Helen Thornycroft
Encyclopedia
Helen Thornycroft was an English painter of the Victorian era
.
She was a member of the well-known Thornycroft family
of sculptors, which included her maternal grandfather John Francis, her father Thomas Thornycroft
, her mother Mary Thornycroft
, and her younger brother Hamo Thornycroft
. Hamo and Helen's sisters Alyce (1844–1906) and Theresa (1853–1947) were both artists as well. Edmund Gosse
was a relative by marriage. (The family had strong multiple connections with the English art world of the nineteenth century; Theresa Thornycroft and Ellen Thornycroft Gosse studied painting under Ford Madox Brown
.)
Helen's brother John Isaac Thornycroft
began his shipbuilding career by constructing a steam launch at home in his late teens. Helen, nicknamed "Nello," was reportedly his "only helper" in this endeavor. While helping John Isaac, she was "nearly scalped" when her hair tangled in his machinery; she wore her hair short from then on, in defiance of the reigning custom.
Helen, Hamo, Alyce, and Theresa were all trained in the Royal Academy
schools starting in the 1860s, when the institution was only beginning to take female students. The date and circumstances of Helen's entry are disputed; by one account, she applied in 1862, but was rejected by Sir Edwin Landseer because of her youth (she was 14 at the time). Helen started out as a sculptor like previous generations of her family; she exhibited a statue of Ophelia in the Royal Academy summer show of 1864. Within a year or two, however, she abandoned sculpture to concentrate on painting.
Helen travelled abroad with Hamo and Alyce in 1871; the siblings studied art with and modeled for each other through the 1870s. Hamo's journals, kept during this period, provide ample evidence on the family's affairs. By Hamo's account, the young Helen enjoyed a "wonderful" supply of natural energy. His journals record an evening when the two of them walked home at 2:00 AM; Helen was up by 6:30 to go swimming, then worked at the Royal Academy schools until 2:00 PM.
"Helen was a more prolific and committed artist than her sisters" — by the late 1880s she had her own studio and her own apartment, which was again unusual for the time. She became known primarily as a flower painter, a genre long associated with women; yet she also worked in other genres, including landscape and portraiture. She spent a decade (1899–1909) as vice-president of the Society of Women Artists. She never married. Many sources mistakenly give the year of her death as 1912.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
.
She was a member of the well-known Thornycroft family
Thornycroft family
The Thornycroft family was a notable English family of sculptors, artists and engineers, connected by marriage to the historic Sassoon family. The earliest known mention of the family is stated in George Ormerod's History of Cheshire as during the reign of Henry III in the 13th century, taking its...
of sculptors, which included her maternal grandfather John Francis, her father Thomas Thornycroft
Thomas Thornycroft
Thomas Thornycroft was an English sculptor and engineer.-Biography:Thomas Thornycroft was born near Gawsworth, Cheshire, the eldest son of John Thornycroft, a farmer. He was educated at Congleton Grammar School and then briefly apprenticed to a surgeon. He moved to London where he spent four...
, her mother Mary Thornycroft
Mary Thornycroft
Mary Thornycroft was a British sculptor and a member of the Thornycroft family.-Biography:The daughter of sculptor John Francis, she was born at Thornham, Norfolk...
, and her younger brother Hamo Thornycroft
Hamo Thornycroft
Sir William "Hamo" Thornycroft, RA was a British sculptor, responsible for several London landmarks.-Biography:...
. Hamo and Helen's sisters Alyce (1844–1906) and Theresa (1853–1947) were both artists as well. Edmund Gosse
Edmund Gosse
Sir Edmund William Gosse CB was an English poet, author and critic; the son of Philip Henry Gosse and Emily Bowes.-Early life:...
was a relative by marriage. (The family had strong multiple connections with the English art world of the nineteenth century; Theresa Thornycroft and Ellen Thornycroft Gosse studied painting under Ford Madox Brown
Ford Madox Brown
Ford Madox Brown was an English painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his most notable painting was Work...
.)
Helen's brother John Isaac Thornycroft
John Isaac Thornycroft
Sir John Isaac Thornycroft was a British shipbuilder, the founder of the Thornycroft shipbuilding company and member of the Thornycroft family.-Biography:He was born in 1843 to Mary Francis and Thomas Thornycroft....
began his shipbuilding career by constructing a steam launch at home in his late teens. Helen, nicknamed "Nello," was reportedly his "only helper" in this endeavor. While helping John Isaac, she was "nearly scalped" when her hair tangled in his machinery; she wore her hair short from then on, in defiance of the reigning custom.
Helen, Hamo, Alyce, and Theresa were all trained 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...
schools starting in the 1860s, when the institution was only beginning to take female students. The date and circumstances of Helen's entry are disputed; by one account, she applied in 1862, but was rejected by Sir Edwin Landseer because of her youth (she was 14 at the time). Helen started out as a sculptor like previous generations of her family; she exhibited a statue of Ophelia in the Royal Academy summer show of 1864. Within a year or two, however, she abandoned sculpture to concentrate on painting.
Helen travelled abroad with Hamo and Alyce in 1871; the siblings studied art with and modeled for each other through the 1870s. Hamo's journals, kept during this period, provide ample evidence on the family's affairs. By Hamo's account, the young Helen enjoyed a "wonderful" supply of natural energy. His journals record an evening when the two of them walked home at 2:00 AM; Helen was up by 6:30 to go swimming, then worked at the Royal Academy schools until 2:00 PM.
"Helen was a more prolific and committed artist than her sisters" — by the late 1880s she had her own studio and her own apartment, which was again unusual for the time. She became known primarily as a flower painter, a genre long associated with women; yet she also worked in other genres, including landscape and portraiture. She spent a decade (1899–1909) as vice-president of the Society of Women Artists. She never married. Many sources mistakenly give the year of her death as 1912.