Simon Elwes
Encyclopedia
Lt. Col. Simon Edmund Vincent Paul Elwes, better known as Simon Elwes, RP
, RA
, KM (29 June 1902 – 6 August 1975) was a British
war artist
and society portrait painter
whose patrons included kings, queens, statesmen, sportsmen, prominent social figures and many members of Britain's Royal Family
. He was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
.
, Theddingworth
, Leicestershire
, the sixth and youngest son (two daughters were born later) of Gervase Cary Elwes
(1866–1921), and his wife, Lady Winifride Mary Elizabeth Feilding, daughter of the 8th Earl of Denbigh
. He was the scion
of the recusant Cary-Elwes family (originally known as the "Cary-Elwes" family, but now many branches are known simply as "Elwes") which includes noted British monks and bishops, such as Abbott Columba Cary-Elwes
, Archbishop Dudley Cary-Elwes and Father Luke Cary-Elwes. His niece, Polly Elwes
, was a famous television personality in the U.K.
For his education Elwes attended two Catholic schools, Ladycross School
in Seaford
, and The Oratory School
, Edgbaston
. In 1918, at the age of sixteen, he entered the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art
. After leaving the Slade he spent the next eight years in Paris
, first at the Ecole de l'Ecluse and then at the Academie des Beaux Arts. While in Paris, Elwes did a black and white drawing of world-famous Irish tenor and recording artist, John McCormack. McCormack would say to his wife of Elwes: "This lad has remarkable talent and will do big things, mark my words." From France Elwes would visit the galleries of Germany
, Holland, and Italy
. In 1926, he returned to England and on 25 November married the Hon. Gloria Elinor Rodd (b. 1901), the daughter of the diplomat and scholar, Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
.
. Thereafter, his portraits hung in the summer exhibition of the Royal Academy
every year. From London's Mayfair
to Manhattan's Park Avenue
Elwes soon began to establish himself as a stylish, sought after portraitist. In 1929, Elwes was created a Knight of Malta and four years later was elected a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
. In 1930, Elwes was invited to paint Robert Baden-Powell
founder of the Scout movement. When asked by the artist in a letter how he would like to pose for this, Baden-Powell replied:
That same year he painted a portrait of The Hon. Lady Aitken
with whom he reportedly had an affair which caused a minor scandal as he was married and a Roman Catholic. In 1931, his portrait of the Hon. Mrs. Roger Chetwode was one of nine portraits chosen to be exhibited at The Royal Society of Portrait Painters 45th Annual Show. In 1936, Elwes was commissioned to paint the then Duke of York, in uniform as Colonel-in-Chief of the 11th Hussars
. That December he was commissioned by the newly-appointed King to paint himself and the Queen, of whom Elwes said "No couple ever was more popular in England, even before this happened". Two years later he was commissioned to paint another royal portrait of Queen Mary
.
, Elwes joined the Welsh Guards
. He was transferred later to the 10th Royal Hussars in Egypt
serving as a Lieutenant Colonel
. After fighting in the battles of Benghazi
, Mersa Matruh, and Knightsbridge, he was made an official war artist
. Whilst stationed in Cairo
in 1942 he painted King Farouk, his wife Queen Farida (with whom it was also said he had an affair), their daughter Princess Ferial
and Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, General Officer Commanding
(GOC) British Troops in Egypt. In South Africa
, he painted the portraits of Paul I of the Hellenes, his wife Frederica of Hanover as well as Prime Minister J. C. Smuts and his wife. In India
, he painted Viceroy Archibald Wavell
, the Maharaja of Patiala
, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and various Indian Army
soldiers who had won the Victoria Cross
, namely Naik Nand Singh, 11th Sikh Regiment; Havildar Gaje Ghale, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles; Major Premindra Singh Bhagat, 21st Bombay Sappers and Havildar Parkash Singh, 8th Punjab Regiment
. In Delhi
, Elwes also gave art lessons sponsored by Lady Wavell (wife of the Viceroy) at the Viceregal Palace. Other instructors included American war artist Millard Sheets
.
which paralyzed the right half of both his face and body, including his painting hand. He was diagnosed with hemiplegia
. Believing that he was about to die, Elwes received last sacraments
. He spent two years in hospital recuperating and, after receiving treatment from renowned physiotherapist Berta Bobath
, was soon able to stand with the aid of a cane. During his recovery, Elwes stated that he repeatedly dreamed of the ruins of Fountains Abbey
which he had visited in 1933. In the dream he saw the abbey restored and himself talking with one of the monks who kept saying: "It was built for God; it must be returned to God." Elwes became convinced that God had ruined him physically because he had wasted his talent and that he had been chosen to restore the abbey and rededicate it as a monastery. Although he never accomplished his dream, Elwes enlisted the aid of such figures as the Duke of Norfolk
, Cardinal Spellman; the Marchioness of Lothian
; novelist Evelyn Waugh
; Lord Lovat
and many of Britain's leading Roman Catholic laymen.
from 1953 to 1957. In 1947, he visited Hollywood and painted a number of movie stars including Bert Lahr
. He had become enough of a celebrity himself that in 1949, whilst bedridden in the South of France after suffering a stroke, former British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
told Lord Beaverbrook:
In 1953, Elwes was commissioned to paint the 1948 investiture of then Princess Elizabeth
with the Order of the Garter
by her father King George VI. The next year he would paint a full length portrait of the Queen, which remains part of the Royal Collection
at Windsor Castle
. In 1956, Elwes was appointed an associate of the Royal Academy
and by 1960, he had painted every member of the Royal Family
except the Duke of Windsor
. That same year he joined an exhibit of other portraitists at the Portraits, Inc. gallery on West 51st St. in Manhattan
.
In 1963, he held an exhibition of his work at The Palm Beach
Galleries which included portraits of The Hon. John Hay Whitney
, (Former Ambassador
to the Court of St. James
), Mrs. August Belmont, Jr.
, Madame Alain Bertrand, Mr. & Mrs. John S. Borden, Mrs. Henry Pomeroy Davison, William Cox Wright and Randolph Churchill
.
In 1967, the artist was made full member of the Royal Academy
(RA). One observer who witnessed him at there in his later years, recalls him as being: "Handsome, fresh of complexion, finely dressed, with a scarlet flower in his buttonhole, he enriched the proceedings with his smile, no less than with his air of being a visitor from a world more carefree and elegant than the one in which deficits and disappointments were certain to be discussed." In the last months of his life Elwes used a wheelchair and was hardly able to speak. Many of Elwes' paintings can be found in museums, palaces and academies around the world. Some of his early sketches form part of Mark Birley
's private collection at Annabel's
nightclub in Berkeley Square
.
Elwes died on 6 August 1975, in Amberley, West Sussex
. He and his wife Gloria had four sons. One died in infancy. Another, Dominick, died one month after his father. His wife died in October of that year.
Royal Society of Portrait Painters
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a British association of portrait painters which holds an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London...
, RA
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...
, KM (29 June 1902 – 6 August 1975) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
war artist
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
and society portrait painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
whose patrons included kings, queens, statesmen, sportsmen, prominent social figures and many members of Britain's Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
. He was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
.
Biography
Elwes was born on 29 June 1902 at Hothorpe HallHothorpe Hall
Hothorpe Hall, in Theddingworth, Leicestershire, is a Georgian manor house near Market Harborough. It was the birthplace of Simon Elwes. It is currently used as a conference centre.-History:...
, Theddingworth
Theddingworth
Theddingworth is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It lies at about west of Market Harborough on the road to Lutterworth. It is on the north bank of the River Welland and the Grand Union Canal passes within a mile...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
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...
, the sixth and youngest son (two daughters were born later) of Gervase Cary Elwes
Gervase Cary Elwes
Gervase Henry Cary-Elwes, DL , better known as Gervase Elwes, was an English tenor of great distinction, who exercised a powerful influence over the development of English music from the early 1900s up until his death in 1921 due to a railroad accident in Boston at the height of his...
(1866–1921), and his wife, Lady Winifride Mary Elizabeth Feilding, daughter of the 8th Earl of Denbigh
Rudolph Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh
Rudolph William Basil Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh, 7th Earl of Desmond was a British peer, succeeding to his titles on the death in 1865 of his father, the 7th Earl of Denbigh...
. He was the scion
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
of the recusant Cary-Elwes family (originally known as the "Cary-Elwes" family, but now many branches are known simply as "Elwes") which includes noted British monks and bishops, such as Abbott Columba Cary-Elwes
Columba Cary-Elwes
Evelyn Charles Cary-Elwes , professed a monk as Dom Columba Cary-Elwes, OSB, of Ampleforth Abbey in York, England. As a missionary he traveled to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya and is the author of numerous books on Christianity...
, Archbishop Dudley Cary-Elwes and Father Luke Cary-Elwes. His niece, Polly Elwes
Polly Elwes
Polly Elwes, born Mary Freya Elwes , was a BBC Television in-vision announcer from 1957 to 1960. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, now a part of the University of London.-Television career:...
, was a famous television personality in the U.K.
For his education Elwes attended two Catholic schools, Ladycross School
Ladycross School
Ladycross was a Catholic preparatory school based in Seaford, East Sussex, overlooking the downs with trenches which led up to the cliffs. Founded in 1891, more than 2,000 pupils attended it before its closure in 1977.-History:...
in Seaford
Seaford, East Sussex
Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....
, and The Oratory School
The Oratory School
The Oratory School is a Roman Catholic, independent school for boys in Woodcote, Berkshire. It is the last Catholic all-boys boarding school remaining in Great Britain. It has approximately 420 pupils...
, Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
. In 1918, at the age of sixteen, he entered the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
. After leaving the Slade he spent the next eight years 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...
, first at the Ecole de l'Ecluse and then at the Academie des Beaux Arts. While in Paris, Elwes did a black and white drawing of world-famous Irish tenor and recording artist, John McCormack. McCormack would say to his wife of Elwes: "This lad has remarkable talent and will do big things, mark my words." From France Elwes would visit the galleries of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Holland, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1926, he returned to England and on 25 November married the Hon. Gloria Elinor Rodd (b. 1901), the daughter of the diplomat and scholar, Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
James Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC , known as Sir Rennell Rodd before 1933, was a British diplomat, poet and politician...
.
Career
The following year Elwes showed a portrait at the Royal Academy of Arts of Lady Lettice-Lygon, the first of many noble sitters that would include many of Britain's Royal FamilyBritish Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
. Thereafter, his portraits hung in the summer exhibition of 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...
every year. From London's Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
to Manhattan's Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
Elwes soon began to establish himself as a stylish, sought after portraitist. In 1929, Elwes was created a Knight of Malta and four years later was elected a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Royal Society of Portrait Painters
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a British association of portrait painters which holds an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London...
. In 1930, Elwes was invited to paint Robert Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
founder of the Scout movement. When asked by the artist in a letter how he would like to pose for this, Baden-Powell replied:
"My suggestion that I should be 'doing something' when sitting to you has a twofold meaning underlying it. One (entirely selfish) is that it is difficult for me to sit still and do nothing when I have so much on hand to do. Secondly, I (in common with many others) feel that (though it is very usual with portraits) to hand down to one's successors the representation of a man staring vacantly into space with hands lying idle, does not give a true picture of an active worker."
That same year he painted a portrait of The Hon. Lady Aitken
Penelope Aitken
Penelope Loader, Lady Aitken, MBE , styled The Honorable Lady Aitken and nicknamed 'Pempe', was an English socialite.-Biography:...
with whom he reportedly had an affair which caused a minor scandal as he was married and a Roman Catholic. In 1931, his portrait of the Hon. Mrs. Roger Chetwode was one of nine portraits chosen to be exhibited at The Royal Society of Portrait Painters 45th Annual Show. In 1936, Elwes was commissioned to paint the then Duke of York, in uniform as Colonel-in-Chief of the 11th Hussars
11th Hussars
The 11th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.-History:The regiment was founded in 1715 as Colonel Philip Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons and was known by the name of its Colonel until 1751 when it became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons...
. That December he was commissioned by the newly-appointed King to paint himself and the Queen, of whom Elwes said "No couple ever was more popular in England, even before this happened". Two years later he was commissioned to paint another royal portrait of Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
.
World War II
At the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Elwes joined the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
. He was transferred later to the 10th Royal Hussars in 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...
serving as a Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. After fighting in the battles of Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
, Mersa Matruh, and Knightsbridge, he was made an official war artist
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
. Whilst stationed in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1942 he painted King Farouk, his wife Queen Farida (with whom it was also said he had an affair), their daughter Princess Ferial
Princess Farial of Egypt
HRH Princess Ferial Farouk was the eldest child of Egypt's penultimate monarch, King Farouk. Her birth was marked by nationwide celebratory events which included the distribution of clothes and free breakfasts to thousands of the poor...
and Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
(GOC) British Troops in Egypt. In South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, he painted the portraits of Paul I of the Hellenes, his wife Frederica of Hanover as well as Prime Minister J. C. Smuts and his wife. In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he painted Viceroy Archibald Wavell
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell GCB, GCSI, GCIE, CMG, MC, PC was a British field marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during the Second World War. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army...
, the Maharaja of Patiala
Maharaja of Patiala
The Maharaja of Patiala was a maharaja in India and the ruler of the princely state of Patiala in Punjab. The first Maharaja of Patiala was Baba Ala Singh , who was granted the title by Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan in 1764....
, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and various Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
soldiers who had won the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, namely Naik Nand Singh, 11th Sikh Regiment; Havildar Gaje Ghale, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles; Major Premindra Singh Bhagat, 21st Bombay Sappers and Havildar Parkash Singh, 8th Punjab Regiment
8th Punjab Regiment
The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the Baluch Regiment in 1956.-Madras Infantry:...
. In Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Elwes also gave art lessons sponsored by Lady Wavell (wife of the Viceroy) at the Viceregal Palace. Other instructors included American war artist Millard Sheets
Millard Sheets
Millard Owen Sheets was an American painter and a representative of the California School of Painting, later a teacher and educational director, and architect of more than 50 branch banks in Southern California.-Early life:...
.
Stroke and Fountains Abbey
In 1945, Elwes suffered a near-death strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
which paralyzed the right half of both his face and body, including his painting hand. He was diagnosed with hemiplegia
Hemiplegia
Hemiplegia /he.mə.pliː.dʒiə/ is total paralysis of the arm, leg, and trunk on the same side of the body. Hemiplegia is more severe than hemiparesis, wherein one half of the body has less marked weakness....
. Believing that he was about to die, Elwes received last sacraments
Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick, known also by other names, is distinguished from other forms of religious anointing or "unction" in that it is intended, as its name indicates, for the benefit of a sick person...
. He spent two years in hospital recuperating and, after receiving treatment from renowned physiotherapist Berta Bobath
Bobath concept
The Bobath concept is a broad and ever-evolving approach in neurological rehabilitation that is applied in patient assessment and treatment . The goal of applying the Bobath concept is to promote motor learning for efficient motor control in various environments, thereby improving participation...
, was soon able to stand with the aid of a cane. During his recovery, Elwes stated that he repeatedly dreamed of the ruins of Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is near to Aldfield, approximately two miles southwest of Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. It is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. It is a Grade I listed building and owned by the...
which he had visited in 1933. In the dream he saw the abbey restored and himself talking with one of the monks who kept saying: "It was built for God; it must be returned to God." Elwes became convinced that God had ruined him physically because he had wasted his talent and that he had been chosen to restore the abbey and rededicate it as a monastery. Although he never accomplished his dream, Elwes enlisted the aid of such figures as the Duke of Norfolk
Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk
Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk, , styled Earl of Arundel and Surrey until 1917, was the eldest surviving son of Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, who died when Bernard was only 9 years old...
, Cardinal Spellman; the Marchioness of Lothian
Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian
Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian, OBE, DSG was a journalist. She founded the annual Women of The Year Lunches at the Savoy Hotel in 1955 and was the mother of Conservative politician Michael Ancram....
; novelist Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
; Lord Lovat
Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat
Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat and 4th Baron Lovat DSO, MC, TD was the 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser and a prominent British Commando during the Second World War...
and many of Britain's leading Roman Catholic laymen.
Later years
Even though he would never regain the use of his right hand, Elwes taught himself to paint with his left surmounting his disability enough to become president of the Guild of Catholic Artists, and vice-president of the Royal Society of Portrait PaintersRoyal Society of Portrait Painters
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a British association of portrait painters which holds an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London...
from 1953 to 1957. In 1947, he visited Hollywood and painted a number of movie stars including Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr was an American actor and comedian. Lahr is remembered today for his roles as the Cowardly Lion and Kansas farmworker Zeke in The Wizard of Oz, but was also well-known for work in burlesque, vaudeville, and on Broadway.-Early life:Lahr was born in New York City, of German-Jewish heritage...
. He had become enough of a celebrity himself that in 1949, whilst bedridden in the South of France after suffering a stroke, former British Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
told Lord Beaverbrook:
"I think I shall stay here for four or five days. Then ... I would like to paint with Simon Elwes."
In 1953, Elwes was commissioned to paint the 1948 investiture of then Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
with the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
by her father King George VI. The next year he would paint a full length portrait of the Queen, which remains part of the 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...
at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
. In 1956, Elwes was appointed an associate of 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...
and by 1960, he had painted every member of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
except the Duke of Windsor
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
. That same year he joined an exhibit of other portraitists at the Portraits, Inc. gallery on West 51st St. in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
In 1963, he held an exhibition of his work at The Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
Galleries which included portraits of The Hon. John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
, (Former Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the Court of St. James
Court of St. James's
The Court of St James's is the royal court of the United Kingdom. It previously had the same function in the Kingdom of England and in the Kingdom of Great Britain .-Overview:...
), Mrs. August Belmont, Jr.
Eleanor Robson Belmont
Eleanor Robson Belmont was an English actress and prominent public figure in the United States. George Bernard Shaw wrote Major Barbara for her, but contractual problems prevented her from playing the role. Mrs...
, Madame Alain Bertrand, Mr. & Mrs. John S. Borden, Mrs. Henry Pomeroy Davison, William Cox Wright and Randolph Churchill
Randolph Churchill
Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill, MBE was the son of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Preston from 1940 to 1945....
.
In 1967, the artist was made full member of 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...
(RA). One observer who witnessed him at there in his later years, recalls him as being: "Handsome, fresh of complexion, finely dressed, with a scarlet flower in his buttonhole, he enriched the proceedings with his smile, no less than with his air of being a visitor from a world more carefree and elegant than the one in which deficits and disappointments were certain to be discussed." In the last months of his life Elwes used a wheelchair and was hardly able to speak. Many of Elwes' paintings can be found in museums, palaces and academies around the world. Some of his early sketches form part of Mark Birley
Mark Birley
Marcus Lecky Oswald Hornby Birley , known as Mark Birley, was a British entrepreneur known for his investments in the hospitality industry...
's private collection at Annabel's
Annabel's
Annabel's is a London nightclub, located at 44 Berkeley Square, London. It was founded by entrepreneur Mark Birley and named after Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, then his wife.-Background:...
nightclub in Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
.
Elwes died on 6 August 1975, in Amberley, West Sussex
Amberley, West Sussex
Amberley is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England.Amberley is situated at the foot of the South Downs. Its neighbours are Storrington, West Chiltington and Arundel. The village is noted for its many thatched cottages...
. He and his wife Gloria had four sons. One died in infancy. Another, Dominick, died one month after his father. His wife died in October of that year.
External links
- Rootsweb listing on Simon Elwes
- Royal Collection
- Royal Collection
- Hall of Fame of American Portrait Painting
- Christies Auction House
- National Portrait Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- Google Books
- Google Books
- Google Books
- Google Books
- Google Books
- Evelyn Waugh Newsletter
- Australian Dictionary of Biography
- Dalhousie Art Gallery
- Buckfast Abbey