Harrison Weir
Encyclopedia
Harrison William Weir known as "The Father of the Cat Fancy
", was an English gentleman and artist
.
He organized the first cat show
in England
, at The Crystal Palace
, London
, in July 1871. He and his brother, John Jenner Weir
, both served as judges in the show. In 1887 Harrison Weir founded the National Cat Club and was its first President and Show Manager until his resignation in 1890.
, Sussex
, on 5 May 1824. In 1866 Weir started working on his Victorian gothic home "Weirleigh", in the village of Matfield
, Kent
. Weirleigh was later bought by the Sassoon family
and was the birth place of Siegfried Sassoon
in 1886. The house still stands today. After selling Weirleigh, Weir lived at Poplar Hall, Appledore, Kent
, where he died on 3 January 1906.
founded the "Illustrated London News
" and employed Weir as a draughtsman on wood and engraver from the first issue and for many years thereafter.
In 1845 Weir made a first exhibition consisting of an oil painting of a wild duck, "The Dead Shot," at the British Institution
. During his career he was an occasional exhibitor at the Royal Academy, the Suffolk Street, and other galleries. On his election in 1849 as member of the New Society of Painters in Water-colours—now the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
—he exhibited mainly there, altogether 100 pictures.
Weir was a natural history artist and provided some of the illustrations for the Rev John George Wood
's "Illustrated Natural History" (1853), served as chief illustrator for Charles St John
's "Wild Sports and Natural History of the Highlands," and designed all of the illustrations for George Fyler Townsend
's "Three Hundred Æsop's Fables" (1867). He also provided illustrations for many of the books of the natural history author Sarah Bowdich Lee
. Weir was enormously prolific and popular as a book illustrator and worked not just for the "Illustrated London News," but for many illustrated papers, such as the "Pictorial Times," the "Field," and the "Pictorial World." In some cases, such as "The Poetry of Nature" (1867), he compiled the books he illustrated. He was both author and illustrator of "Every Day in the Country" (1883) and "Animal Studies, Old and New" (1885). In literary society, Weir's close friends included Douglas Jerrold
, Henry Mayhew
, Albert Smith
, and Tom Hood the younger
, and Weir knew Thackeray
and other eminent literary men.
In 1889, Weir wrote Our Cats and All About Them describing and illustrating the pedigree varieties of the time. This was the first pedigree cat book.
Weir was a keen animal fancier and his illustrations of domestic cats, dogs and poultry are probably best known. He was an experienced breeder of cats, carrier pigeons, and poultry and for thirty years often acted as a judge at the principal pigeon and poultry shows. He wrote and illustrated the exhaustive book Our Poultry and All About Them (1903).
Weir also had interest and experience in gardening and the cultivation of fruit trees and for many years contributed letters, articles, and illustrations to various gardening periodicals. Messrs. Garrard & Co.
engaged him to design trophy cups for Ascot, Goodwood, and other annual horse races. In 1891 Weir was granted a civil list pension of £100 per year.
, Whitefriars, Constitutional
, Horticultural, Wigwam, Hamburgh, etc.
, the famous painter of racehorses; second, to Alice, youngest daughter of T. Upjohn, M.R.C.S.
, of Norfolk; and third, upon Alice's death in 1898, in 1899 to Eva, daughter of George Gobell of Worthing
, Sussex
. Eva became his widow. Weir had two sons, Arthur Herring Weir (1847–1902) and John Gilbert Weir, and two daughters.
Animal fancy
Animal fancy is a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals.Fancy may include ownership, showing, trialling and other competitions, breeding and judging. Hobbyists may simply collect specimens of the animal in appropriate enclosures, such as aquaria and...
", was an English gentleman and 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...
.
He organized the first cat show
Cat show
A cat show is a judged event where the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. Both pedigreed and companion cats are admissible, although the rules differ from organization to organization...
in England
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...
, at The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed 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 July 1871. He and his brother, John Jenner Weir
John Jenner Weir
John Jenner Weir FLS, FZS was an English amateur entomologist, ornithologist and British civil servant. He is best known today for being one of the naturalists who corresponded with and provided important data to both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. He played a particularly important...
, both served as judges in the show. In 1887 Harrison Weir founded the National Cat Club and was its first President and Show Manager until his resignation in 1890.
History
Weir was born at LewesLewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, on 5 May 1824. In 1866 Weir started working on his Victorian gothic home "Weirleigh", in the village of Matfield
Matfield
Matfield is a small village, part of the civil parish of Brenchley, in the Tunbridge Wells Borough of Kent, England. The sculptor Theresa Sassoon planted a tree on the green to commemorate the end of World War I; the tree was blown down in the hurricane of 1987 and had to be replaced...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Weirleigh was later bought by the Sassoon family
Sassoon family
The Sassoon family was an Indian family of Iraqi Jewish descent and international renown, based in Bombay, India. It was descended from the famous Ibn Shoshans, one of the richest families of medieval Spain...
and was the birth place of Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
in 1886. The house still stands today. After selling Weirleigh, Weir lived at Poplar Hall, Appledore, Kent
Appledore, Kent
Appledore is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is 12 miles south-west of Ashford town, and on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh The northerly part of this village is Appledore Heath....
, where he died on 3 January 1906.
Career and works
Weir was educated at Albany Academy, Camberwell, until 1837 when he became apprenticed to George Baxter, the colour-printer. Weir worked in every branch of Baxter's business, his main work being printing off the plates. From Baxter he learned to engrave and draw on wood and taught himself during his spare time to draw birds, mammals, and other subjects from nature. in 1842 Herbert IngramHerbert Ingram
Herbert Ingram was considered the father of pictorial journalism through his founding of The Illustrated London News. He was a Liberal politician who favoured social reform and represented Boston for four years until his early death in a shipping accident.-Early life:Ingram was born at Paddock...
founded 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:...
" and employed Weir as a draughtsman on wood and engraver from the first issue and for many years thereafter.
In 1845 Weir made a first exhibition consisting of an oil painting of a wild duck, "The Dead Shot," at the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
. During his career he was an occasional exhibitor at the Royal Academy, the Suffolk Street, and other galleries. On his election in 1849 as member of the New Society of Painters in Water-colours—now the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours , initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, , is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London.-History:In 1831 the society was founded as the New Society of Painters in Water...
—he exhibited mainly there, altogether 100 pictures.
Weir was a natural history artist and provided some of the illustrations for the Rev John George Wood
John George Wood
John George Wood, or Rev J. G. Wood, , was a popular English writer on natural history.Wood was born in London, son of surgeon John Freeman Wood and Juliana Lisetta, and educated at home, at Ashbourne grammar school and Merton College, Oxford ; also at Christ Church, where he worked for some time...
's "Illustrated Natural History" (1853), served as chief illustrator for Charles St John
Charles William George St John
Charles William George St. John , English naturalist and sportsman, son of General the Hon. Frederick St. John, second son of Frederick, second Viscount Bolingbroke, was born on the 3rd of December 1809 at Chailey, Sussex.St...
's "Wild Sports and Natural History of the Highlands," and designed all of the illustrations for George Fyler Townsend
George Fyler Townsend
Reverend George Fyler Townsend was the translator of the standard English edition of Aesop's Fables.Although there are more modern collections and translations, Townsend's volume of 350 fables introduced the practice of stating a succinct moral at the conclusion of each story, and continues to be...
's "Three Hundred Æsop's Fables" (1867). He also provided illustrations for many of the books of the natural history author Sarah Bowdich Lee
Sarah Bowdich Lee
Sarah Bowdich Lee was an English author, illustrator, traveller, zoologist, botanist, and pteridologist....
. Weir was enormously prolific and popular as a book illustrator and worked not just for the "Illustrated London News," but for many illustrated papers, such as the "Pictorial Times," the "Field," and the "Pictorial World." In some cases, such as "The Poetry of Nature" (1867), he compiled the books he illustrated. He was both author and illustrator of "Every Day in the Country" (1883) and "Animal Studies, Old and New" (1885). In literary society, Weir's close friends included Douglas Jerrold
Douglas William Jerrold
Douglas William Jerrold was an English dramatist and writer.-Biography:Jerrold was born in London. His father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Douglass moved to Sheerness, where he spent his childhood...
, Henry Mayhew
Henry Mayhew
Henry Mayhew was an English social researcher, journalist, playwright and advocate of reform. He was one of the two founders of the satirical and humorous magazine Punch, and the magazine's joint-editor, with Mark Lemon, in its early days...
, Albert Smith
Albert Richard Smith
Albert Richard Smith , was an English author, entertainer, and mountaineer.-Biography:Smith was born at Chertsey, Surrey. The son of a surgeon, he studied medicine in London and in Paris, and his first literary effort was an account of his life there, which appeared in the Mirror. He gradually...
, and Tom Hood the younger
Tom Hood
Tom Hood , was an English humorist and playwright, son of the poet and author Thomas Hood. A prolific author, he was appointed, in 1865, editor of the magazine Fun. He also founded Tom Hood's Comic Annual in 1867....
, and Weir knew Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
and other eminent literary men.
In 1889, Weir wrote Our Cats and All About Them describing and illustrating the pedigree varieties of the time. This was the first pedigree cat book.
Weir was a keen animal fancier and his illustrations of domestic cats, dogs and poultry are probably best known. He was an experienced breeder of cats, carrier pigeons, and poultry and for thirty years often acted as a judge at the principal pigeon and poultry shows. He wrote and illustrated the exhaustive book Our Poultry and All About Them (1903).
Weir also had interest and experience in gardening and the cultivation of fruit trees and for many years contributed letters, articles, and illustrations to various gardening periodicals. Messrs. Garrard & Co.
Garrard & Co
Garrard & Co is a luxury jewellery and silver company founded by George Wickesin London in 1735. Its current base is at Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London, its USA flagship store is in New York. The company also has a presence in Tokyo, New York, Dubai, Moscow and Hong Kong...
engaged him to design trophy cups for Ascot, Goodwood, and other annual horse races. In 1891 Weir was granted a civil list pension of £100 per year.
Interests and activities
As a show judge, Weir was especially interested in cats, poultry, and pigeons, and these animals, along with dogs and rabbits, seem to be favourites in his art. In addition to gardening, fruit growing, field naturalist studies, and poultry breeding, Weir belonged to many clubs: the SavageSavage Club
The Savage Club, founded in 1857 is a gentlemen's club in London.-History:Many and varied are the stories that have been told about the first meeting of the Savage Club, of the precise purposes for which it was formed, and of its christening...
, Whitefriars, Constitutional
Constitutional Club
The Constitutional Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1883 and was disbanded in 1979. Between 1886 and 1959 it had a distinctive red and yellow Victorian Neo-Gothic terracotta building at 28 Northumberland Avenue, off Trafalgar Square.The Club was closely...
, Horticultural, Wigwam, Hamburgh, etc.
Wives and children
Harrison Weir was married three times: first, in 1845 to Ann, older daughter of John Frederick Herring, Sr.John Frederick Herring, Sr.
John Frederick Herring, Sr. , also known as John Frederick Herring I, was a painter, sign maker and coachman in Victorian England.John F. Herring, Sr. is the painter of the 1848 "Pharoah's Chariot Horses"...
, the famous painter of racehorses; second, to Alice, youngest daughter of T. Upjohn, M.R.C.S.
Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
, of Norfolk; and third, upon Alice's death in 1898, in 1899 to Eva, daughter of George Gobell of Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. Eva became his widow. Weir had two sons, Arthur Herring Weir (1847–1902) and John Gilbert Weir, and two daughters.
External links
- National Cat Club (UK) official website
- The Border Collie Museum: See Harrison Weir in the BC Permanent Collection.