Thomas Oldham Barlow
Encyclopedia
Thomas Oldham Barlow was an English mezzotint
engraver
. His engravings helped to popularise the works of painters like John Phillip
and Sir John Everett Millais
. He was made a Royal Academician
.
in Lancashire
, the son of Henry Barlow, an ironmonger living in the High Street, and Sarah (née) Oldham. He was educated at the Old Grammar School
, Oldham, and was then articled to "Stephenson & Royston", a firm of engravers in Manchester
. He studied at the Manchester School of Design, where he won a prize of 10 guineas
in 1846 for a drawing entitled 'Cullings from Nature'.
He moved to Ebury Street
, London
, in 1847. His first independent work was a line engraving of John Phillip's 'Courtship', made in 1848, and this led to a close friendship with the painter, the most important of whose pictures he subsequently engraved. These include 'Dona Pepita' (1858); 'The Prison Window' (1860); 'The House of Commons in 1860' (1866); 'Prayer in Spain' (1873); 'Highland Breakfast' (1877); and the celebrated 'La Gloria' (1877). Barlow was the executor of Phillip's will, and drew up a catalogue of the collection of the artist's works which were shown at the Third Annual International Exhibition in London
in 1873.
In 1856, Barlow engraved John Everett Millais
's 'Huguenot', and in 1860 his 'My First Sermon', and during the latter part of his life was largely engaged upon that artist's works. Portraits of John Bright
, Gladstone
, Tennyson
, Cardinal Newman, Lord Salisbury, and other public characters, painted by Millais for the art dealer "Agnew's", were all engraved by Barlow. Other well-known engravings include the 'Death of Chatterton' (after Henry Wallis
); portrait of Sir Isaac Newton
(after Godfrey Kneller
); portrait of Charles Dickens
(after William Powell Frith
); and several after Landseer
, Maclise
, Ansdell
, and James Sant
.
Barlow engraved Turner's 'Wreck of the Minotaur' for the Earl of Yarborough
, who presented the plate to the Artists' General Benevolent Institution
, and in 1856, for the same charity, he made a large etching of Turner's 'Vintage of Macon'. Thirty years later he repeated the work in mezzotint, shortly before his death.
In 1858 Barlow founded the "Kensington Life Academy", an informal life-drawing club attended by a small but select group of artists, and which met at the studios of Richard Ansdell (hence the alternative name "Ansdell's"). Barlow was elected an associate engraver of the Royal Academy in 1873, a full associate in 1876, and an academician (RA) in 1881. He was a member and, for many years, secretary of The Etching Club
.
Barlow died at his house, Auburn Lodge, in Victoria Road, Kensington
, on 24 Dec. 1889, and was buried
in Brompton cemetery
. In 1851, he had married Ellen Cocks, daughter of James Cocks of Oldham, who survived him. They had 2 surviving daughters.
Portraits of Barlow were painted by John Phillip in 1856, and by Millais in 1886, and he sat as a model for the figure of the sick ornithologist in the Millais's picture, 'The Ruling Passion
'.
Mezzotint
Mezzotint is a printmaking process of the intaglio family, technically a drypoint method. It was the first tonal method to be used, enabling half-tones to be produced without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple...
engraver
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
. His engravings helped to popularise the works of painters like John Phillip
John Phillip
John Phillip was a Victorian era painter best known for his portrayals of Spanish life. He was nicknamed "Spanish Phillip"....
and Sir John Everett Millais
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
. He was made a Royal Academician
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...
.
Biography
Barlow was born in OldhamOldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, the son of Henry Barlow, an ironmonger living in the High Street, and Sarah (née) Oldham. He was educated at the Old Grammar School
Hulme Grammar School
Hulme Grammar School is an independent grammar school situated on and around Chamber Road, about three-quarters of a mile south of the centre of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, between Frederick Street and Windsor Road.-History:...
, Oldham, and was then articled to "Stephenson & Royston", a firm of engravers in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He studied at the Manchester School of Design, where he won a prize of 10 guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
in 1846 for a drawing entitled 'Cullings from Nature'.
He moved to Ebury Street
Ebury Street
Ebury Street is a street in Belgravia, City of Westminster, London. It runs from the Grosvenor Gardens junction south-westwards to Pimlico Road. The odd numbers run from 1 to 231 on the east side and even numbers 2 to 230 on the west side...
, 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...
, in 1847. His first independent work was a line engraving of John Phillip's 'Courtship', made in 1848, and this led to a close friendship with the painter, the most important of whose pictures he subsequently engraved. These include 'Dona Pepita' (1858); 'The Prison Window' (1860); 'The House of Commons in 1860' (1866); 'Prayer in Spain' (1873); 'Highland Breakfast' (1877); and the celebrated 'La Gloria' (1877). Barlow was the executor of Phillip's will, and drew up a catalogue of the collection of the artist's works which were shown at the Third Annual International Exhibition in 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...
in 1873.
In 1856, Barlow engraved John Everett Millais
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
's 'Huguenot', and in 1860 his 'My First Sermon', and during the latter part of his life was largely engaged upon that artist's works. Portraits of John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
, Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, Tennyson
Tennyson
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the first Baron Tennyson, was an English poet.Tennyson may also refer to:-People:* Baron Tennyson, the barony itself** Alfred, Lord Tennyson , poet...
, Cardinal Newman, Lord Salisbury, and other public characters, painted by Millais for the art dealer "Agnew's", were all engraved by Barlow. Other well-known engravings include the 'Death of Chatterton' (after Henry Wallis
Henry Wallis
Henry Wallis was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter, writer and collector.Born in London on 21 February 1830, his father's name and occupation are unknown. When in 1845 his mother, Mary Anne Thomas, married Andrew Wallis, a prosperous London architect, Henry took his stepfather's surname. His...
); portrait of Sir Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
(after Godfrey Kneller
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
); portrait 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...
(after William Powell Frith
William Powell Frith
William Powell Frith , was an English painter specialising in genre subjects and panoramic narrative works of life in the Victorian era. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1852...
); and several after Landseer
Edwin Henry Landseer
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA was an English painter, well known for his paintings of animals—particularly horses, dogs and stags...
, Maclise
Daniel Maclise
Daniel Maclise was an Irish history, literary and portrait painter, and illustrator, who worked for most of his life in London, England.-Early life:...
, Ansdell
Richard Ansdell
Richard Ansdell was an English oil painter of animals and genre scenes. He was also an engraver.-Life:Ansdell was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, the son of Thomas Griffiths Ansdell, a freeman who worked at the port, and Anne Jackson. His father died young and Richard was educated at the Bluecoat...
, and James Sant
James Sant
James Sant CVO, RA was a British painter specializing in portraits, and a member of the Royal Academy.Sant was born in Croydon and taught by John Varley and Augustus Wall Callcott. He lived to the age of 96 and produced an astonishing number of canvases for exhibition at the Academy, some 250 of...
.
Barlow engraved Turner's 'Wreck of the Minotaur' for the Earl of Yarborough
Earl of Yarborough
Earl of Yarborough is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1837 for Charles Anderson-Pelham, 2nd Baron Yarborough. The Anderson-Pelham family descends from Francis Anderson of Manby, Lincolnshire. He married Mary, daughter of Charles Pelham of Brocklesby, Lincolnshire...
, who presented the plate to the Artists' General Benevolent Institution
Artists' General Benevolent Institution
The Artists' General Benevolent Institution is a British charity assisting professional artists in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who are in financial difficulty due to illness, old age or accident. It was founded in 1814, being incorporated by Royal Charter in 1842. It is based in Burlington...
, and in 1856, for the same charity, he made a large etching of Turner's 'Vintage of Macon'. Thirty years later he repeated the work in mezzotint, shortly before his death.
In 1858 Barlow founded the "Kensington Life Academy", an informal life-drawing club attended by a small but select group of artists, and which met at the studios of Richard Ansdell (hence the alternative name "Ansdell's"). Barlow was elected an associate engraver of the Royal Academy in 1873, a full associate in 1876, and an academician (RA) in 1881. He was a member and, for many years, secretary of The Etching Club
The Etching Club
The Etching Club was an artists' society founded in London, England in 1838 by Charles West Cope. The club published illustrated editions of works by authors such as Oliver Goldsmith, Shakespeare, John Milton and Thomas Gray...
.
Barlow died at his house, Auburn Lodge, in Victoria Road, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, on 24 Dec. 1889, and was buried
in Brompton cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
. In 1851, he had married Ellen Cocks, daughter of James Cocks of Oldham, who survived him. They had 2 surviving daughters.
Portraits of Barlow were painted by John Phillip in 1856, and by Millais in 1886, and he sat as a model for the figure of the sick ornithologist in the Millais's picture, 'The Ruling Passion
The Ruling Passion
The Ruling Passion, sometimes called The Ornithologist, is a painting by John Everett Millais which was shown at the Royal Academy Exhibition in 1885....
'.
External links
- Thomas Oldham Barlow website
- Works by Barlow (National Portrait Gallery, London)
- Works by Barlow] (Government Art CollectionGovernment Art CollectionThe United Kingdom's Government Art Collection places works of art in major Government buildings in the UK and around the world to promote British art, culture and history....
)