Thomas Heathfield Carrick (4 July 1802 – 1874) was an English portrait miniature painter who portrayed many leading political and literary figures of his age. He developed the method of painting portraits on

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

rather than the usual

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

Life and work

Carrick was born in

Upperby Upperby is a former village, now a suburb of Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle, in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district, in the English county of Cumbria. The ward population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was ...

, near

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

(now

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

), the son of John Carrick (d. 1852), thought to be a Carlisle Mill owner but listed on the register of births as a

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

printer, and Mary (née) Anderson. He was educated at

Carlisle Grammar School Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its proxim ...

and by his uncle, the Rev. John Topping. He was said to be self-taught in art, but since he also began exhibiting at the Carlisle Academy in 1827, it is likely that he also attended art classes there.Top portrait painter was failed Carlisle chemist
(

News and Star The ''News and Star'' (formerly the ''Evening News and Star'' and ''Cumberland Evening News'') is a local tabloid newspaper in Cumbria. As of 18 October 2018, it belongs to Newsquest who produce several regional newspapers throughout the UK. ...

, 23 May 2008). After a quarrel, Carrick left home, trained, and then set up as 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 ...

(in Carlisle). While in business he continued to paint miniatures, despite never having seen an example by another artist, apart from himself, until he came across a piece by

William Charles Ross Sir William Charles Ross (3 June 1794 – 20 January 1860) was an English portrait and portrait miniature painter of Scottish descent; early in his career, he was known for historical paintings. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1842. ...

. He gradually built up a reputation as a portraitist in the locality, painting, for example, the actor

Charles Kean Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868) was an Irish-born English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays. Life Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary ...

(who was beginning to win popularity as a provincial actor). On 27 July 1829, he married Mary Mulcaster by whom he had five children. He was eventually able to sell up his apothecary business, and moved to

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

in 1836 (after exhibiting there in 1835), then to London, with his family, in November 1839. From 1841 to 1866, he exhibited his work 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 ...

, but never accepted an associateship. Amongst his illustrious subjects were

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

Sir 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 ...

Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 186 ...

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...

Samuel Rogers Samuel Rogers (30 July 1763 – 18 December 1855) was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron. ...

Caroline Norton Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton, Lady Stirling-Maxwell (''née'' Sheridan; 22 March 1808 – 15 June 1877) was an active English social reformer and author.Perkin, pp. 26–28. She left her husband, who was accused by many of coercive behaviour, ...

, Eliza Cook,

William Charles Macready William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English stage actor. The son of Irish actor-manager William Macready the Elder he emerged as a leading West End theatre, West End performer during the Regency era. Career Macready wa ...

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 28 April 1904"Death of Nellie Far ...

Luigi Lablache Luigi Lablache (6 December 1794 – 23 January 1858) was an Italian opera singer of French and Irish ancestry. He was most noted for his comic performances, possessing a powerful and agile bass voice, a wide range, and adroit acting skills: Lepo ...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

and

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist, political philosopher and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement, co-operative movement. He strove to ...

. In 1845, he received a medal from

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

for his work in painting miniatures on marble. Carrick abandoned miniature painting in 1868, the profession having been superseded by photography, and retired to Newcastle, having been awarded the Turner annuity (a pension) by the Royal Academy a year before his retirement. There he died in 1874. His son, John Mulcaster Carrick (1833–1896) was a landscape and figure painter. Among Carrick's pupils was landscape artist John Henry Mole (1814–1886).J H Mole
(John Nicholson Fine Art)

References

Attribution: *

External links

Portraits by Thomas Carrick
(National Portrait Gallery)
Portrait of an unknown elderly man
(Watercolour on marble - V&A)
Portrait of an unknown woman
(Watercolour on marble - V & A) {{DEFAULTSORT:CARRICK, Thomas Heathfield 1802 births 1874 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters People from Carlisle, Cumbria People educated at Carlisle Grammar School English portrait miniaturists 19th-century English male artists