
Sir John Bernard Partridge (11 October 1861– 9 August 1945) was an English illustrator. Born in London, he was the son of Professor
Richard Partridge
Richard Partridge FRS, FRCS (19 January 1805, in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire – 25 March 1873, in London) was a British surgeon. Although he became President of both the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, he ...
,
F.R.S., president of the
Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ar ...
, and nephew of
John Partridge John Partridge may refer to:
*John Partridge (artist) (1789–1872), British portrait painter
*John Partridge (astrologer) (1644–1710s), English astrologer
*John Partridge (actor) (born 1971), English actor, singer and dancer
*John Bernard Partrid ...
, portrait-painter extraordinary to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
. For some years he was well known as an actor under the name of Bernard Gould.
Education
Partridge was educated at
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Catholic Church, Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst, Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. Th ...
where one of his fellow pupils was
Arthur Conan Doyle.
Life and work
Partridge then worked for six months in the offices of architect H. Handsom, before joining the firm of
Lavers, Barraud and Westlake
Lavers, Barraud and Westlake were an English firm that produced stained glass windows from 1855 until 1921. They were part of the 19th-century Gothic Revival movement that had a significant influence on English civic, ecclesiastical and domestic ...
, ecclesiastical designers, where he spent two years producing altar-pieces, stained-glass etc. He then studied decorative painting under
Philip Westlake
Philip Westlake was a 19th-century British painter, the brother of Nathaniel Westlake, one of the partners in Lavers, Barraud and Westlake, Ecclesiastical Designers.
Works
* Adoration of the Shepherds, Church of St Mary the Virgin, Cardiff.
* St ...
, 1880–1884. He began illustrating for the press and practised watercolour painting, but his chief success was derived from book illustration.
Partridge was very interested in the theatre and acted under the stage name ''Bernard Gould''. He appeared in the first production of
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
's ''Arms and the Man''. Many of his early drawings were of stage subjects or personalities, and some of his finest
caricature
A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...
s in later life were drawn from the world of the stage.
In 1891 Partridge joined the staff of ''
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'' and, in 1909, became its chief
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...
, replacing
Edward Linley Sambourne
Edward Linley Sambourne (4 January 18443 August 1910) was an English cartoonist and illustrator most famous for being a draughtsman for the satirical magazine ''Punch'' for more than forty years and rising to the position of "First Cartoonist" i ...
. During his time at ''Punch'', Partridge published several cartoons supporting the
Suffragist
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
movement. He was elected a member of the
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London.
History
In 1831 the s ...
and of
The Pastel Society
The Pastel Society is an art society, based in London, which promotes the use of pastel painting in contemporary art, through exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and lectures.
The Pastel Society is a registered charity and was founded in Eng ...
.
A diploma designed by Partridge was presented to medal winners of the
1908 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Partridge was a frequent exhibitor, exhibiting nearly 200 works in total.
In 1897 Partridge married Lydia Faith Harvey (1873-1961) of
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London park ...
. Lady Partridge maintained relationships with others in the art world before and after her husband's death. These included Sir
Hugh Lane
Sir Hugh Percy Lane (9 November 1875 – 7 May 1915) was an Irish art dealer, collector and gallery director. He is best known for establishing Dublin's Municipal Gallery of Modern Art (the first known public gallery of modern art in the wo ...
and Margaret E. Wilson. She died childless.
Partridge was still producing work for ''Punch'' until three months before his death, so readers of ''Punch'' had been viewing his cartoons for over fifty years.
World War I Works

In 1915 Partridge designed
posters to encourage recruitment to the British Army. ''Take up the Sword of Justice'' was one of the most popular, printed by David Allen & Sons, for the
British Parliamentary Recruiting Committee (PRC). It features the
sinking RMS Lusitania,
drowning
Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer a ...
passengers, and a vengeful
Lady Justice
Lady Justice ( la, Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia.
Lady Justice originates from th ...
wielding the
Sword of Justice
A sword of justice is a ceremonial sword that is used to signify a monarch's supreme judicial power. In some cases, this may have been an executioner's sword that was no longer used for executions, becoming instead a ceremonial one.
The Crown Je ...
.
State Library of Victoria
State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in th ...
,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
,
Australia, is just one of the many libraries and museums around the world which hold copies of this poster.
Another work from this time that was well known to the populous was ''Unconquerable''. It features
Wilhelm II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
, and
Albert I Albert I may refer to:
People Born before 1300
* Albert I, Count of Vermandois (917–987)
* Albert I, Count of Namur ()
* Albert I of Moha
* Albert I of Brandenburg (), first margrave of Brandenburg
* Albert I, Margrave of Meissen (1158–1195)
*A ...
, the
King of the Belgians
Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's h ...
. The cartoon was published by ''Punch'' in October 1914. This original was presented to the
Queen of the Belgians
The wives of Belgian monarchs have all been titled Queen and styled Majesty, with the exception of Leopold III of Belgium's second wife Mary Lilian Baels, who was titled Princess of Belgium and Princess of Réthy. All Belgian monarchs so far hav ...
by the
Gardeners' Company
The Worshipful Company of Gardeners is one of the livery companies of the City of London. An organisation of Gardeners existed in the middle of the fourteenth century; it received a royal charter in 1605. The company no longer exists as a re ...
, the purchase money going to the Belgian Relief Fund. In 1917 copies of the poster, styled "the Greatest War Picture ...... in magnificent colour reproduction", which Partridge based on his original cartoon were sent by ''Punch'' to new subscribers as part of a promotion. In 1919 ''Punch'' sent complimentary copies of this poster to public
libraries
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
and
Schools of Arts across Australia and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
, many of which were framed and placed in their reading rooms.
Persons who served overseas with
Expeditionary Forces
Expeditionary warfare is a military invasion of a foreign territory, especially away from established bases. Expeditionary forces were in part the antecedent of the modern concept of rapid deployment forces. Traditionally, expeditionary forces w ...
in an active war zone, and were disabled, received a
King's Certificate of Discharge stating that they "Served with honour". The certificate was designed by Partridge in 1916, at the request of the War Office.
At this time he also designed postcards for Blue Cross Quarantine Kennels, for soldiers bringing home their pet dogs.
Partridge was the twentieth of twenty illustrators selected by
Percy V. Bradshaw
Percy Venner Bradshaw (27 November 1877 – 13 October 1965), who often signed PVB, was a British illustrator who also created the Press Art School, a correspondence course for drawing.
Biography
Percy Bradshaw was born in Hackney, part of L ...
for inclusion in his series ''
The Art of the Illustrator'' (1917-1918) which presented a separate portfolio for each illustrator.
World War II Works
One of his most famous cartoons of this war was ''Salute to Malta.'' In it
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
, wearing the
Maltese Cross
The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
It is a heraldic cross variant which develop ...
, defends the stronghold of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
against the dragon.
Knight Bachelor
Partridge was appointed a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...
in the
1925 Birthday Honours
The 1925 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...
on the advice of Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingd ...
and gave his support to the government during the
General Strike
A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...
.
Notes
References
*
External links
*
Portraits of Bernard Partridgeat the
National Portrait Gallery (London)
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...
.
* http://slv.vic.gov.au State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
*Th
Bernard Partridge Drawings Collectionis held by the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and ...
Theatre and Performance Department.
Partridge's Illustrations from Punchin HeidICON
Partridge's Illustrations at the British Library Flickr account*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge, John Bernard
1861 births
1945 deaths
English illustrators
English male stage actors
People educated at Stonyhurst College
Punch (magazine) cartoonists
World War I propaganda
Propaganda in the United Kingdom
World War I in art
English caricaturists