John Flower (artist)
Encyclopedia
John Flower was an English landscape
and architectural artist known to locals as "the Leicester artist".
Flower was born in Leicester
, the son of John Flower, a wool
comber, and his wife Mary, whose family had for generations owned the Castle Mill on the River Soar
. The family became reduced in circumstances after the early death of his father and in 1806 he was apprenticed to a framework knitter
, Benjamin Withers.
However, Flower's talent for drawing was noticed by a local doctor who gave him art lessons, and he was eventually taken under the wing of Mary Linwood
(a local schoolmistress and celebrated seamstress) who arranged for him to study art in London with Peter de Wint
for a year.
On returning to Leicester he became a professional art teacher and landscape artist. In 1813, he married Francis Clark - they had 3 children, but only one, Elizabeth (b. 10 Nov 1816), survived to adulthood. By 1819, he was a member of the Unitarian
church. He lived at several addresses in Leicester, eventually moving, in 1851, to a substantial house in Upper Regent Street (now 100 and 102 Regent Road) designed by himself and architect Henry Goddard. He remained there for the rest of his life.
Flower died in 1861 at his home in Leicester. There is now a blue plaque
on the wall commemorating his residency there. He is buried in Welford Road Cemetery
.
, but later worked further afield in neighbouring counties and north Wales
. He worked in oils
, watercolour, pencil and wash
, and is mainly known for his landscapes and drawings of buildings. His art, particularly his book of Lithographs, "Views of Ancient Buildings in the Town and County of Leicester" (1826) is an important historical record of Leicester and Leicestershire as it looked in the early 19th century.
A number of Flower's works are in Leicester's New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, and the William Salt Library in Staffordshire but many are also in private collections making it difficult to compile an exhaustive catalogue.
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
and architectural artist known to locals as "the Leicester artist".
Flower was born in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, the son of John Flower, a wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
comber, and his wife Mary, whose family had for generations owned the Castle Mill on the River Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
. The family became reduced in circumstances after the early death of his father and in 1806 he was apprenticed to a framework knitter
Stocking frame
A stocking frame was a mechanical knitting machine used in the textiles industry. It was invented by William Lee of Calverton near Nottingham in 1589...
, Benjamin Withers.
However, Flower's talent for drawing was noticed by a local doctor who gave him art lessons, and he was eventually taken under the wing of Mary Linwood
Mary Linwood
Mary Linwood was a needle woman who exhibited her worsted embroidery or crewel embroidery in Leicester and London, and was the school mistress of a private school later known as Mary Linwood Comprehensive School...
(a local schoolmistress and celebrated seamstress) who arranged for him to study art in London with Peter de Wint
Peter De Wint
Peter De Wint was an English landscape painter.De Wint was the son of an English physician of Dutch extraction who had come to England from New York., he was born in Stone, Staffordshire. He moved to London in 1802, and was apprenticed to John Raphael Smith, the mezzotint engraver and portrait...
for a year.
On returning to Leicester he became a professional art teacher and landscape artist. In 1813, he married Francis Clark - they had 3 children, but only one, Elizabeth (b. 10 Nov 1816), survived to adulthood. By 1819, he was a member of the Unitarian
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
church. He lived at several addresses in Leicester, eventually moving, in 1851, to a substantial house in Upper Regent Street (now 100 and 102 Regent Road) designed by himself and architect Henry Goddard. He remained there for the rest of his life.
Flower died in 1861 at his home in Leicester. There is now a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
on the wall commemorating his residency there. He is buried in Welford Road Cemetery
Welford Road Cemetery
Welford Road Cemetery is a public cemetery in Leicester.The Leicester General Cemetery Company was founded in 1845, and the cemetery itself opened in 1849. The buildings and plan of the cemetery were designed by J. R. Hamilton and J. M. Medland, who also designed cemeteries for Birmingham and...
.
Work
Early in his career Flower drew and painted in Leicester and LeicestershireLeicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, but later worked further afield in neighbouring counties and north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He worked in oils
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
, watercolour, pencil and wash
Wash (painting)
thumb|Example of a wash drawing by [[R. G. Skerrett]].A wash is a painting technique in which a paint brush that is very wet with solvent and holds a small paint load is applied to a wet or dry support such as paper or primed or raw canvas. The result is a smooth and uniform area that ideally lacks...
, and is mainly known for his landscapes and drawings of buildings. His art, particularly his book of Lithographs, "Views of Ancient Buildings in the Town and County of Leicester" (1826) is an important historical record of Leicester and Leicestershire as it looked in the early 19th century.
A number of Flower's works are in Leicester's New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, and the William Salt Library in Staffordshire but many are also in private collections making it difficult to compile an exhaustive catalogue.