Richard Caton Woodville
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, who is best known for being one of the most prolific and effective painters of battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
scenes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Biography
The son of Richard Caton Woodville, Sr., who was also a talented artist, Woodville studied at the Düsseldorf school of painting under the Prussian military artist Wilhelm CamphausenWilhelm Camphausen
Wilhelm Camphausen , German painter, was born and died at Düsseldorf, and studied under Alfred Rethel and Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow. As an historical and battle painter he rapidly became popular, and in 1859 was made professor of painting at the Düsseldorf Academy, together with other later...
, and then Eduard von Gebhardt
Eduard von Gebhardt
Franz Karl Eduard von Gebhardt was a Baltic German historical painter. He was born in Järva-Jaani, Estonia, the son of a Protestant clergyman, and studied first at the Academy of St. Petersburg . In 1860 he became the pupil of Wilhelm Sohn at Düsseldorf, where he permanently settled, and became...
, before briefly studying in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and then 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...
under Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academicism. The range of his oeuvre included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits and other subjects, bringing the Academic painting tradition to an artistic climax.-Life:Jean-Léon Gérôme was born...
. Woodville spent most of his career working for the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
, where he quickly developed a reputation as a talented reporter and writer, but was also published in Cornhill Magazine
Cornhill Magazine
The Cornhill Magazine was a Victorian magazine and literary journal named after Cornhill Street in London.Cornhill was founded by George Murray Smith in 1860 and was published until 1975. It was a literary journal with a selection of articles on diverse subjects and serialisations of new novels...
, Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
, and The Tatler.
Richard Caton Woodville first experienced battle first-hand when he was sent by the Illustrated London News to report upon the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), and then again in the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War, where he made numerous sketches in December 1882, and also obtained photographs of the trenches at Tel-e-Kebir for his friend and co-artist Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville
Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville
Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville was a French Academic painter who studied under Eugène Delacroix. His dramatic and intensely patriotic subjects illustrated episodes from the Franco-Prussian War, the Crimean War, the Zulu War and portraits of soldiers. Some of his works have been collected by...
, who had been commissioned to paint a scene of the battle.
In 1879, Woodville's Before Leuthen, Dec 3rd, 1757 was exhibited in 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...
. It proved popular, and afterwards he began to regularly be exhibited in Burlington House
Burlington House
Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in London. It was originally a private Palladian mansion, and was expanded in the mid 19th century after being purchased by the British government...
, where 21 of his battle paintings were eventually shown. His most popular works there were ones that dealt with contemporary wars, such as the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
, Candahar [sic], and Maiwand: Saving the Guns, (Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
), the Zulu War, and the First Boer War
First Boer War
The First Boer War also known as the First Anglo-Boer War or the Transvaal War, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881-1877 annexation:...
. His works from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
were exhibited at the Fine Art Society
Fine Art Society
The Fine Art Society is an art dealership with two premises, one in New Bond Street, London and the other in Edinburgh . It was formed in 1876...
in 1883, where his painting The Moonlight Charge at Kassassin proved very popular. The following year he exhibited by Royal Command another painting he had done of the war in Egypt, entitled The Guards at Tel-e-Kebir (Royal Collection
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
).
He continued to paint scenes of battle, and few battles or wars that Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
fought during his life were not touched upon by him, including the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Despite his precocious talent for capturing the dramatic moments of contemporary battles, Woodville also enjoyed recreating historical scenes in both oil
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...
and watercolour. The Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
commissioned him to complete a commemorative special series recreating the most famous British battles of history. He depicted The Charge of the Light Brigade (Palacio Real de Madrid) and The Charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman (Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
), Battle of Blenheim, Battle of Badajos and several Battle of Waterloo pictures.
During World War I, Woodville was compelled to return to the depiction of current events, and three of his Great War works were displayed in 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...
. These were The 2nd Batt. Manchester Regiment taking six guns at dawn near St. Quentin, Entry of the 5th Lancers into Mons, and Halloween, 1914: Stand of the London Scottish on Messines Ridge (London Scottish Regiment Museum Trust) exhibited in the year of his death, 1927.
During his lifetime, Woodville enjoyed great popularity and was probably considered the best artist of his genre. He wrote as well as painted, and was often the subject of magazine and journal articles. He had a deep passion for the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and had even joined the Berkshire Yeomanry
Berkshire Yeomanry
94 Signal Squadron forms part of 39 Signal Regiment. They are currently based in three locations in the Home Counties...
in 1879, staying with them until 1914 when he joined the National Reserve as a Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
.
On 17 August 1927, Woodville was found shot at his studio at St John's Wood; a revolver was also found. An inquest determined that he was of unsound mind when he committed suicide.
Richard Caton Woodville is still exhibited in the National Army Museum
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
, the Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
, Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
, and the Royal Academy.
Paintings (by date)
- Before Leuthen, Dec 3rd, 1757 (1879 - Private Collection)
- Candahar: The 92nd Highlanders & 2nd Goorkhas storming Gaudi Mullah Sahabdad, (1881 - Private Collection)
- Cruel To Be Kind, (1882 - National Army MuseumNational Army MuseumThe National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
) - The Moonlight Charge at Kassassin (1883)
- Maiwand: Saving the Guns (1883 - Walker Art GalleryWalker Art GalleryThe Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
) - In the Nick of Time, (1883 - Private Collection)
- The Guards at Tel-e-Kebir (1885 - Royal CollectionRoyal CollectionThe Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
) - The Late Commander Wyatt-Rawson, R.N., killed at Tel-el-Kebir, 13 September 1882, (1885 - Royal Naval CollegeRoyal Naval CollegeRoyal Naval College may refer to:* Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth , renamed the Royal Naval College in 1806* Royal Naval College, Greenwich * Royal Naval College, Osborne...
) - The Charge of the Light Brigade (1894 - Palacio Real de Madrid)
- Waterloo: The Old Guard, (Palacio Real de Madrid)
- The Storming of the Great Redoubt at the Battle of the Alma, (1896 - Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
) - The Relief of the Light Brigade, (1897 - National Army MuseumNational Army MuseumThe National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
) - A Gentleman in Khaki, (1899, to promote the charitable efforts of The Absent-Minded BeggarThe Absent-Minded Beggar"The Absent-Minded Beggar" is an 1899 poem by Rudyard Kipling, set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and often accompanied by an illustration by Richard Caton Woodville. The song was written as part of an appeal by the Daily Mail to raise money for soldiers fighting in the South African War and...
) - Life Guards charging at the Battle of Waterloo, (1899 - Private Collection)
- Gordon's Memorial Service at His Ruined Palace in Khartoum, the Day after The Battle of Omdurman, (1899 - Royal CollectionRoyal CollectionThe Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
) - The Dawn of Majuba, (1900 - Royal Canadian Military InstituteRoyal Canadian Military InstituteThe Royal Canadian Military Institute , located in Toronto, Ontario, is Canada's premier independent institute for the study of military strategy, arts, military science and literature....
, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
) - French Hussards fording a River, (1901 - Private Collection)
- Lindlay: Whitsunday, 1900 (Church service on the veldt), (1901 - 5th Battalion, Royal Green JacketsRoyal Green JacketsThe Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
, OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
) - All that was left of them, (1902 - 17th/21st Lancers17th/21st LancersThe 17th/21st Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1993.It was formed in 1922 in England by the amalgamation of the 17th Lancers and the 21st Lancers . From 1930 to 1939 it was deployed overseas; first in Egypt for two years, and then in India for seven...
Museum, Belvoir CastleBelvoir CastleBelvoir Castle is a stately home in the English county of Leicestershire, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir . It is a Grade I listed building....
) - Scotland Yet! On to Victory (Scots Greys at Waterloo), (1904 - Royal Scots Dragoon GuardsRoyal Scots Dragoon GuardsThe Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of...
) - At the Trumpet's Call (Marston Moor), (1904 - Private Collection)
- General Wolfe Climbing the Heights of Abraham on the Morning of the Battle of Quebec, (1906 - TateTate-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
) - The Returning Orderly, (1908 - Williamson Art Gallery, BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
) - Napoleon before Wagram, (1909 - Private Collection)
- Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (Retreat from Moscow), (1911 - Private Collection)
- Napoleon Crossing the Bridge to Lobau Island, (1912 - TateTate-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
) - Poniatowski's Last Charge at Leipzig, (1912 - TateTate-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
) - Napoleon confering the Legion D'Honneur on a Russian General, 1804, (1912 - Private Collection)
- Drawn Sabres: Napoleon's Guards at the Battle of Wagram, West Point
- A Narrow Shave! Dragoon in Napoleon's Army 1810 (Private Collection)
- Marshal Ney at Eylau, (1913 - TateTate-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
) - The First VC of the European War, (1914 - National Army MuseumNational Army MuseumThe National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
) - The Last Call (Trumpeter falling at Charge of Light Brigade), (1915 - The Queen's Royal HussarsThe Queen's Royal HussarsThe Queen's Royal Hussars is the senior United Kingdom light cavalry regiment. It was formed on 1 September 1993 from the amalgamation of The Queen's Own Hussars and The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars...
) - The Piper of Loos, (King's Own Scottish BorderersKing's Own Scottish BorderersThe King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
Regimental Association) - The Battle of the Somme, (1917 - Guards MuseumGuards MuseumThe Guards Museum is a military museum in Central London, England. It is located in Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk close to Buckingham Palace, which is the home of the five regiments of Foot Guards .The museum first opened in 1988...
- The 2nd Batt. Manchester Regiment taking six guns at dawn near St. Quentin, (1918 - Duke of Lancaster's Regiment)
- Entry of the 5th Lancers into Mons, (1919 - Queen's Royal Lancers)
- The Charge of the 9th Lancers at Moncel, September 7, 1914, (1921 - Queen's Royal Lancers)
- Halloween, 1914: Stand of the London Scottish on Messines Ridge (1927 - London Scottish Regiment Museum Trust)
Paintings (non-military)
- Ascending The Great Pyramid
- Tyrol - Turning The Great Corner
- Burma - Minister of State With Attendants
- Bull-Fighting
- Trades - Estate Agent 'Sold
- Fishing For Bass On The South Coast of England
- London - Hyde Park In The Row
- Lost Their Way
Further reading
- Compton, Roy, "A Chat with Caton Woodville," - Idler, Vol. X, No. VI, January 1897, pp. 758–775.
- Harrington, Peter (1993). British Artists and War: The Face of Battle in Paintings and Prints, 1700-1914. London: Greenhill.
- Mayhew, Athol, "Battle Painters of the XIXth Century. 1. Richard Caton Woodville," - Illustrated Naval and Military Magazine, Vol. I, July-Dec 1884, pp. 50–54.
- T.H.L., "R. Caton Woodville," - Illustrated London News, 7 December 1895, pp. 1–3.
- Warren, Arthur, "R. Caton Woodville, Artist and War Correspondent," - Captain, Vol. XV, No. 88, July 1906, pp. 290–299.
- Woodville, Richard Caton. (1914). Random Recollections. London: Eveleigh Nash.
External links
- Roger T. Stearn, ‘Woodville, Richard Caton (1856–1927)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 2 Jan 2008
- Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library Prints, drawings and water-colours