OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14209, 4 November 1909, Page 5

OBITUARY.

MR. W. P. FRITH, R.A. By Telegraph.Presj Association.—Copyright.

' London, November 2. The death is announced of r ; Mr.W. P. Frith, R.A., in his 91st year.

There are not many painters who have enjoyed a more brilliant career, and cer- . -,i tainly there are few who have had a, longer one, than the.oldest of the i Royal Academicians, Mr. W. P. Frith. He was born in. January, 1819, at "a little village in 'Yorkshire, called Aldficld. In .his; "Reminiscences " ho humorously describes himself as a " light-minded,' rather idle, flighty youth, not at all fond of serious work," * :-.:;. and says that when asked by his father about his future, he elected for auctioneering, because the life of the man of the hammer seemed., a very easy one. It is equally worthy of remark that, contrary to what is generally the case, his father was . - not only willing, but anxious that ho should ; become a painter, and had it not been for " the parents' perseverance, England might not have known one of, the most celebrated of her artists— it is difficult , to believe that Mr. Frith's talent could have been suppressed, auctioneering or not. There is little to tell of Mr. Frith's journey to fame," so * short was it, and so, sure. In 1840 he came to.the conclusion.; that: his strong :•.; point "was. the ; subject-picture, . and •having made the discovery, his future was assured. The following year a scene' from the "Vicar of Wakefield," that in which Mrs. Primrose makes her: daughter .and. Squire Thornhill stand up together to seo which ,'; is the taller, was not only on the; ' line in the, Academy, but was sold ■on , Private View Day for 100 guineas. This 'first success he followed up in a 'Way that - . led to ' his being elected associate as early .•/' as 1846, and seven years later he succeeded ' Turner as Academician.; Mr. Frith's'; piclures'- are well' known. ' Most peoplo are ; familiar with the ; engravings of.his celebrated " Derby Day." and there are few Eng- r • lish folk who have pot at. least,, seen reproductions of such canvases as the " Old English Merry-Making," " Ramsgate Sands," the Prince of "Wales' wedding picture, •■;.:'; .'? ..." Coming of Age," "The Railway Station," ; tho Hogarthian series of : "The; Road 'j'tO'-V I Ruin," or "The Race for ; "Wealth," not to mention other : . : equally, well-known works. The i exhibition success of several of, them , was so great that »it was.found; necessary to., place a rail round them to keep the crowds from pressing on them, and when they were '• shown abroad : .they gained foreign t distinc- - , tion and honours for the r painter. ; Their prosperity from-a commcrcia l point; of view was equally creat.- The -100 guineas Mr. Frith received for his first success soon .took on another figure, as in the case of Ramssrato Sands," which he sold for 1000 guineas. For "Derby Day" lie was- paid £3000; " The Railway Station " brought., him £4500. Nor : has. ho been the only person, : enriched by his Work. Those who bought, • the copyright of his pictures;: have made ■■ very ■ large ; sums; by - s the ;\; reproductions, £30,000 beins: the profits i' oh the -sale of - those of the Prince of Wales'-; wedding pic-, ture. ' It is of interest too to note some :,.'.;. figures in connection with the re-selling of Mr. Frith's work ■' some years after its execu- -v;'-.'. x; tion. On changing hands, a little canvas - ': called ;" The: Gleaners," ,; which 'the artist * ; originally sold for £20, fetched "700 guineas. : The » two ismall* pictures ;for which Dickens ! ■;.'■■:. paid him £40 were sold ! at Christie's, after the i death of the novelist,' for 1300 guineas. '-.-.■. while as much as; £4500 ; was given ,-ati the ..,--.'.,.,■ same place for the "Johnson and Garrick " • picture the painter had received £1200 for . * this, by the way, was at the time the largest price paid;for,_ the work of, any living artist,:;; - It was the exhibition of "Ramsgato Sands," in 1852, that drew Queen Victoria's attention specially to Mr. Frith. Her Majesty wished to' buy it, and had the painter presented ;to • her *nd later on, when-the Prince of Wales' wedding was- celebrated, she commissioned him to paint the historic . scene. ,'No description, however slight, of Mr. Frith's work is complete without at . least mention being' made of his "Reminiscences," the couple of handsome Volumes in which he brilliantly tells the story of his life. -' This; book, , which was the : forerunner of a crop of latter-day volumes of tho sort, is as humorously written, as it is frank, and Is most interesting . from .more points,. of view than one. Between the lines, and often in the written ; ones, the reader finds much concerning the changes that have' taken ; place since that far-distant. 1819, and thus there is something of historic as well as personal interest in the well-written pages.