Fred Barnard
Encyclopedia
Frederick Barnard popularly known as Fred Barnard, was a Victorian
illustrator, caricaturist
and genre painter. He is noted for his work on the novels of Charles Dickens
published between 1871 and 1879 by Chapman and Hall.
. He studied art under Leon Bonnat
in Paris
, worked in London and at Cullercoats
on the Northumberland
coast. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Art and he worked as an illustrator for Punch
, The Illustrated London News and Harper's Weekly
. In 1870 Barnard married Alice Faraday, a niece of Michael Faraday
. In the 1880s Fred and his wife Alice joined a colony of artists at Broadway in the Cotswolds
.
Barnard undertook an enormous task when he was commissioned in 1871 by Chapman and Hall
to illustrate nine volumes of the Household Edition of Dickens's works. Included would be Bleak House
, A Tale of Two Cities
, Sketches by Boz
, Nicholas Nickleby, Barnaby Rudge
, Dombey and Son
and Martin Chuzzlewit
. He followed in the footsteps of the respected Hablot Knight Browne
("Phiz") who had worked with Dickens himself. For his prodigious output of some 450 illustrations over an eight-year period, Barnard could lay just claim to the title of "The Charles Dickens among black-and-white artists". Frederick Barnard brought an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Dickens novels to bear on his work.
A young man when he started on his mammoth task, Barnard decided that he would concentrate on scenes other than those that Browne and Dickens had chosen to portray. Whereas 'Phiz' was inclined to create dramatic group scenes for his prints, Barnard was more interested in showing the relationships between pairs of characters. While Phiz had to produce illustrations for the monthly serials as Dickens wrote them, Barnard had the advantage of being able to read the complete work repeatedly before starting on his drawings. At the same time Barnard had to seamlessly blend the characters as visualised by 'Phiz' with his own style, not daring to deviate too much from their established appearance.
By the end of the nineteenth century, Barnard, somewhat like Luke Fildes
, had acquired an enviable reputation as a portraitist to the aristocracy and the Royal Family.
After the death of his son Geoffrey in 1891, Fred Barnard went into a decline. Although his work was unaffected, his relationship with Alice suffered and at age forty-nine his bedclothes caught fire from the pipe he was smoking, while under the influence of a drug which was probably laudanum
. He died of suffocation and his body was badly charred.
on 11 August 1870. They had three children:
The painter Elinor M. Barnard (1872–1942) was Frederick's niece.
John Singer Sargent
had become very close to the Barnard family by the time of Frederick's death. Barnard's daughters Dorothy and Polly served as the models for Sargent's famous painting of 1885-86 Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. He would in later years take the Barnard girls along on his painting trips to the south of Europe. In Sargent's will drawn up in 1918, he left £5 000 to Alice Barnard.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
illustrator, caricaturist
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
and genre painter. He is noted for his work on the novels of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
published between 1871 and 1879 by Chapman and Hall.
Life and work
Barnard was the son of a silversmithSilversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
. He studied art under Leon Bonnat
Léon Bonnat
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat was a French painter.He was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in Madrid, where his father owned a bookshop. While tending his father's shop, he copied engravings of works by the Old Masters, developing a passion for drawing...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, worked in London and at Cullercoats
Cullercoats
Cullercoats is an urban area of north east England, with a population 9,407 in 2004. It has now been absorbed into the North Tyneside conurbation, sitting between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. There is a semi-circular sandy beach with cliffs and caves, and the village is a popular destination for...
on the Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
coast. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Art and he worked as an illustrator for Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
, The Illustrated London News and Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
. In 1870 Barnard married Alice Faraday, a niece of Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....
. In the 1880s Fred and his wife Alice joined a colony of artists at Broadway in the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
.
Barnard undertook an enormous task when he was commissioned in 1871 by Chapman and Hall
Chapman and Hall
Chapman & Hall was a British publishing house in London, founded in the first half of the 19th century by Edward Chapman and William Hall. Upon Hall's death in 1847, Chapman's cousin Frederic Chapman became partner in the company, of which he became sole manager upon the retirement of Edward...
to illustrate nine volumes of the Household Edition of Dickens's works. Included would be Bleak House
Bleak House
Bleak House is the ninth novel by Charles Dickens, published in twenty monthly installments between March 1852 and September 1853. It is held to be one of Dickens's finest novels, containing one of the most vast, complex and engaging arrays of minor characters and sub-plots in his entire canon...
, A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
, Sketches by Boz
Sketches by Boz
Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People is a collection of short pieces published by Charles Dickens in 1836 accompanied by illustrations by George Cruikshank. The 56 sketches concern London scenes and people and are divided into four sections: "Our Parish",...
, Nicholas Nickleby, Barnaby Rudge
Barnaby Rudge
Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels that Dickens published in his short-lived weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock...
, Dombey and Son
Dombey and Son
Dombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. It was first published in monthly parts between October 1846 and April 1848 with the full title Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation...
and Martin Chuzzlewit
Martin Chuzzlewit
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialized between 1843-1844. Dickens himself proclaimed Martin Chuzzlewit to be his best work, but it was one of his least popular novels...
. He followed in the footsteps of the respected Hablot Knight Browne
Hablot Knight Browne
Hablot Knight Browne was an English artist, famous as Phiz, illustrator of books by Charles Dickens, Charles Lever and Harrison Ainsworth.-Biography:...
("Phiz") who had worked with Dickens himself. For his prodigious output of some 450 illustrations over an eight-year period, Barnard could lay just claim to the title of "The Charles Dickens among black-and-white artists". Frederick Barnard brought an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Dickens novels to bear on his work.
A young man when he started on his mammoth task, Barnard decided that he would concentrate on scenes other than those that Browne and Dickens had chosen to portray. Whereas 'Phiz' was inclined to create dramatic group scenes for his prints, Barnard was more interested in showing the relationships between pairs of characters. While Phiz had to produce illustrations for the monthly serials as Dickens wrote them, Barnard had the advantage of being able to read the complete work repeatedly before starting on his drawings. At the same time Barnard had to seamlessly blend the characters as visualised by 'Phiz' with his own style, not daring to deviate too much from their established appearance.
By the end of the nineteenth century, Barnard, somewhat like Luke Fildes
Luke Fildes
Sir Samuel Luke Fildes RA was an English painter and illustrator born at Liverpool and trained in the South Kensington and Royal Academy schools....
, had acquired an enviable reputation as a portraitist to the aristocracy and the Royal Family.
After the death of his son Geoffrey in 1891, Fred Barnard went into a decline. Although his work was unaffected, his relationship with Alice suffered and at age forty-nine his bedclothes caught fire from the pipe he was smoking, while under the influence of a drug which was probably laudanum
Laudanum
Laudanum , also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight ....
. He died of suffocation and his body was badly charred.
Family
Frederick was married to Alice Faraday (1847–1952) on the Isle of WightIsle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
on 11 August 1870. They had three children:
- Geoffrey (1872 - 18 December 1891 EveshamEveshamEvesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
), who was an artist at the time of his death caused by congenital heart disease - Dorothy/Oona (1878–1949)
- Polly/Nanaiis.
The painter Elinor M. Barnard (1872–1942) was Frederick's niece.
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
had become very close to the Barnard family by the time of Frederick's death. Barnard's daughters Dorothy and Polly served as the models for Sargent's famous painting of 1885-86 Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. He would in later years take the Barnard girls along on his painting trips to the south of Europe. In Sargent's will drawn up in 1918, he left £5 000 to Alice Barnard.