Henry Aston Barker
Encyclopedia
Henry Aston Barker was a Scottish landscape and panorama
painter and exhibitor, the son of Robert Barker
whose business he continued.
, the younger son of Robert Barker
, the famous panoramic painter, whom he assisted as a boy. When only 12 years old he was set to work making outlines of the city of Edinburgh
from the top of the Calton Hill Observatory, and a few years later made the drawings for the view of London
from Albion Mills. These drawings he afterwards etched.
In 1788 he came with his father to London, and soon afterwards became a pupil at the Royal Academy
. Barker continued to be his father's chief assistant in the panoramas till the latter's death in 1806, when, as executor, he took over the business, and for 20 years carried on the exhibitions with great success.
He frequently travelled in the course of his work, and in August 1799 left England for Turkey
, to make drawings for a panorama of Constantinople
. When he arrived at Palermo
, he called on Sir William Hamilton
, the English ambassador at the court of Naples
, and was introduced by him to Lord Nelson, of whom, he wrote, "took me by the hand and said he was indebted to me for keeping up the fame of his victory in the Battle of the Nile
for a year longer than it would have lasted in the public estimation" (Barker's memoranda). The panorama of Constantinople was exhibited in 1802, and the drawings were engraved and published in four plates.
In 1801, Barker went to Copenhagen
to make drawings for a picture of the battle
, and while there he was again received by Lord Nelson. In May 1802, during the Peace of Amiens, he went to Paris
and made drawings for a panorama of the city. After this many other panoramas were exhibited, the later ones being chiefly from drawings by John Burford, who shared with Barker the
property in a panorama in the Strand, purchased in 1816 from Mr. Reinagle. Barker, however, still travelled from time to time, and visited, among other places, Malta
, where he made drawings of the port, exhibited in 1810 and 1812; Venice
, of which a panorama was exhibited in 1819; and Elba
, where he made the acquaintance of Napoleon.
After the battle of Waterloo
, Barker visited the field, and went to Paris, where he obtained from the officers at headquarters all necessary information on the subject of the battle. A series of eight etchings by Mr. J. Burnett from Barker's original sketches of the field of battle were printed and published, as were also his drawings of Gibraltar. His last grand panorama was the coronation procession of George IV, exhibited in 1822. Of all the panoramas exhibited, that of the battle of Waterloo was the most successful and lucrative. By the exhibition of this picture Barker realised no less than £10,000.
About 1802 he married the eldest of the six daughters of Rear-admiral William Bligh
, who commanded the Bounty at the time of the celebrated mutiny. By her Barker left two sons and two daughters. In 1826 he transferred the management of both the panoramas to John and Robert Burford
, and went to live first at Cheam
, in Surrey
, and then in the neighbourhood of Bristol
.
Barker died on 19 July 1856 at Belton
near Bristol
. A list of most of the panoramas painted and exhibited by Henry and Robert Barker were published in The Art Journal
(1857, p. 47).. His brother, Thomas Edward Barker, though not an artist, also ran the family business, but later set up a rival panorama exhibition with artist Ramsay Richard Reinagle
at 168/9 The Strand, London.
Panoramic painting
Panoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide, all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often a landscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th Century in Europe and the United States, inciting opposition from writers of Romantic poetry...
painter and exhibitor, the son of Robert Barker
Robert Barker
Robert Barker may refer to:*Robert Barker * Bob Barker , game show host* Robert Barker , English footballer who played for England* Robert Barker , English printer...
whose business he continued.
Life and works
Barker was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the younger son of Robert Barker
Robert Barker (painter)
Robert Barker was an English painter of Irish ancestry from Newcastle-upon-Tyne-Biography:The English itinerant portrait painter Robert Barker coined the word "panorama", from Greek pan horama in 1792 to describe his paintings of Edinburgh, Scotland shown on a cylindrical surface, which he soon...
, the famous panoramic painter, whom he assisted as a boy. When only 12 years old he was set to work making outlines of the city of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
from the top of the Calton Hill Observatory, and a few years later made the drawings for the view of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from Albion Mills. These drawings he afterwards etched.
In 1788 he came with his father to London, and soon afterwards became a pupil at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. Barker continued to be his father's chief assistant in the panoramas till the latter's death in 1806, when, as executor, he took over the business, and for 20 years carried on the exhibitions with great success.
He frequently travelled in the course of his work, and in August 1799 left England for Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, to make drawings for a panorama of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. When he arrived at Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, he called on Sir William Hamilton
William Hamilton (diplomat)
Sir William Hamilton KB, PC, FRS was a Scottish diplomat, antiquarian, archaeologist and vulcanologist. After a short period as a Member of Parliament, he served as British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples from 1764 to 1800...
, the English ambassador at the court of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, and was introduced by him to Lord Nelson, of whom, he wrote, "took me by the hand and said he was indebted to me for keeping up the fame of his victory in the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
for a year longer than it would have lasted in the public estimation" (Barker's memoranda). The panorama of Constantinople was exhibited in 1802, and the drawings were engraved and published in four plates.
In 1801, Barker went to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to make drawings for a picture of the battle
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
, and while there he was again received by Lord Nelson. In May 1802, during the Peace of Amiens, he went to 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...
and made drawings for a panorama of the city. After this many other panoramas were exhibited, the later ones being chiefly from drawings by John Burford, who shared with Barker the
property in a panorama in the Strand, purchased in 1816 from Mr. Reinagle. Barker, however, still travelled from time to time, and visited, among other places, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, where he made drawings of the port, exhibited in 1810 and 1812; Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, of which a panorama was exhibited in 1819; and Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
, where he made the acquaintance of Napoleon.
After the battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, Barker visited the field, and went to Paris, where he obtained from the officers at headquarters all necessary information on the subject of the battle. A series of eight etchings by Mr. J. Burnett from Barker's original sketches of the field of battle were printed and published, as were also his drawings of Gibraltar. His last grand panorama was the coronation procession of George IV, exhibited in 1822. Of all the panoramas exhibited, that of the battle of Waterloo was the most successful and lucrative. By the exhibition of this picture Barker realised no less than £10,000.
About 1802 he married the eldest of the six daughters of Rear-admiral William Bligh
William Bligh
Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...
, who commanded the Bounty at the time of the celebrated mutiny. By her Barker left two sons and two daughters. In 1826 he transferred the management of both the panoramas to John and Robert Burford
Robert Burford
Robert Burford was an English painter of panoramas.-Life and work:Burford was born in 1791 and first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1812 with "A View of Westminster Hall"...
, and went to live first at Cheam
Cheam
Cheam is a large suburban village close to Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton, England, and is located close to the southern boundary between Greater London and Surrey. It is divided into two main areas: North Cheam and Cheam Village. North Cheam includes more retail shops and supermarkets,...
, in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, and then in the neighbourhood of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Barker died on 19 July 1856 at Belton
Belton
Belton may refer to:* Belton, Texas* Belton, South Carolina* Belton, Missouri* Belton, Montana, known today as West Glacier, Montana* Belton, Ontario* Belton, North Lincolnshire* Belton, Lincolnshire** Belton House* Belton, Leicestershire...
near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. A list of most of the panoramas painted and exhibited by Henry and Robert Barker were published in The Art Journal
The Art Journal
The Art Journal, published in London, was the most important Victorian magazine on art. It was founded in 1839 by Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, 6 Pall Mall, with the title the Art Union Monthly Journal, the first issue of 750 copies appearing 15 February 1839.Hodgson & Graves hired Samuel...
(1857, p. 47).. His brother, Thomas Edward Barker, though not an artist, also ran the family business, but later set up a rival panorama exhibition with artist Ramsay Richard Reinagle
Ramsay Richard Reinagle
Ramsay Richard Reinagle, was an English portrait, landscape, and animal painter, and son of Philip Reinagle.-Biography:...
at 168/9 The Strand, London.
External links
- H A Barker on Artnet
- Panorama of the Battle of Paris (University of Exeter digital collections)