Charles Lucy
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Charles Lucy (1814 – 18 May 1873) was a British historical painter active during the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
. Born in
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
, he studied at the
École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...
and
Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
. He won multiple prizes in art competitions held during the rebuilding of the
Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
, but none were ultimately displayed within the building. Various engravings and sketches were made of his works, which included historical scenes alongside portraits of various historical and contemporary political figures. He served as the co-founder and instructor of a drawing school in
Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...
, London. Following years of declining health, he died in 1873.


Biography

Lucy was born in
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
in 1814. He began work as an apprentice to his uncle, a
chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
, but pursued art as a hobby from an early age. He produced his first painting while in Hereford, an allegorical celebration of the
Reform Bill The Reform Acts (or Reform Bills, before they were passed) are legislation enacted in the United Kingdom in the 19th and 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the U ...
, which was hung in the offices of the ''
Hereford Times The ''Hereford Times'' is a weekly tabloid newspaper published every Thursday in Hereford, England. Its offices are based in Rotherwas. The editor is Alicia Kelly. The newspaper covers events across the county of Herefordshire as well as some o ...
''. After a brief stay in London, he travelled to Paris in order to attend the
École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...
, where he studied under the Romanticist
Paul Delaroche Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (; Paris, 17 July 1797 – Paris, 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subje ...
. After some time in Paris, he returned to London to study at the
Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
. As a student, he supported himself through commissions. Following graduation, he was hired as a
copyist A copyist is a person who makes duplications of the same thing. The modern use of the term is mainly confined to music copyists, who are employed by the music industry to produce neat copies from a composer or arranger's manuscript. However, the ...
and created various copies of historic works held at Paris and
the Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
.


Career

He first exhibited a portrait at the Royal Academy in 1838, where he was recorded as living in Hereford. He exhibited ''The Interview between Milton and Galileo'' at the Royal Academy in 1840, followed by two additional paintings in 1843. An ''
Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...
'' obituary describes a fourteen-year stay at the French artist colony of
Barbizon Barbizon () is a commune (town) in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. It is located near the Fontainebleau Forest. Demographics The inhabitants are called ''Barbizonais''. Art history The Barbizon school of painters is n ...
, but this is not attested in other biographies. By 1845, he lived in London, where he shared a studio with fellow historical painter
Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...
. He founded a drawing school at
Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...
alongside Cave Thomas and Thomas Seddon, where he would teach for a number of years. In 1844, for the second contest of the Fine Arts Commission (created to furnish the reconstructed
Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
) he created a large fresco, ''The Roman empress Agrippina interceding with the emperor Claudius,'' ''on behalf of the family of Caractacus''. He won a £100 premium, but was not appointed to create a work for the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. Two later pieces produced in 1845 and 1847 were rejected by the Commission, but he was awarded a £200 premium in 1847 for ''The Departure of the Pilgrim Fathers''. A large painting measuring 10 by 13 feet, it depicts the Pilgrims departing from
Delfshaven Delfshaven () is a borough of Rotterdam, Netherlands, on the right bank of river Nieuwe Maas. It was a separate municipality until 1886. The town of Delfshaven grew around the port of the city of Delft. Delft itself was not located on a major ri ...
. It was ultimately not included within the House, but exhibited across much of the United Kingdom during the early 1850s, and was later donated to the
Pilgrim Hall Museum The Pilgrim Hall Museum at 75 Court Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts is the oldest public museum in the United States in continuous operation, having opened in 1824. History The Pilgrim Society, established in 1820, runs the museum. The museum ...
. The same subject matter was ultimately painted in the House of Lords by
Charles West Cope Charles West Cope (28 July 1811– 21 August 1890) was an English, Victorian era painter of genre and history scenes, and an etcher. He was responsible for painting several frescos in the House of Lords in London. Life and work Early lif ...
. A now-lost painting by Lucy, depicting the Pilgrim's arrival at
Plymouth Rock Plymouth Rock is a boulder in Plymouth, Massachusetts, that symbolizes the historical disembarkation site of the '' Mayflower'' Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620, and has been claimed to be the Pilgrims' actual landing site. ...
, served the basis for a heavily circulated engraving produced . Lucy produced various historical paintings which later served the basis for engravings. His ''Nelson meditating in the cabin of the Victory previously to the battle of Trafalgar'' was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1854, before being sold to
Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...
the following year.
Joshua Walmsley Sir Joshua Walmsley (1794–1871) was an English businessman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician. Early life and education The son of John Walmsley, an architect, builder and marble mason, he was born in Liverpool on 29 September 1 ...
commissioned eight portrait paintings from Lucy in 1869, now held at the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
. He was plagued with health problems in his later years, and died at
Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...
in London on 18 May 1873, leaving behind a number of unfinished commissions. He had one son, Charles Hampden Lucy.


Bibliography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucy, Charles 1814 births 1873 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters English history painters Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century English male artists