Samuel A. Rayner (15 April 1806 – 1879) was an English

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

artist, known for his paintings of buildings and their interiors, including abbeys, churches and old mansions. He achieved the distinction of having a work accepted for exhibition 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 ...

at the age of 15. His wife, Ann Rayner, was an engraver on Ashford Black Marble and six of their children went on to be professional artists.

Biography

Samuel Rayner was born in 1806, at

Colnbrook Colnbrook is a village in the Borough of Slough, Slough district in Berkshire, England. It lies within the historic counties of England, historic boundaries of Buckinghamshire, and straddles two distributaries of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

(now in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

); afterwards the family moved to

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

in London where he was possibly trained by his grandfather. By the age of fifteen, Rayner was training as a draughtsman with the antiquary John Britton when Rayner had a picture of

Malmesbury Abbey Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a former Benedictine abbey dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul. It was one of the few English religious houses with a continuous history from the 7th century throug ...

accepted by the

. A fellow student and artistic influence were

George Cattermole George Cattermole (10 August 180024 July 1868) was a British painter and illustrator, chiefly in Watercolor painting, watercolours. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and many other literary and artistic figures. Life and work He was born a ...

.Simon Fenwick, ‘Rayner, Samuel (1806–1879)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 15 March 2011
/ref> Matlockbath1832

Samuel Rayner and his wife, Anne Manser Rayner, founded a "painting family". In 1823, he eloped with Anne Manser, who was four years older than him and was already known as an artist. They married in 1824. Their first child was born in London but he soon died. Six of their children became painters in turn. Rayner's house was a museum in

Matlock Bath Matlock Bath is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. It lies in the Derbyshire Dales, south of Matlock on the main A6 road, and approximately halfway between Buxton and Derby. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census ...

in the 1830s where Louise, William Henry and Rhoda (Rose) were born. The engraving by

Arthur Jewitt Arthur Jewitt (1772–1852) was an English topographer. Life Jewitt was the eldest son of Arthur and Mary Jewitt. His mother was the daughter of Jonathan Priestley of Dronfield and she gave birth to Arthur in Sheffield on 7 March 1772. At the a ...

illustrated shows Rayner's house in Matlock Back in 1832. There are two extended entrance ways to museums in the picture. The museum on the right was

John Mawe John Mawe (1764 – 26 October 1829) was a British mineralogist who became known for his practical approach to the discipline. Biography Mawe was born in Derby in 1764 to Samuel Maw(e). His mother died when he was ten and he was raised by his fa ...

's museum whilst on the left was ''Vallance's Royal Centre Museum''.Samuel Rayner
at the "Dudley Mall" website Vallance and Rayner were in partnership. There is a view of

engraved by Ann Rayner which also shows their house and it is now in Buxton Museum. This engraving was made by Samuel's wife with a diamond on Ashford Black Marble which was mined locally. Derbys First Exhibition 1839

Rayner's painting of the 1839 Derby Exhibition which illustrates the early years of what to become

Derby Museum and Art Gallery Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The col ...

's collections. This painting includes

Joseph Wright of Derby Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution". Wr ...

's painting Romeo and Juliet: the tomb scene which is on the left of the back wall.

Louise Rayner Louise Ingram Rayner (21 June 1832 – 8 October 1924) was a British watercolour artist. Family Rayner was born in Matlock Bath in Derbyshire.Simon Fenwick, ‘Rayner, Samuel (1806–1879)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford ...

is the best known of Samuel and Ann's children: her siblings were Ann ("Nancy"), Margaret, Rose, Frances, and Richard. Nancy Rayner was influenced by

Octavius Oakley Octavius Oakley RWS (27 April 1800, in Bermondsey – 1 March 1867, in London), was a British watercolour portrait, figure and landscape artist. Life Oakley was born in Bermondsey, London on the 27th April 1800. Initially he worked for a ...

and she was the first to be recognised as a distinguished artist but she died of consumption at the age of 28. Samuel was elected an associate of the Society of Painters in Water Colours in 1845 but was excluded from the Society in 1851 after a financial scandal. Some of his work can be seen at

References

External links

* at the "Louise Rayner Artist" website {{DEFAULTSORT:Rayner, Samuel 1806 births 1879 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters English watercolourists English landscape artists People from Slough 19th-century English male artists