Henry Pether (1800–1880) was an English landscape painter famous for his depiction of moonlit scenes of 19th century Britain, Paris, and Venice. His father

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

and older brother Sebastian Pether also painted moonlit scenes. Together they were known as the "Moonlight Pethers". He was also an inventor of lamps, architectural materials, and tiles.

Life and work

Henry Pether was born in February 1800, the son of landscape painter Abraham Pether (1752–1812) and younger brother of artist Sebastian Pether (1793-1844). His father and his brother's works were often imaginary. Henry was particularly noted for his "control of detail, atmosphere and colouring". Henry Pether's paintings are frequently incorrectly attributed to his father and to his brother and vice versa. However, Henry generally signed his paintings, which were more realistic and refined, whilst those of his brother Sebastian had more greenish tones. He was known for his paintings along the Thames, many of which were painted between 1850 and 1865. Pether is detailed in his painting of Greenwich Hospital's architecture and river scene, which are illuminated by a full moon. He also painted moonlight landscapes in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and Scotland. Between 1828 and 1862 Henry Pether exhibited at the

Royal Academy 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 also exhibited at the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it ...

and with the

Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fi ...

. His works are among the collections of

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

, the City of London,

Royal Museums Greenwich Royal Museums Greenwich is an organisation comprising four museums in Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater L ...

Hastings Museum The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History is located in Hastings, Nebraska. It claims to be the largest municipal museum between Chicago and Denver. It is housed in a building funded by the Works Progress Administration and dedicated ...

, the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

, and the

Yale Center for British Art The Yale Center for British Art at Yale University in central New Haven, Connecticut, houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom. The collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, rare ...

. Pether lived in the Camden and

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

boroughs in London, and Southampton. In 1837, he was described as a surveyor, engineer, artist, and an architect when he was an inmate in a debtors' prison in London. He applied for patents for lamps, architectural materials, and tiles, the latter of which was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851. At that time, he was married to Sarah and had three children: Fanny, Harry, and Kate who ranged from nine to fourteen years of age. The family lived at Kennington in 1851. He died on Stockwell Green in London on 20 February 1880, a few days after his 80th birthday. Papers, images, and other documentation of Pether's works are held at the

Frick Art Reference Library The Frick Art Research Library (formerly known as the Frick Art Reference Library) is the art library of the Frick Collection in New York City. The library, founded at the Henry Clay Frick House in 1920 by Helen Clay Frick, offers access to mater ...

Gallery

File:Henry Pether - Lambeth Palace - Google Art Project.jpg, alt=, ''Lambeth Palace from the River Thames'' File:Henry pether horseguards parade from st jamess park121156).jpg, alt=, ''Horseguards Parade from St James' Park'' File:Henry Pether - Upnor Castle, Kent - Google Art Project.jpg, alt=, ''Upnor Castle, Rochester, Kent'' File:Henry Pether - Eruzione del Vesuvio.jpg, ''Vesuvius Erupting''

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pether, Henry 1800 births 1880 deaths English landscape painters Moon in art Artists from London Artists from Southampton People imprisoned for debt English inventors

Life and work

Gallery

See also

Notes

References