David Wilkie Wynfield (1837 – 26 May 1887) was a British painter and photographer. Wynfield was distantly related to the Scottish artist

David Wilkie David Wilkie may refer to: * David Wilkie (artist) (1785–1841), Scottish painter * David Wilkie (surgeon) (1882–1938), British surgeon, scientist and philanthropist * David Wilkie (footballer) (1914–2011), Australian rules footballer * David ...

, after whom he was named. Born in India, he was originally intended by his family for the priesthood, but instead chose art as a profession. He studied at Leigh's art school in the 1850s and his first painting was accepted for the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1859. Wynfield associated with a group of other artists who became known as the St. John's Wood Clique. Their work typically took the form of anecdotal historical narratives. Wynfield himself painted many works set in Medieval or Renaissance Europe, concentrating on romantic problems of couples. In the 1860s Wynfield became interested in photography. He developed a technique of shallow-focus portrait photography which he passed on to

Julia Margaret Cameron Julia Margaret Cameron (''née'' Pattle; 11 June 1815 – 26 January 1879) was a British photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She is known for her Soft focus, soft-focus close-ups of famous ...

, who later acknowledged him as the main influence on her own work, writing that "to my feeling about his beautiful photography I owed all my attempts and indeed consequently all my success". Many of Wynfield's photographs portrayed members of the St. John's Wood Clique and their friends in fancy dress. The combination of

soft focus In photography, soft focus is a lens flaw, in which the lens forms images that are blurred due to spherical aberration. A soft focus lens deliberately introduces spherical aberration in order to give the appearance of blurring the image while ...

, close-up, large-format print and historical costumes produced a photographic style that was completely original at the time. Wynfield was attempting to imitate the painterly effects of old master artists such as

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...

, using the new medium. A selection of the photographs was published in 1864 as a book entitled ''The Studio: A Collection of Photographic Portraits of Living Artists, Taken in the Style of Old Masters, by an Amateur''. As with many of the subjects of his photographs Wynfield served in The Artists' Rifles. He reached the rank of Captain and was commanding 'H' Company in 1880. In his autobiography his friend Henry Stacy Marks said that Wynfield died of consumption.Marks, H.S., ''Pen and Pencil Sketches'', 77 (Vol. 1 p.173). He was buried on the western side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

. His grave (no.27522) has no headstone or marker.

Gallery

Image:DW Wynfield UNIDENTIFIED MAN.jpg, Portrait of an unknown man in armour. Image:DW Wynfield - FREDERIC LEIGHTON.jpg, Portrait of the painter

Frederic Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...

in Renaissance costume. Image:DW Wynfield WILLIAM SWINDEN BARBER.jpg, Portrait of

William Swinden Barber William Swinden Barber FRIBA (29 March 1832 – 26 November 1908), also W. S. Barber or W. Swinden Barber, was an English Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts architect, specialising in modest but finely furnished Anglican churches, often with ...

in Medieval costume. Image:Watts, George Frederic, by Wynfield, ca. 1860s.jpg, Portrait of the painter

George Frederic Watts George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817, in London – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical work ...

. Image:Legros - David Wilkie Wynfield.jpg, Portrait of Alphonse Legros. Image:Wynfield, David Wilkie (1837-1887), Simeon Solomon.jpg, Portrait of the painter

Simeon Solomon Simeon Solomon (9 October 1840 – 14 August 1905) was a British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelites who was noted for his depictions of Jewish life and same-sex desire. His career was cut short as a result of public scandal following hi ...

in oriental costume. File:ValPinsep.jpg, Portrait of the painter

Valentine Cameron Prinsep Valentine Cameron "Val" Prinsep (14 February 18384 November 1904) was a British painter of the Pre-Raphaelite school. Early life Born in Calcutta, India, he was the second child of Henry Thoby Prinsep, a civil servant of the British Raj, and ...

, ca. 1860s

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wynfield, David Wilkie 19th-century British painters British male painters 19th-century English photographers Artists' Rifles officers 1837 births 1887 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis 19th-century English male artists Photographers from London Tuberculosis deaths in the United Kingdom