his works dating from 1854–55 are of "Pre-Raphaelite elaboration of microscopic foreground detail pushed to an almost insane extreme". In 1862 Webbe pilgrimaged to Jerusalem and the Middle East and began to paint Eastern subjects. Webbe's journey was probably inspired by English painter and one of the founders of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism. ...

, who visited the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

in 1854–1856, 1869–1872, 1875–1878, and 1892. Webbe is known for his book illustrations for six volumes published by the London publishing house

Raphael Tuck & Sons Raphael Tuck & Sons was a business started by Raphael Tuck and his wife in Bishopsgate in the City of London in October 1866,Picture Postcards and Their Publishers, by Anthony Byatt, page 288 selling pictures and greeting cards, and eventually se ...

. More of his illustrations can be found in Biblical Stories for Children and in books by authors such as

William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...

and those of his son

Wilfred Mark Webb Wilfred may refer to: * Wilfred (given name), a given name and list of people (and fictional characters) with the name * Wilfred, Indiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * ''Wilfred'' (Australian TV series), a comedy series * ...

. He drew his book illustrations using the pseudonym WJ Webb. File:Webbe A street in Jerusalem.jpg, ''A street in Jerusalem'', 1863 File:Webbe A Shepherd of Jerusalem.jpg, ''A Shepherd of Jerusalem'', 1863 File:Webbe The piping shepherd.jpg, ''The piping shepherd'', signed with monogram and dated '1864' (lower left), oil on canvas File:Webbe A street in Jerusalem.png, ''A street in Jerusalem'', signed with monogram and dated '1867' (lower left) File:Webbe The Homeward Journey.jpg, ''The Homeward Journey'', signed and dated 'W.J.Webb/1869' (lower left), oil on panel William James Webbe was living in the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

in 1856, later, in 1861, he resided at Langham Chambers, "in an area where many of the Pre-Raphaelites congregated and had their studios". According to Webbe's great great grandniece, Jennie Shelley, "In the 1901 census William aged 70 and his wife Besse aged 52 were living at 4 Marlborough Rd, Ealing, Middlesex, and his occupation was artist. Also at that address was his daughter Ethel who was a science mistress." His brothers, Samuel Webb and Thomas Stirrup Webb, emigrated to New Zealand. Samuel was a pottery manufacturer in Stoke on Trent, William's mother, Sarah Stirrup, also "came from generations of pottery manufacturers".

Reception

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

briefly commented on ''The White Owl'', exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1856, in his Academy Notes: "A careful study — the brown wing excellent. The softness of an owl's feathers is perhaps inimitable; but I think the breast might have come nearer the mark." There are two versions of ''The White Owl'' painting; one was sold at Sotheby's Belgravia on 14 June 1977 (lot 31) and bought by the Fine Art Society, the second one is owned by

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

, and previously was in the collection of

William John Broderip William John Broderip FRS (21 November 1789 – 27 February 1859) was an English lawyer and naturalist. Life Broderip, the eldest son of William Broderip, surgeon from Bristol, was born at Bristol on 21 November 1789, and, after being educat ...

(1789-1859), a lawyer and naturalist who helped to found the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

. Webbe's work ''A street in Jerusalem'' (1867) received mixed reviews. His contemporary art critic Tom Taylor of the ''Times'' wrote: "

he painting He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

is treated in the most realistic spirit ...but the composition seems to us too crowded for the canvas, and there is an abuse of bright colour...it may be that the critic in this cold, grey north is not competent to pass judgement on eastern colour ...for Mr Webbe's clever and careful Street in Jerusalem".

Works

Webbe A White Terrier by a Mossy Bank with Flowers

* ''A Hedge Bank in May'', 1855 * ''Twilight'', c. 1855 * ''Cattle and a Fram'', 1856 * ''The White Owl'', 1856 * ''Strawberries'', 1860 * ''Lambs'', 1860 * ''The Collared Thief'', 1860 * ''Early Lambs'', 1861 * ''A Rabbit'', 1862 * ''Street in Jerusalem'', 1863 * ''Ploughing on Mount Zion'', 1864 * ''The Lost Sheep'', 1864 * ''A White Terrier by a Mossy Bank with Flowers'', 1871 * ''A Plough Team outside Jerusalem'', 1879 * ''Perch on a River Bank''

Book illustrations

:6 books printed by Raphael Tuck and Sons: *''The 23rd Psalm'' *''The Influence Of Beauty'' by Keats *''Feld Blumen'' (poetry in German) *''Bluen Botschaft'' (poetry in German) *''Homes Of England'' by Felicia Hemans *''The Sower And The Seed'' by Helen Marion Burnside :Other books for adults: *''The Holiday Train'' by Frederick Longbridge * ''The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond. A Little Dinner at Timmins's and Notes of a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo'' by

, Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1879 *''The Childrens Friend'', 1893 *''Eton Nature-Study And Observational Lessons'' (2 volumes) by M.D. Hill and Wilfred Mark Webb * ''The Heritage of Dress. Being Notes on the History and Evolution of Clothes'' by Wilfred Mark Webb, The Times Book Club, London, 1912 * ''Illustrated Natural History'' by W. G. Ridewood, Richard Tuck, London, 1902 *''The Friendly Visitor'' :Bible stories for children: *''Bible Stories And Pictures'' by James Weston *''Bible Pictures And Stories'' (New Testament) by James Weston *''Bible Pictures And Stories'' (Old and New Testament) *''The Beautiful Story'' *''Charming Bible Stories'' *''Young Folks Story Of The Bible'' *''Old Testament Stories'' by Robert Tuck

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webbe, William James 1830 births 1904 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters Pre-Raphaelite painters Pre-Raphaelite illustrators 19th-century English male artists