John Callcott Horsley (29 January 1817 - 18 October 1903), was an
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
.
Horsley was born in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in 1817. He was the son of
William HorsleyWilliam Horsley was an English musician.In 1790 he became the pupil of Theodore Smith, an indifferent musician of the time, who however, taught him sufficiently well to obtain in 1794 the position of organist at Ely Chapel, Holborn...
, the musician, and grand-nephew of
Sir Augustus CallcottSir Augustus Wall Callcott , English landscape painter, was born in Kensington.His first study was music; and he sang for several years in the choir of Westminster Abbey. But at the age of twenty he had determined to give up music, and had exhibited his first painting at the Royal Academy...
.
His sister Mary Elizabeth Horsley wed the famous British engineer
Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British engineer. He is best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels...
in 1836.
His son, Sir
Victor HorsleySir Victor Alexander Haden Horsley was an accomplished scientist and professor. He was born in Kensington, London. He was educated at Cranbrook School, Kent and studied medicine at University College London and in Berlin, Germany , and in the same year started his career as a house surgeon and...
(born 1857), became famous as a surgeon and neuropathologist, and a prominent supporter of the cause of experimental research.
Horsley studied painting in the Academy schools, and in 1836 exhibited "The Pride of the Village" (Vernon Gallery) at the
Royal AcademyThe Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England. 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...
.
John Callcott Horsley (29 January 1817 - 18 October 1903), was an
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
.
Family
Horsley was born in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in 1817. He was the son of
William HorsleyWilliam Horsley was an English musician.In 1790 he became the pupil of Theodore Smith, an indifferent musician of the time, who however, taught him sufficiently well to obtain in 1794 the position of organist at Ely Chapel, Holborn...
, the musician, and grand-nephew of
Sir Augustus CallcottSir Augustus Wall Callcott , English landscape painter, was born in Kensington.His first study was music; and he sang for several years in the choir of Westminster Abbey. But at the age of twenty he had determined to give up music, and had exhibited his first painting at the Royal Academy...
.
His sister Mary Elizabeth Horsley wed the famous British engineer
Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British engineer. He is best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels...
in 1836.
His son, Sir
Victor HorsleySir Victor Alexander Haden Horsley was an accomplished scientist and professor. He was born in Kensington, London. He was educated at Cranbrook School, Kent and studied medicine at University College London and in Berlin, Germany , and in the same year started his career as a house surgeon and...
(born 1857), became famous as a surgeon and neuropathologist, and a prominent supporter of the cause of experimental research.
Career
Horsley studied painting in the Academy schools, and in 1836 exhibited "The Pride of the Village" (Vernon Gallery) at the
Royal AcademyThe Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England. 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...
. This was followed by numerous genre pictures at subsequent exhibitions up to 1893, the best known of these being "Malvolio," "L'Allegro and il Penseroso" (painted for the Prince Consort), "Le Jour des Morts," "A Scene from Don Quixote," etc.
In 1843 his cartoon of "St Augustine Preaching" won a prize in the Westminster Hall competition, and in 1844 he was selected as one of the six painters commissioned to execute frescoes for the Houses of Parliament, his "Religion" (1845) being put in the House of Lords; he also painted the "
Henry VHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule.-Early life:Henry was born...
assuming the Crown" and "Satan surprised at the Ear of Eve." In 1864 he became RA, and in 1882 was elected treasurer, a post which he held till 1897, when he resigned and became a "retired Academician."
Horsley designed the first ever
Christmas cardA Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to the Christmas season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during the weeks preceding Christmas Day on December 25 by many people in...
, commissioned by
Henry ColeSir Henry Cole was an English civil servant and Inventor who facilitated many innovations in commerce and education in 19th century Britain, and introduced the world's first commercial Christmas card.- Biography :Henry Cole was educated at Christ's Hospital in London...
. It caused some controversy because it depicted a small child drinking wine. He also designed the Horsley envelope, a pre-paid envelope that was the precursor to the postage stamp.
Horsley had much to do with organizing the winter exhibitions of "Old Masters" at
Burlington HouseBurlington 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...
after 1870. When, during the 1880s, the example of the French Salon began to affect the Academy exhibitors, and paintings of the nude became the fashion, he protested against the innovation, and his attitude caused
Punch to give him the sobriquet of "Mr J C(lothes) Horsley", a pun on clothes horse.
Horsley was a member of the
Cranbrook ColonyThe Cranbrook Colony was a group of artists who settled in Cranbrook, Kent from 1854 onwards and were inspired by seventeenth century Dutch and Flemish painters....
.
In 1856 Horsley was photographed at 'The Photographed Institute' by
Robert HowlettRobert Howlett , was a pioneering British photographer whose pictures are widely exhibited in major galleries. Howlett produced portraits of Crimean War heroes, genre scenes and landscapes...
, as part of a series of portraits of 'fine artists'. The picture was among a group exhibited at the 'Art Treasures Exhibition' in
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
in 1857.
External links