Frederick Viner (5 March 1858 – 17 August 1940) was an English

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the ...

artist. Frederick Viner, known as Fred, and his twin brother Alfred, were born at Gardener's Lodge, Sheen Mount,

East Sheen East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its long High Street, high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic ...

, sons of William Viner and Jane Whiting; their father was gardener to Mr Henry Porter Smith. Their mother died shortly after their births. He was educated at

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...

Schools. From 1873 he was a seaman and in 1876 he signed up for ten years service in the Royal Navy but was discharged in 1878. On the 1881 Census he is recorded in Canterbury Prison as a

mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor' ...

serving 15 months 'hard labour' for housebreaking. He said that he had made several crossings of the Atlantic. In 1899 he returned to live in Richmond and at the time of the 1901 Census was living in Sheen Road. He made his living as a watercolour artist painting local scenes, mostly of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

and

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hounslow, West London, England. It lies immediately east of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's original area of ...

, but also seascapes and other locations. His paintings are signed F.Viner. He had a studio on the Quadrant set up for him by Mr Thomas Day, the Registrar. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was at Aldershot doing war work. He then lived at the Grove Road Institution, Richmond; he exhibited watercolours and rugs at the Brabazon Society annual exhibitions and sales. He was recorded as an inmate on the

1939 Register The National Registration Act 1939 ( 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 91) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the Second World War. The ac ...

, died there in 1940 and is buried in

Richmond Cemetery Richmond Cemetery is a cemetery on Lower Grove Road in Richmond, London, Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It opened in 1786 on a plot of land granted by an Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Act of Parliame ...

. Some of his paintings are in the Richmond Borough Art Collection at

Orleans House Orleans House was a Palladian villa built by the architect John James in 1710 near the Thames at Twickenham, England, for the politician and diplomat James Johnston. It was subsequently named after Louis-Phillipe, Duke of Orléans who stayed ...

, the Richmond Local Studies collection and in the

Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...

archives.

References

External links

Works by F Viner
Richmond Borough Art Collection
Watercolour by Viner, F
Richmond Local Studies Collection File:Kew Gardens, Queen Charlotte's Cottage.by Fred Viner.png,

Queen Charlotte's Cottage Queen Charlotte's Cottage is an 18th-century cottage orné within the grounds of Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames in London. It is named after Queen Charlotte, who was responsible for its construction. Dating from 1772, the cottage ...

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

File:Fred Viner watercolour of St Anne's Church, Kew Green.jpg, St Anne's Church, Kew Green {{DEFAULTSORT:Viner, Fred 1858 births 1940 deaths Artists from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames British landscape painters Burials at Richmond Cemetery Cityscape artists English watercolourists People from East Sheen