Samuel Howitt
Encyclopedia
Samuel Howitt was an English painter, illustrator and etcher of animals, hunting, horse-racing and landscape scenes. He worked in both oils
and watercolors.
quaker family. In early life he lived at Chigwell
, near Epping Forest
, Essex
, was financially independent and devoted himself to field sports. However he ran into financial difficulties and was obliged to turn to art as a profession - which up until then he had engaged in as a talented amateur.
Coming to London
, he was for a time a drawing master at Samuel Goodenough
's school in Ealing
. In 1783, he exhibited 3 coloured drawings of hunting subjects with the Society of British Artists. From time to time he also exhibited at the Royal Academy
, London: in 1784, a hunting piece; in 1785, 2 landscapes - "A view of the ruins of an abbey" and "Fairlop oak"; in 1793, "Jaques and the Deer" and "A Fox Hunt"; in 1794, "Smugglers alarmed"; in 1800, 2 pictures titled "Deer"; in 1814 "Dead game"; and in 1815, "Bella, horrida Bella". He probably exhibited relatively little because he was so much in demand as a commercial illustrator.
He worked both in oils and water-colours, confining himself to sporting subjects and illustrations of natural history, which were carefully drawn, spirited and truthful. Howitt was closely associated in his art with Thomas Rowlandson
, whose sister he married, and his works did, at one time, often pass for those of his brother-in-law; but, unlike Rowlandson, he was a practical sportsman, and his scenes were more accurately composed. He was a clever and industrious etcher, and published a great number of plates similar in character to his drawings, and delicately executed with a fine needle. He also produced a number of caricatures in the manner of Rowlandson.
Howitt illustrated (Captain) Thomas Williamson's "Oriental Field Sports" (1807), based on sketches made by the author in India . He also illustrated several other work: "Thoughts on Hunting" (London: D. Bremner, 1798), "Miscellaneous Etchings of Animals" (50 plates, 1803); "British Field Sports" (20 coloured plates, 1807); "The Angler's Manual" (12 plates, 1808); "A New Work of Animals, principally designed from the Fables of Æsop, Gay, and Phædrus" (56 plates, 1811); "Groups of Animals" (24 plates, 1811); "The British Sportsman" (70 plates, 1812); and many of the drawings for "Foreign Field Sports" (1814).
Howitt died in Somers Town
, London in 1822, and was buried in St. Pancras
cemetery.
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
and watercolors.
Life and work
Howitt was a member of an old NottinghamshireNottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
quaker family. In early life he lived at Chigwell
Chigwell
Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...
, near Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, was financially independent and devoted himself to field sports. However he ran into financial difficulties and was obliged to turn to art as a profession - which up until then he had engaged in as a talented amateur.
Coming to 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...
, he was for a time a drawing master at Samuel Goodenough
Samuel Goodenough
Samuel Goodenough was the Bishop of Carlisle from 1808 until his death in 1827, and an amateur botanist and collector. He is honoured in the scientific names of the plant genus Goodenia and the Red-capped Robin .-Life:Born at Kimpton, near Weyhill, Hampshire, on 29 April 1743 , he was the third...
's school in Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
. In 1783, he exhibited 3 coloured drawings of hunting subjects with the Society of British Artists. From time to time he also exhibited at 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...
, London: in 1784, a hunting piece; in 1785, 2 landscapes - "A view of the ruins of an abbey" and "Fairlop oak"; in 1793, "Jaques and the Deer" and "A Fox Hunt"; in 1794, "Smugglers alarmed"; in 1800, 2 pictures titled "Deer"; in 1814 "Dead game"; and in 1815, "Bella, horrida Bella". He probably exhibited relatively little because he was so much in demand as a commercial illustrator.
He worked both in oils and water-colours, confining himself to sporting subjects and illustrations of natural history, which were carefully drawn, spirited and truthful. Howitt was closely associated in his art with Thomas Rowlandson
Thomas Rowlandson
Thomas Rowlandson was an English artist and caricaturist.- Biography :Rowlandson was born in Old Jewry, in the City of London. He was the son of a tradesman or city merchant. On leaving school he became a student at the Royal Academy...
, whose sister he married, and his works did, at one time, often pass for those of his brother-in-law; but, unlike Rowlandson, he was a practical sportsman, and his scenes were more accurately composed. He was a clever and industrious etcher, and published a great number of plates similar in character to his drawings, and delicately executed with a fine needle. He also produced a number of caricatures in the manner of Rowlandson.
Howitt illustrated (Captain) Thomas Williamson's "Oriental Field Sports" (1807), based on sketches made by the author in India . He also illustrated several other work: "Thoughts on Hunting" (London: D. Bremner, 1798), "Miscellaneous Etchings of Animals" (50 plates, 1803); "British Field Sports" (20 coloured plates, 1807); "The Angler's Manual" (12 plates, 1808); "A New Work of Animals, principally designed from the Fables of Æsop, Gay, and Phædrus" (56 plates, 1811); "Groups of Animals" (24 plates, 1811); "The British Sportsman" (70 plates, 1812); and many of the drawings for "Foreign Field Sports" (1814).
Howitt died in Somers Town
Somers Town, London
Somers Town, was named for Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers. The area in St Pancras, London, was originally granted by William III to John Somers, Lord Chancellor and Baron Somers of Evesham. It was to be strongly influenced by the three mainline north London railway termini: Euston , St...
, London in 1822, and was buried in St. Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
cemetery.
External links
- Biography and works of Samuel Howitt (Heatons of Tisbury)
- Samuel Howitt online (ArtCyclopedia)
- Howitt on Artnet
- The paintings of Samuel Howitt (Exhibition at Museum of Island History, Isle of Wight)
- Etchings by S. Howitt ("Art of the Print")
- Misc. etchings by Jowitt (antiquemapsandprints.com)