|
George Romney (1734-1802) quickly established himself as a gifted portraitist in London. He won favor among wealthy society patrons. His success depended in part on his willingness to flatter his clients in the likenesses. He did many wonderful portrairs, leaving us an invaluable record of London society in the 1760s and 70s which added to his earlier work in the north. Art critics in assessing Romney's style comment that he avoided any attempt at painting in character assessments. Line, rather than color, dominates his work, and the flowing rhythms and easy poses of Roman Classical sculpture underlie the smooth patterns of his compositions. He desired to expand his body of wotk by painting historical works. He was awarded a prize by the Free Society for his ‘The Death of General Wolfe’ (1763). He was never very successful with his historical work. It is not clear if his talent was lacking. It is more likely that he did not devote sufficient effort because of his growing obsession with Emma Hart. Or perhaops the lucrative cimmissuins received fir portraits. Assessments of Romney have varied. Romney's place in British art declined in the 19th century. Modern critics generally rank him along with Reynolds and Gainsborough as the greats of late-18th century British portraiture. [Watson]
George Romney's (1734-1802) painting of the Clavering Children in 1777 portrays Thomas John and Catherine Mary, children of George Clavering of Greencroft, in Durham provide insights in late-18th century childrens dress. The youngsters and their dogs move gently through an undefined landscape. When he painted it, Romney had just returned from a period of study in Rome and the graceful poses of the figures reflect his familiarity with classical sculpture. The attitudes of the children also effectively capture their juvenile state as well as their gender roles as master of animals and nurturer.
Lord Granville, 2nd Earl Gower, 1st Marquis of Stafford, had three wives. His third wife, Lady Suzanna Stewart, by whom he had four children. Three daughters and a son. They are depicted in a painting by
George Romney dated 1777. Note the classical robes and poses. We are not sure who is who. The boy was the third child. By height this would make him the child in the red dress with his back facing us. But hemay be the child to the right facing forward.
tephen Adye was born on St. Kitts, a British sugar island the Caribbean Lesser Antilles (1745). These islands producing sugar with brutal slave labor were the most valuable real estate on the planet. They generated huge fortunes for plantation owners in Britain. Stephen was adopted while still young by Ralph Willett, a first cousin of his mother. Thus becoming Stephen Willett. Such intra-family adoptions were not uncommon into the early-20 the century. He was educated at Lincoln's Inn, this was one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and were trained for the Bar. He did not have a major career and followed his father into a gentlemanly life of leisure and collecting. He married Clara Payne, his first marriage. He commissioned George Romney to paint his children in his last important decade of his lengthy career. Romney's prominence and fee he could command, testifies to the family's affluence. This is one of many examples of Romney's dominance of portraiture. The children are beautifully depicted with a simplicity and not exaggerated style. Here we see the oldest boy clearly dominating over his three siblings. One art historian cuts to the heart of Romney's success, "Romney avoided delving into the character or sensibilities of the sitter. His great success with his society patrons depended largely on just this ability for dispassionate flattery." The children here visited Romney’s studio several times during the production of this impressive work. We see 6-year-old John, the eldest son and heir, hovering over his two siblings: his elder sister, Anabella, and his younger brother, Henry Ralph. John wears a bright red skeleton suit--fairly standard at the time for children of well-to do families. In the 19th century, subdued colors would become more common. Also common were frilled open collars. Skeleton suits were the first specialized boys' garment. John has long uncurled hair. Note the long pants. Men at the time wore knee breeches. Anabella and Henry wear white empire dresses. Their father died (1795). As adults, John Willett Willett Jr. (1784–1839) was declared a lunatic. His younger brother Henry Ralph Willett became a barrister to whom the Willett estate passed. The fortunes of the English sugar barons were affected by the British emancipation of slaves (1834). The painting is held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In the internet display, the Museum tells virtually nothing about Romney or the children, but instead provides us a woke lecture on slavery.
Watson (1985).
Navigate the HBC Art pages:
[Return to the Main George Romney page]
[Return to the Main English national art page]
[Return to the Main individual artist M-R page]
[Chronology]
[Country]
[Individual Artists]
[Styles]
Navigate related Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site pages:
[Main Portuguese page]
[Collar bows]
[Dresses]
[Kilt suits]
[Kilts]
[Fauntleroy suits]
[Velvet suits]
[Peter Pan collars]
