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Kus fia A wy re / ' A 7 r ; eu Hi . n we, +12 Fre. ee ’ ‘ 2 han [ ‘ wf 1 - bs . th é ‘’ i y * 4 u F THIS BOOK, PRINTED FROM TYPE “WHICH HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED, 4 if ‘ IS STRICTLY LIMITED TOONE ah THOUSAND COPIES 7°} ; tt * THIS IS NUMBER ) . . 7 — * ‘ ‘ ~~ os _> - e ry ® nt ® 4 THE UNKNOWN TURNER ae =~ soyoul %g iYySIay Aq SayoUL %4TI YIPIM “[VUISIC VEQr SADINGA THE UNKNOWN TURNER REVELATIONS CONCERNING PnP ihk AND ART OF J:-M-W-TURNER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY OF HIS HIDDEN SIGNATURES AND DATES AND THE PUBLICATION OF THE ONLY KNOWN ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT OF ANY OF HIS SKETCHING TOURS BY JOHN ANDERSON, JR. NEW YORK PRIVATELY PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR MCMXXVI 4 - pe Ee eT de tt een : " ce * ‘ ty | COPYRIGHT, 1926, BY JOHN ANDERSON, JR. : FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . PRINTED BY THE SCRIBNER PRESS ees " NEW YORK, U.S.A. | Trade Selling Agen NEW YORK: THE BAKER AND TAYLOR COMPAD LONDON: SUCKLING AND COMPANY, I3 GARRICK in ¥ oe ey 4‘ y ? ; od « i \ at i i { sey) ‘ » 7 fat Vy 4 ‘ uf +). > “AT, * ft ; } ’ Y ihe ' +e \ ‘ TO MY WIFE MARY HELEN ANDERSON WHO LOYALLY AND CHEERFULLY SHARED WITH ME THE SACRIFICES ESSENTIAL TO THE FULFILMENT OF MY TASK CONTENTS pete PAGE FOREWORD I THE MAN TURNER 3 THE ART OF TURNER 5 A DISCOVERY AND ITS AFTERMATH 18 TURNER’S DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES 21 ITINERARY OF TURNER’S TRAVELS 25 FACTS AND DEDUCTIONS oh TURNER’S HANDWRITING 39 TURNER’S HIDDEN SIGNATURES 41 TURNER’S HIDDEN DATES 45 INTERESTING ITEMS IN THE, COLLECTION 47 LONDON VIEWS 49 BY WAY OF COMMENT eg TURNER'S SKETCHING TOUR OF 1839 121 INDEX OF NAMES 153 ILLUSTRATIONS Spee VENICE, 1834 J. M. W. TURNER, R. A. CONTINENTAL CATHEDRAL, 1838 DEAD GAME, 1840 CHURCH OF ST. JOHN LATERAN, ROME, I819 INTERIOR OF WELSH COTTAGE, 1849 SCENE ON LAGO DI ORTA, ITALY, 1834 LA COUPEE, SARK, CHANNEL ISLANDS, 1843 SCENE IN CONSTANTINOPLE, 1844 THE DUCHESS OF ARGYLL, 1824 TURNER’S PORTRAIT SKETCH OF HIS FATHER, 1823 ROUGH SEA ON THE CORNISH COAST, 1828 SILHOUETTE PORTRAIT OF LADY, 1842 CUT-OUT PORTRAIT OF MR. PICKWICK, 1842 DUKE AND DUCHESS OF ST. ALBANS, 1829 COCHEM ON THE MOSELLE, 1838 LITTLEHAM, NEAR EXMOUTH, DEVON, 1828 TEMPLE OF ZEUS OLYMPIUS, WITH ACROPOLIS, ATHENS, 1844 DUCK SHOOTING, 1842 SALTRAM HOUSE, DEVON, 1828 TURKISH FIGURES ON LEAF OF SKETCH BOOK, 1844 THE KNIFE GRINDER, 1829 COTTAGE IN WALES, 1849 Frontispiece FACING PAGE 3 II 13 21 25 29 29 35 35 39 41 45 45 47 55 57 59 61 ILLUSTRATIONS ee eee aaa AAA AAAlia aia a a aa aA ALATA i itis Tid Val Ph a IRI RIT ATTA AT ATTAM Aria ria tia Pia Pi Pid Pt PLT RTT LIT LT FACING PAGE RIVER AND MOUNTAIN SCENERY, IRELAND, 1826 67 YORK CATHEDRAL, 1843 69 LAKE OF THUN, SWITZERLAND, 1842 ait CRUCIS VALLE ABBEY, WALES, 1849 73 HEAD OF THE CHRIST, 1843 Ts TURNER WITH THE SIMCOE FAMILY AT WOLFORD LODGE, DEVON, 1843 ie: CHURCH ON MOUNTAINSIDE, AT FUNCHAL, MADEIRA, 1846 vi COPY OF REMBRANDT'S “MILL,” 1827 79 AN EPITOME OF TURNER’S ART, 1829 79 A VARIETY OF SMALL BOATS ON LEAF OF SKETCH-BOOK, 1802 81 CHARCOAL DRAWING, LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION, 1832 183 PENCIL DRAWING, CONTINENTAL SCENE, 1834 83 WELSH DOMESTICITY, 1828 85 VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE AT TIVERTON, DEVON, 1808 87 AN EXAMPLE OF “DISTANCE,” AS DRAWN BY TURNER, 1829 89 MOSS ROSE, 1823 gI BRITISH MUSEUM, 1843 93 SCENE FROM SHAKESPEARE 'S “ROMEO AND JULIET,” 1824 95 TURNER AT WORK ON FOREST SCENERY, 1841 97 LITHOGRAPH BY TURNER, 1824 99 COPY OF PORTRAIT OF JOHN LOCKE, 1828 IOI PEEL CASTLE, ISLE OF MAN, 1848 103 AN EXAMPLE OF TURNER’S “VAPOUROUS DEPOSIT,” 1843 1O$ DRAWING MADE FROM A LIFE MODEL, 1804 107 CALM, 1843 _ 10g A GROUP OF TREES, 1829 I} ARCHITECTURAL SKETCH, MADE IN ITALY, 1843 113 AN EXAMPLE OF TURNER’S “SPOILED DRAWINGS,” 1828 iis AN ““UNFINISHED” DRAWING, 1832 1e7 ILLUSTRATIONS aaa aaa a aalaaiaia lia ia aM Cala a aaa AT AlsArariariaria til vid Pia Til vil Pal al PITA ATTLITA ATTA TTATTL ia TL td Pie Pi i i A FIELD OFFICER, 1842 COPY OF PORTRAIT OF ANDREA DEL SARTO, 1842 TURNER'S PORTRAIT SKETCH OF HIMSELF, 1824 EXAMPLE OF TURNER’S MAP-MAKING; TOUR OF 1839 PAGE OF MANUSCRIPT RECORD; TOUR OF 1839 PAGE OF EXPENSE ACCOUNT; TOUR OF 1839 MARTIGNY, 1839 MARKET-PLACE, NORWICH, ENGLAND, 1837 TURKISH PORTER CARRYING TURNER'S LUGGAGE, 1844 HIGH STREET, SALISBURY, ENGLAND, 1828 BRIDGE OF TOURS, 1838 BLIND BEGGAR WITH GUIDE, 1821 GRAND OPERA HOUSE, PARIS, 1833 THE SNUFF TAKER, 1843 _ COPY OF SELF-PORTRAIT OF HANS HOLBEIN, 1842 CONTINENTAL SCENE, 1834 SHIP ASHORE ON NORTHERN ENGLISH COAST, 1841 TURNER'S LAST KNOWN DRAWING BRADING, ISLE OF WIGHT, OCTOBER, 1851 The illustration on title-page ITALIAN FLUTE-PLAYER is by Turner and bears the date of 1843. NIPRIMRASUAINASRPSNAINAN APNE PNAS FACING PAGE 11g 11g 122 123 127 129 131 133 135 135 137 139 141 141 141 143 145 149 ey ; Pay: ° * eK THE UNKNOWN TURNER FOREWORD eee “The author has something to say which he perceives to be true and useful, or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows, no one has yet said it; so far as he knows, no one else can say it. He is bound ¢o say it; clearly and melodiously, if he may; clearly, at all ” events. JOHN RUSKIN. “Every one who takes Turner for his subject and brings to the matter either sympathetic insight or critical experience, or both, or even eyes to see, may thereby help to a wider understanding of his genius.” FRANCES TYRRELL-GILL. Why this new work on Turner, when the ground is supposed to have been exhaustively covered by so many able writers, including John Ruskin, Sir Walter Armstrong, Cosmo Monkhouse, P. G. Hamerton, Sir Edward T. Cook, C. Lewis Hind, A. J. Finberg, Sir Theodore A. Cook, Sir Charles Holmes, Walter Thornbury, Sir Frederick Wedmore, C. F. Bell, W. L. Wyllie, R. A., and C. A. Swinburne? The answer will be found in the words above quoted from Ruskin and Mrs. Gill. As a result of long study, painstaking research, and a fortunate discovery, I have acquired knowledge of certain important facts regarding the life and work of Turner, hitherto unknown and unrecorded. They are matters of fact and not merely suppositions. Having stood the severest tests which I have been able to apply, they are now deemed worthy of submission to the public. Because of the rather startling revelations involved, some readers may cherish doubts and misgivings. This would occasion no surprise, for I re- member the old adage, “Truth seldom goes without a scratched face.” If I were myself amazed at the discoveries, I can well understand how others may be similarly affected at the disclosures. It is not the object of this writing to provoke controversy, though it is, of course, impossible to present such an array of new evidence, much of it THE UNKNOWN TURNER in distinct variance with the writings of others, without the possibility of a “come-back”’ from some one or more of those whose statements and deduc- tions are now for the first time questioned. I fully realise that if the discoveries I have been privileged to make had been theirs, instead of mine, they would have been incorporated in their own writings years ago, and no excuse would have existed for my appearance on the scene. No attempt will be made to “explain” Turner’s art, for two reasons: (1) most writers on Turner have already explained it—to their own complete satisfaction; (2) I am not competent for the task, even were it explainable— which it is not. My main purpose is to reveal to others in the clearest possible way such facts as I have been enabled to gather during many years of study and re- search, and which will, I hope, not only throw new light on many of the per- plexing problems which have confronted all serious students of the master’s life and work, but also lead to an even greater appreciation of the marvellous art of the one concerning whom more has been written than any other modern artist, and yet concerning whom so much still is unknown and needs to be revealed. | The present work does not pretend to give more than a mere indication of the results of my labour. It may justly claim to have furnished clews which if faithfully and carefully followed will prove helpful to future biog- raphers and students of Turner. The material which has largely served as a basis for this publication is still available for examination and study. It will be noted that throughout this work I have continually referred to “my collection” and have used other phrases of similar import. It is proper to state that the bulk of my personal collection of Turner’s work has been disposed of by me to my valued friend, Charles T. Lark, of New York, and his associates, who plan to make the same available to selected American art museums, from time to time, thus preserving it measurably intact as a collection. This will make known for the first time to the American people the work of that supreme master of art in his best mediums of expression. The illustrations in this volume are, with two exceptions, made from drawings and sketches in my own collection. They are all by Turner, and not one of them has been previously reproduced, to my knowledge. They have not been chosen solely on account of their beauty or quality, but because they also offer appropriate and fitting illustrations to the text and display the remarkable variety of subject-matter covered by Turner in his work. THE MAN TURNER tees ¢,22)|HE genius and primacy of Joseph Mallord William Turner in *| the realm of art is universally conceded. Many of the numerous biographers of his career and exposi- tors of his art bear well-known names, and their painstaking work, on such material as was then available for use, presented from so many different angles, is worthy of generous commendation. Briefly, it may be well to recall to mind the essential facts regarding the great artist, which these writers have unearthed and presented to us. Turner is generally believed to have been born in London on April 23, 1775, though he himself claimed 1773 as the year of his birth. His father, born in Devonshire, kept a barber-shop in London. His mother was an invalid during much of her life. Her maiden name was Mary Ann Marshall. The boy had little, but probably sufficient, schooling. The fundamental elements of art and architecture were imparted to him by competent teachers. He made copies of sketches when only ten years old, and laboured con- tinuously for sixty-six years. He worked with remarkable rapidity, and his output was larger in quantity than that of any other artist known. He lived in or near London all his life, and travelled extensively in his own and other countries. He would go away for months at a time, and not even his most intimate friends were informed of his departure, whereabouts, doings, or return. He wrote few letters, and is supposed to have kept no written record of his many journeys—but more of this anon. He was unmarried, eccentric, and inclined to “‘put his worse foot for- ward.” He possessed an abnormal secretiveness and loved to mystify people. His good deeds and characteristics largely outweighed his bad ones. Sir Walter Armstrong’s striking delineation of Turner is pertinent, and may be quoted: “‘He was impulsive, tender-hearted as a girl, extremely fond of children, sensitive to a degree, proud as a prince in exile, never able to get intimate with any man, full of the passions of virility, as strong as a cart- horse, and as industrious.” The words of J. E. Hodgson, R. A., regarding Turner’s characteristics THE UNKNOWN TURNER may also be quoted: “Turner was evidently a self-contained, taciturn, and even inarticulate man. His industry was prodigious, his mind extraordi- narily active, and controlled by intense earnestness of purpose and loftiness of aim, while it was also kept in motion by the pressure of a thousand horse- power of will.” He made use of every medium known to art, and probably painted and drew a greater variety of subjects, in a greater variety of ways, than any other artist who can be named. He died, under an assumed name, on December 19, 1851, in a house bordering on the Thames, at Chelsea, and shortly after was interred with honours, in St. Paul’s Cathedral beside the body of Sir Joshua Reynolds. THE ART OF TURNER Spee PRESENT herewith a selection made from the writings of authors of approved reputation and ability, regarding the various phases of Turner’s art, and trust that, in this concen- trated form, its importance as a representative interpretation of the work of the master will be recognised. Such striking tributes, by more than forty writers—many of national, and a few of even international eminence in their profession—could have been evoked only by an artist of compelling genius. Sir Frederich Wedmore “All things which had concerned men, great or simple, living or past, Turner took into his art with the inclusiveness of Shakespeare. “His genius made his knowledge his servant and helper. It supplied and fed him; it never mastered him: so that he did not make transcripts—he recorded impressions, and these were infinite as facts. “He knew precisely how to abstract, how to select. Of this or that scene of beauty or grandeur he gave not all its detail, but such as might help you to realise it; of this or that scene of beauty or grandeur, his glorified im- pression; of this or that scene of natural desolation or human poverty— still, his vivid impression; of each particular scene in nature, in history, in contemporary life, he conveyed his personal sense, emphasising and reiter- ating, much as Dickens did, for this British public, the facts that he had known and received.” Charles Alfred Swinburne “Tt was the same with Turner’s delineation of angry seas and storms. “All previous representations of such seas and the mighty ocean were mere conventional types, mere indications. “The mighty upheavals of the earth and of the waters were left for this master to depict for the first time, and his representations of them stand alone in the wide world of art.” THE UNKNOWN TURNER NRANWAN NANA PNA NENG PN APNG ENON GERD IRSINARRA ANDI RABAS RANA NENA NUP NUP NUP RELY APR SERU PRS PR YR SMNAMAPRRASAPNNANES NANA NUS NUP Nu PPAR UPADP RDM RAERAMRAMAS NAD IAP NAAN AS NOP NP RUN WP NV PRU PN APRN RR Dutton Cook “Tt would be difficult to conceive any one endowed with a keener sensi- bility to colour, or with a more devotional love for its glories; it would be equally hard to estimate the enhancement of the worth of English art effected by the colour of Turner. “Tt should be remembered that he appeared at a time when coldness of tone was almost a fashion in painting. The chilliness of the shadows of Law- rence and his followers was remarkable. “Turner raised the chord of colour a whole octave, illustrating one art by the terms of another.” J. E. Hodgson, Rs A. “Wherever Turner went, his pencil, with a deftness and certainty bred of constant. practice, was tracing the forms of nature, eliminating, as by instinct, what was accidental and unimportant, whilst it recorded all that was characteristic and essential. “What distinguishes him from every other painter is that, in all his con- stant intercourse with nature, he never for one single instant forgot art. Everything he did, to the hastiest pencil scratch, underwent transformation in the doing; it was disintegrated and recombined with an organic whole. “Tn the National Gallery there are, let us say, many hundreds of sketches by him, and there is not one which does not suggest the elements of a com- pleted picture. But unfortunately in his completed pictures there is not always the charm suggested by his sketches.” “It was not necessary for Ruskin in order to enhance the fame of Tur- ner to detract from the true merits of others; but it seems to us established beyond contention, on the evidence of his life-work, that Turner’s imagina- tion, in depth, variety, and scope, far exceeded that of any other landscape- painter.” “He combined in his practice the excellencies of many schools, but founded none. He was too many-sided, his imagination was too discursive, and the range of his achievement too vast, to admit of followers; he stands alone, as such men always do, a solitary beacon, a Pharos shining through the darkness of history, and we can discern none like him.” THE ART (OFS TURNER NASWANRANCANENSIN GENE EN UPN GNU PNGTNDBNABAIRRAMAD BAA NASNRANAE NAA NAE NUL NPN NUP UPRSPR PRA PASM AZSAS BADIA NAP NAS NOL Nal NaF NWP NUP NA ERUPAVENAPRAMA DBAS IASRAPNAP NASIR NEP NE NE Nf Nu PN oP Nu PA GPA PRS PADAA SMS, Philip Gilbert Hamerton “There is one point, and one only, in which Turner really did excel the artists of all time, and that is in his appreciation of mystery in nature, and his superlatively exquisite rendering of it.” e ° e ° e . e ° ° “Of all artists who ever lived, I think it is Turner who treated the vignette most exquisitely.” C.. Lewis Hind “Turner closed the doors of the past and opened the gates of the future. “He is the real parent of the modern movement in landscape-painting— the great experimenter and pioneer. “Hardly a landscape has been painted since his day, from the sparkle of Monet to the tone of Whistler, but hints, and more, may be found in the colossal and wide-reaching work of this man—this magician, Turner.” Cosmo Monkhouse ““Amongst Turner’s more obvious claims to the first place among land- scape-artists are his power of rendering atmospherical effects and the structure and growth of things. He not only knew how a tree looked, but he showed how it grew. “Others may have drawn foliage with more habitual fidelity, but none ever drew trunks and branches with such knowledge of their inner life. “Others have drawn the appearance of clouds, but Turner knew how they formed. “Others have drawn rocks, but he could give their structure, consist- ency, and quality of surface, with a few deft lines and a wash. “Others could hide things in a mist, but Turner could reveal things through mist. “No landscape-painter has equalled Turner in range, in imagination, or sublimity. “His technique in water-colours was supreme.” THE UNKNOWN TURNER IMPNAPRAPNARRARRAMAAMRANNAN APNEA NUL VPM UPN UPR DPN SER APNAPRAPRANNARNANAP IAP IAS IPN UP NPN E EPR APNDPRAPNABRAMRANNAN ASSAD SEP NUPNUPN UPN UPN GENDER SPR APRAMNAPRANNDSNAMAD IRAE N ED NAD NaF Na PND PNUPNAPRIBRAMN DM Re Sir Charles Holmes “In studying Turner’s work in chronological sequence, we are frequently surprised to find pictures that seem either precocious or belated. “Comparatively late in life he will return under some momentary im- pulse to his early manner, while the broad and glowing products of his old age are occasionally anticipated while the artist is still in the prime of life; and with apparently no thought of the radical change in aim and method which such pioneer experiments foreshadowed.” e e e ° ° . . ° “Turner’s water-colour sketches made for his own pleasure seldom or never exhibit those debauches of vermilion, gamboge, and emerald green which disturb his later works in oil.” John Ruskin “None before Turner had lifted the veil from the face of nature; the majesty of the hills and forests had received no interpretation; and the clouds passed unrecorded from the face of the heaven which they adorned and the earth to which they ministered.” Josiah Gilbert “Turner took possession of the world of atmosphere: all the skyey vault to its uttermost recesses, its openings into the heart of heaven, its infinite gradations both of light and colour, the tender veilings of cloud and their wind-borne masses—all the region of the air and the glory of it—was his, as none had ever possessed it before; distance with its unsearchableness, its innumerable hints and faint suggestions—distance with its ineffable charm— was rendered by him as by none other. “All the witchery of water, in stream or river, lake or ocean, was at his command. “He knew how to avail himself of the utmost grace of form to be found in hill, mountain, and tree; and with unparalleled skill could work all these materials into one complex but exquisitely perfect scene. “There are, we may admit, many and grievous inequalities, deficiencies, faults, in Turner’s work; but he has grasped the master-key, and whoso- ever would penetrate by the way of pictorial art into the shrine of nature’s symbolism, must take that key and enter by his door.” ei tta A Ree OR CUR NOR R MONON MND NESE MLN INI NSHNINGENGENAENGPNSENGENGENUNIAAL SNP ALNGDNGENGENGH NAP NMPNSEAAPASTASPASTNINADNAY TAPAS Nu NUPNGPAWFLGPRAANSPNARADROPMA/NOPNO/TA/MLA NOM uP NAP SGPAVPGPLIALIRUIALAA/Ma/ ty Sir Walter Armstrong “Turner feels, and makes us feel, the solidity beneath, on which he lays the successive vestures provided by the ages, with a delicacy and tenderness approached by no one else. “Let your fancy cut a section through one of his painted hillsides, and your mind’s eye will see the strata laid bare as they would be in a real trench dug with a spade. “Your imagination will not be arrested at the surface of the canvas. It will be encouraged to follow those pines to their roots in the sandy detritus, those porticoes to their foundations on the live rock, those lakes and pools down to the beds they have been coaxing out for themselves ever since the earth’s crust shook into its present form. “Turner brought more knowledge of nature, and more dexterity of hand to the service of art than any landscape-painter before his time or since. Robert de la Sizxeranne “Turner’s first manner: Nature as the masters saw it; second manner: Nature as he saw it himself; third manner: Nature as he wished to see it. “These three stages are normal and necessary, but it is the second— that of direct observation—which enriches the patrimony of art; this it is which gave to Turner all his strength, and gave him, too, the elements of his originality. “This originality is the chief characteristic of his works, and at the first glance the world and nature and life appear before us revived.” Sir Theodore A. Cook “Faultless in colour according to their aim, Turner’s drawings are based on an intense study of nature, which realises that beauty and character are higher requirements in art than even truth, and which results in the triumphant exposition of a light and shade which (for the first time in water- colour) are as true when you are close to the picture as when you are ata distance from it. “They show, as nothing else in Turner’s art can show, that he under- stood, in all their range, the possibilities of noble emotion which exist in landscape, and the channels through which such emotion can be transferred to all who see his pictures.” THE UNKNOWN TURNER Pisa is Tin Vid til Vil tool bel Tel el tel el a AAALAC el ete TAA A eal el Cee ee a eee eA eel ee Cel ed el el Ld Walter Shaw Sparrow “Remark too the wondrous diversity of Turner’s sympathy for all kinds of landscapes, and do not lose sight of that constant habit of mind which caused him to sweeten and complete his work with human joys, sorrows, sports, little comedies, and brisk occupations. “It is rare that we come upon a single picture of any importance in which there is not a companionable human interest.” James Dafforne “Turner saw this world as no one else could see it who had not the same power of perception and analysis; where most eyes would perceive in a tract of meadow-land an unvaried mass of green, he would see it broken up and diversified by a thousand tints and tones of colour. “It was by his combination of colours, and by the skilful arrangement of natural and picturesque objects, that he produced such magnificent forms and such magical effects.” “Turner never painted a picture without some other purpose than that of creating a beautiful work of art; and every figure and accessory in it may be assumed to have a meaning beyond its positive value as an adjunct to the composition.” William G. Rawlinson “Turner’s drawings, in their individuality, always stand out amongst those of other artists, however great. “The chief cause of this is hard to define, but I should say that it is because they almost invariably possess a certain quality of imaginativeness, of what is termed ‘poetry.’ ““No matter how simple was his subject, he instinctively saw it from its most beautiful, its most romantic side. “Tf it had little or no beauty or romance of its own, he would still throw an indefinable charm round it by some gleam of light, some veiling mist, some far-away distance, some alluring sense of mystery, of infinity.” Io CONTINENTAL CATHEDRAL, 1838 inches ight 10 hes by he Original, width 7 inc THE ART OF TURNER NONLIN APSA AILS ANAS ALRN NER EN INSINGNINININGL NAD NGINUINGPNGENSENGINGPNGFNGANAAAMAINSI NNN Uff GPAVFYVFVAPAGPNAPVIFOAEAINA NIN PNUD NG NuP NET aP hat vate W.L. Wyllie, R. A. “What, then, do we admire in Turner’s work? And why do we place him in the very front of all as a painter? “I think the real secret of his power lies in his knowledge of what is essential to the making of pure art. He knew exactly what to do so that his work should appeal to the mind. He suggested the beauty of nature and its infinity, without trying to make an actual copy. “Never has the profusion and never-ending variety of this wonderful world of ours been brought to our senses as perfectly as in the immeasurable stretches of hill and dale, winding river, and pale, far-distant ocean of Tur- ner’s dreamy visions.” Richard Redgrave “Tn oil, Turner had the body of ancient art before him, and great masters of execution in almost every varied style. “But in water-colour, what was there in the beginning to guide him— what had he to adopt—what to improve upon? The art all but began with him; weak and feeble, in its very childhood, hardly a resource had been invented by which to express the wonderful qualities which nature presents to the artist’s eye, and which Turner, more especially, was gifted to perceive. “Nature revealed to him a flood of atmospheric light, a world of in- finitely tender gradations, so minute as to be almost unappreciable by other men and such as it seemed hopeless to realise by the practice which then prevailed; he had therefore to invent his own methods.” Prof. William Knight “His artistic memory was marvellous, both as to form and colour, and it would sometimes seem that he could summon up from the ‘vasty deep’ as many things as Shakespeare’s gigantic memory could, and utilise them nearly as well; but—and here we see the hand of the master—he made wise choice from that storehouse of memory; and, as in the sister art of literary composition, it was by what he left out, and in that to which he gave no expression, that we see the hand of the master.” II THE UNKNOWN TURNER RAPAPRAPMAP SANA Mal Na Mul ef UPR SPR UPR DPR SPR SPO PMASERANE/NA LANE / RUPE NUE MENA PRSPNAERAPRAERAMRAIRANEINES NA NUPNUL AUER UPN AFRSFRABN ABR IBA SAS SASSOPSAA NUL NA/ NUP NUPNUERGERGPRGENAENABRAERA BRANES SU S™ W. M. Rossetti “‘T have no occasion to enlarge upon the character of Turner’s art and the quality of his pictorial genius. They transcend in scope, range of sym- pathy, human feeling, beauty, majesty, truth, depth, infinity—in every mental and one may broadly say almost every pictorial and executive quality—all previous and succeeding landscape-painters and landscape art put together. “Tt is not only a great thing achieved, but a real phenomenon—a reveal- ing of higher capacity in man, in a particular field of effort, than was yet known to be within the limits of nature.” Harry Townend “An estimate of Turner in the light of modern painting may be sum- marised by calling attention to the qualities in which he is still unsurpassed; the intellectual force of his design; the emotional suggestion of his colour; the fertility of his invention; and his pictorial power of combining them into unity. “Tn addition, a study of his whole production will reveal the principles which still remain the unshakable foundations of the art of painting.” Robert Chignell ‘A drawing of a Swiss scene may be noticed as an example of the mar- vellous delicacy and minuteness of Turner’s work. Measuring only three inches by two and a half, every feature of the country is represented. Less than two inches serve to carry the eye over fifty miles of space. “To describe the delicate minuteness, combined with breadth of effect of the drawing would be impossible. Unless the working out of the details is actually seen and examined, no one would credit that human sight and touch were fine enough to accomplish such results. All Turner’s vignettes excite the same feeling of wonder and admiration.” e e ° ° e e e “Those who not unworthily have represented the great British School of landscape-painting, from his day to this, have stood before his canvases, wrapped in admiration and wonder, and one and all have expressed their thought in the happy phrase used by John Gibson Lockhart in his reply to Sir Walter Scott, ‘The World has only ove Turner.’ ”’ 12 soyout gt JYySioy Aq soyout 61 YIpPIM “euIsUC orgrt S‘awvo avaa THE ART OF TURNER SEES a Mec NEES SLONEINISSASS ISRUSNPXWERTAGE WE SUENSENZPNGINGPCUSUANAPSAASNPNN/YA/NGF Vu Pu? Uf WZPRGPNGFASEA AEGAN ESUZSQ/AN/NNASGP n/ uf Nu Ou? NOP AAPAGP LAMA IPA IAG AA /OAPMAPNAFAAP uP AUT NaP orc Edmund Oller “Turner was emphatically a poet. He perceived the mystery of things— the beauty that is intangible—the power that is divine. “This is the very essence of poetry, and Turner had the glorious privi- lege in no common measure. “If he were treating an ordinary scene on the river or the seashore, he contrived by some subtlety of atmosphere, some wonder of cloud and moon- light, some pathos of declining day or golden apparition of the dawn, to lift the whole out of the region of transitory into that of immortal truth. “He saw with the inner as well as the outer eye; and the world was transfigured by a genius which beheld it in so strange and exalting a light.” Sir Edward T. Cook “Turner not only saw nature in its truth and beauty, but he saw it in relation and subjection to the human soul. This is what makes his works so picturesque, the essence of which is a sublimity not inherent in the thing depicted, but caused by something external to it, especially by the expression of suffering, pathos, or decay. “Tt is the depth and breadth of his sympathy with the spirit of the things he depicted that make Turner’s landscapes so great. “The fact remains incontestable that the works of Turner are among the brightest and the most distinctive glories of British art.” Ernest Chesneau “He has attempted and mastered every enchanting effect, intricacy, and radiance of light, although at times he has been sorely baffled. “From the pale gleams of twilight and gray dawn breaking in the east over the dark earth to the dazzling rays of the setting sun, firing the rest- less waves, it is one unbroken series of marvels: Venetian views, English coasts, cathedrals, castles, forests, mountains, peaceful lakes, stormy seas, ships in distress, naval battles, fleets in full sail, the seashore at low tide, interiors, reception-halls, anatomical and ornithological studies, animals, architecture—both genuine and fanciful—plants, insects, and flowers—it is a perfect fairyland, a world in which transplendent reality and ardent fancy are blended and interwoven into a harmonious whole, teeming with life and movement. Turner was an artist of sublime genius.” T$ THE UNKNOWN TURNER WAN OP AANA NLA A Na Na P Na E Na PARANA RSPR AIRS PRSMRANAANAS NAS NaS NAL NaS NE NaF NUE Na PNB PRP RAR APR SMRSMASMASMRSSAPNAL NAS Naf uP Nal NaF uP NUE NUP Ra PRS PRAPRAARDRASRRANRANAP SEAN NAS NUE Na RP Nal RP Rul Pa Alexander J. Finberg “Parts of Turner’s work are like Shakespeare’s, incorrect, capricious, and wanton. Like Shakespeare his imagination was crowded with a tumul- tuous confusion of images. “He had all Shakespeare’s reckless and unquestioning confidence in himself and in his own powers, so that his work often seems vehement and negligent. “But if he had Shakespeare’s faults he had also much of Shakespeare’s greatness. “We have only to change the word poet to painter to apply Dryden’s encomium of Shakespeare to him: ‘When he describes anything, you more than see it, you feel it too. . . He is always great when some great occasion is presented to him.’” Walter Emsley “If to give intense esthetic pleasure to humanity, to educate and up- lift, to create a keener perception of beauty, to call attention to the ravish- ing and hitherto unseen aspects of natural landscape—the ephemeral, the mysterious, and the accidental—to set these beautiful things down beauti- fully in the language of the painter, for all men and forever—if this is not a poet’s work, I do not know the meaning of poetry.” J. E. Phythian “One often asks oneself if any one but Turner has ever painted the mountains. “Let the question stand, not to be answered in any absolute way in his favour, but as a witness to the strength of the impression his mountain work makes upon us. “The majesty of the mountains, their effect of giant power in repose, their solemn grandeur when darkened by the clouds, their glorious beauty when the sun illumines them, how at one time they seem to threaten us with a crushing weight that will annihilate our very being, and at another they draw our spirits up towards God and heaven—surely all this has never been expressed as fully by any one as by Turner.” e ° e . . . . e e ; e “Turner could express in inches a sense of space and grandeur that art- ists of no mean capacity could not give with feet of canvas to work upon.” 14 ati es ARIPO TU RN E R SANNA CINAINNEN GEN GEN GENGENGENAPNSING®NATNISNISNINGIN ENGIN ALN UANUFNEN GENER GPNABNDBNSBRASUAMEANOANN/ MANA NUL NFL UP SERIE UPNIBRABRABNINUINGINAINA/ NAP MEA NL Val uF uF NGPAGEN SENZA SEA SINGS William Bell Scott “If a hundred pictures by Corot were collected together they would be found to be all according to one motif, but a hundred by Turner are a hun- dred efforts of genius, a hundred different combinations of art and of thought. “Consider the range of his practice, extending to all countries, and to all the kingdoms of nature, sea and sky, mountain and moor, city and waste. “Another criterion of greatness, that of productiveness, bears out Tur- ner’s supremacy.” W.M. Thackeray “It is not given to all to understand; but at times we have glimpses of comprehension, and in looking at such pictures as Turner’s ‘Fighting Té- méraire’ for instance, we admire (and can scarce find words adequate to express our wonder) the stupendous skill and genius of this astonishing master. “Turner gleans sublimity from the whole continent, and when satiated with that, rests in more quiet scenes of our shores, glens, and mountains. “There are works of his which seem to us to give him the very foremost place of the landscape-artists—epic works, so to speak—the greatest in aim, the greatest in art, the greatest in truth to nature.” A. P. Oppé “From the middle period onward there is scarcely a trick or device known to water-colour men before and after, which Turner did not employ. They are fully summarised by Mr. C. F. Bell. “Perhaps when they are analysed not one of his devices was absolutely new—conceivably some improvement in the manufacture of paper may at an early date have given him more consistently a satisfactory ground on which to work, as later an accident gave Cox his opportunity—but in their totality they formed an instrument as fresh and surprising as the visual comprehension which summoned them into being. “Chiefly they consisted in a development of the touching stroke which is as inevitable and ancient a method in water-colour drawing as the flat wash with which it is contrasted, and by means of these in different colours and on differently toned grounds Turner was able to represent the multi- tude of effects which spring from the coloured quality of light.” 15 THE UNKNOWN TURNER ATT a AAA IATIALIAL IACI lal eae a AAA AIA IAA iil RTA ALTALIALIATIAL IA LT il Vil iol il tial TAL ATA ATIATIAL IAT ICV LY il el Tiel al aL AT ALATA IAT al W. Roberts “Many a drawing by Turner may disconcert us by its accretions and its multiplicity, dissipating the strong impress of a single emotion, though every part of the whole may fill us with admiration for that magical hand, always at the service of an astounding knowledge; for Turner’s stupendous talent often obstructs and misleads his genius. “Yet, say what his detractors will, you cannot generalise about his faults. Name any one, and it will be easy to find not one but many a draw- ing to refute it.” J. Comyns Carr “Tf Turner’s fame as a painter in oils should suffer any diminution, it will be because as a colourist he never achieved in that medium the same unassailable position that belongs to him as a painter in water-colour. “Nothing, surely, can surpass the tenderness and refinement of his vision or the subtlety of his manipulative skill in the interpretation of the varying moods of Nature which the best of his water-colour drawings display. “Even the imposing personality of Turner would be shorn of half its glory—certainly in so far as his claims as a colourist are concerned—were it not for the unapproachable beauty of his water-colour drawings.” John Burnet “In the composition of his skies, Turner is more original than any other painter, and makes a greater use of the firmament to ennoble and embellish the landscape than has been adopted before. If the scene is bald, we per- ceive his skies rich with a multiplicity of beautiful forms; if, on the other hand, the piece contains many objects, he uses the sky as a background for repose. “Those lines in the landscape which are of an objectionable shape, he loses in the darks of his clouds, or breaks down their harshness by extension or repetition of the several forms; those lines characteristic of the place, or possessing an agreeable form, he brings into notice by opposition of light.” 16 eA Role OF fivtiR N ER DaArAriariarl WATT el aaa ALIA ATIALAT AVY Y Ll al Paleo P RIAL Letter (1877) addressed to Sir Coutts Lindsay after he had founded the Grosvenor Gallery, London (translated): “A group of French painters, united by the same esthetic tendencies, struggling for ten years against convention and routine to bring back art to the scrupulously exact observation of nature; applying themselves with passion to the rendering of reality of form in movement as well as to the fugitive phenomena of light, cannot forget that they have been preceded in this path by a great master of the English school, the illustrious Turner.” JOHN LEWIS BROWN. PISSARO. BOUDIN. RENOIR. DEGAS. SISLEY. CLAUDE MONET. MAD ’LLE CASSATT. MADAME MORISOT MONET. 17 A DISCOVERY AND ITS AFTERMATH plete #02] BEGAN to gather drawings thirty-five years ago, and later E*| made the important discovery that one of them bore Turner’s e.| signature and the date, in a place and manner that clearly =akt| indicated his intention to have it remain hidden. It being ™! one of a group of about twenty drawings, I made a careful examination of them all, and found the signatures and dates on every one, and in hidden places. This led me to make an intensive study of Turner’s work and methods in connection with his drawings and sketches, and incidentally of his hand- writing, as I found he had written the titles, as well as his signatures, on all of the drawings in the group referred to. Then I examined every item in my own collection which seemed, even remotely, to answer to his work, and found many; and from them obtained valuable clews to others. Having satisfied myself that I was in possession of a key that might unlock the hidden treasures of Turner’s art, I determined to make a thor- ough and systematic search in Great Britain for his drawings and sketches, having quickly and conclusively demonstrated to my own mind the fact that the great collection in the National Gallery comprised only about one- half of the number which Turner must have made. This search has occupied my time for a quarter of a century, and the results have been surprisingly great. I secured a large number of’ Turner’s own sketch-books and albums, together with many groups of drawings made by him for special patrons, which they had placed in bound volumes. Besides these, I secured a very large number of drawings and sketches, separate and in groups. A detailed record of them has been made. My success in obtaining such a remarkable subject-variety of Turner’s work is largely due to clews obtained from examinations of his personal albums, which came into my possession. Through these mediums I learned of his having painted and drawn an 18 A DISCOVERY AND ITS AFTERMATH DOLLS INENERNENERENE SANYAL SISA GANAAERSERSNSNDENSIOD NISSDINDINL SAA NGS APNG PRGPNGPNAPASASAADAAUANONN/ UPN /NAPAXf LAP \GPLGLAPAGHAATAAIA/NAINO/NA/NAPNuPNuPuPRsP Lae astonishing variety of subjects and objects, which were new revelations of Turner’s marvellous and all-embracing art. I found that the same brain and hand which evolved and executed “The F ighting Téméraire” was also re- sponsible for a series of comic sketches, a street representation of “Punch and Judy,” and a design for wall-paper! I cannot too strongly emphasise the fact that no undue dependence has been placed by me upon the discovery that Turner had placed a hidden sig- nature and date on every drawing and sketch that he ever made. I have found them on thousands—not only on those in my own collec- tion but also on examples in the National Gallery, Tate Gallery, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Oxford and Cambridge Universi- ties, Manchester Whitworth Institute, and others, besides many in private possession. The drawings as such have always received primary consideration; the signature and date secondary. My judgment of the drawings as being, or not being, Turner’s work, has in all cases determined my decision whether I should look for the signatures and dates as confirmatory of it. The most painstaking care has been taken in the ascertainment of facts and the weighing of evidence. No scientific investigator in his laboratory has more severely tested his own deductions in his desire for the attainment of exactness and the avoidance of error than I in my efforts definitely to determine whether a given drawing or sketch was, or was not, the work of Turner. I have been my own severest critic, and no drawing nor sketch has passed into my Turner collection, bearing my mark of approval, without having undergone as searching a test as it was possible to make. An occa- sional error may have been made, and may be discovered—the finder will not more heartily rejoice over the discovery than myself—but I believe the number, if any, will prove exceedingly small. All genuine lovers of Turner’s art will rejoice at any attempt, however imperfect, by any individual, to shed additional light on the complex prob- lems of his life and genius. From such sources intelligent and unbiassed criticism may be expected, and will be heartily welcomed. Unhappily, members of an entirely different tribe continue to exist, and they may be depended on to pick flaws in the work of another—largely because it 7s the work of another. It must be borne in mind that the statements of fact made in this vol- ume are not dependent on one man’s opinion or another’s. Fortunately there are tangible exhibits in the case. The drawings and sketches are available for examination. The hidden signatures and dates are there. I have found thousands of them, and can name many persons who have under my guidance, found them also. 19 THE UNKNOWN TURNER PTIVIIVIIVLIVAIVAITAITATTATATIATIATIATIAN IAT id tin tid Pal at Th al Cal AIA TAT ACATIA TA iat Ca ala aL RUA ALAR a a ih ied ib aaa ie iia A complete and comprehensive biography of Turner cannot now be written, if the vital facts revealed in this work are ignored. The basis of my collection has been threefold: 1. Turner’s work, as I have learned to recognise it. 2. Turner’s handwriting, varying with periods and occasions. 3. Turner’s hidden signatures and dates. When either his work alone, or both his work and his handwriting have unmistakably appeared on a drawing or sketch, I have then—and only then —made search for the signature, in confirmation of my judgment. 20 Ph he Mh. CEE BIT CHIMING TOF SS), OlUN Scag BRAN OMB, 181g inches 1, width 14 inches by height g 1 igina Or TURNER’S DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES RECORDED AND UNRECORDED See 22821 Y the terms of his will Turner left his finished pictures to the B*| National Gallery, but made no mention whatever of the large Fal collection of drawings and sketches—over 19,000 in number | —which were found in his house in Queen Anne Street. ee On legal grounds his will was refused probate, and, as the result of what was virtually a compromise, his estate, totalling £140,000, was divided among his relatives, the National Gallery, and the Royal Academy. The drawings and sketches were allotted to the National Gallery. It seems clear that, with certain few exceptions, Turner was always ready to sell his pictures to anybody who would purchase them—and did so. The exceptions probably included: paintings which he had previously determined to present to the nation; groups of drawings (like the French Rivers series) which he believed should be kept together, and which he had previously stipulated should be returned to him by the engravers; those of his sketch-books, of a personal character, containing his verses, accounts, and memoranda; and certain drawings probably made for his own satisfaction and enjoyment. With these exceptions, it seems probable that the huge collection of drawings and sketches in the National Gallery comprises the unsold portion of his work, which had steadily accumulated on his hands since his boyhood days. Regarding these drawings and sketches, and their condition when found, Mr. Ruskin has written as follows: “In seventeen boxes in the lower room of the National Gallery I found upward of 19,000 pieces of paper, drawn upon by Turner in one way or another—many on both sides. Some with four, five, or six subjects on each side (the pencil-point digging spiritedly through from the foregrounds of the front into the tender pieces of sky on the back). Some in chalk, which the touch of the finger would sweep away. The best book of studies for his great shipwrecks contained about a quarter of a pound of chalk debris, black and white, broken off the crayons with which Turner had drawn furiously on both sides of the leaves; every leaf, with peculiar foresight and considera- 21 THE UNKNOWN TURNER tion of difficulties to be met by future mounters, containing half of one sub- ject on the front of it, and half of another on the back. Others in ink, rotted into holes. Others (some splendid-coloured drawings among them) long eaten away by damp and mildew and falling into dust at the edges, in various states of fragile decay. Others worm-eaten; some mouse-eaten; many torn half-way through; numbers doubled (quadrupled, I should say), into four, being Turner’s favourite mode of packing for travelling; nearly all rudely flattened out from the bundles in which Turner had finally rolled them up and squeezed them into the drawers in Queen Anne Street. Dust of thirty years’ accumulation, black, dense, and sooty, lay in the rents of the crushed and crumpled edges of these flattened bundles, looking like a jagged black frame, and producing altogether unexpected effects in brilliant portions of skies, whence an accidental or experimental finger-mark of the first bundle-unfolder had swept it away. “About half, or rather more, of the entire number, consisted of pencil- sketches in flat, oblong pocketbooks, dropping to pieces at the back, tearing laterally whenever opened, and every drawing rubbing itself into the one opposite. These first I paged with my own hand, then unbound, and laid every leaf separately on a clean sheet of perfectly smooth writing-paper, so that it might receive no further injury. Then, inclosing the contents and boards of each book (usually ninety-two leaves, more or less, drawn on both sides, with two sketches on the boards at the beginning and end) in a separate sealed packet, I returned it to its tin box. The loose sketches needed more trouble. The dust had first to be got off them (from the chalk ones it could only be blown off), then they had to be variously flattened; the torn ones to be laid down, the loveliest guarded so as to prevent all future friction, and four hundred of the most characteristic framed and glazed and cabi- nets constructed for them, which would admit of their free use by the public.” Mr. Ruskin divided them into three classes, according to quality: in the first were the Rivers of France (45), Rogers’s Poems (57), Rivers and Har- bours of England (23), and a few others, 135 in all. There were 1757 studies in the second class, and in the third were the drawings in black and white, some of them drawn from nature and others compositions for pictures. The third class evidently comprised nine-tenths of the entire collection. 22 TURNER'S DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES MRANNANGINAA NUH NGA NWENGENGERGPAAPAAPRATARAANALNO/ NA NAL NAL NUANUPNGFRGPAYPRAPNUBRDMRAMAI NOD NGA NAA NUP NUS NAP NAENUEASFRMFAZARZPAAMAANAAANANA/NG/ AANA Nil Sul NuPNUPRUFAGPASAASMASBAZIA AAAS NGS Nel Mud Nut ut Through the medium of Mr. Finberg’s inventory of the drawings and sketches in the National Gallery, we have a detailed record of what is there. Let us now endeavour to find out what is mot there, but somewhere else. . They may be divided into four sections: . Those in public museums and galleries. . Those in known private collections. . Those in the hands of dealers. . Those in unknown private collections. BW WH -» Section Ove includes the collections in the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Whitworth In- stitute, Manchester, and many others. I can give the names of a number of well-known art-galleries having Turner’s drawings on exhibition, but which are attributed to other artists. Section Two is, doubtless, well covered in Mr. Edward Dillon’s list, incorporated in Sir Walter Armstrong’s “Turner.” The list comprises 1222 water-colours (including museum collections), but none in other mediums. Section THreE. Not a large number, but not negligible. I could name a dealer who has a considerable number of Turner’s draw- ings in his stock but is unaware of the fact. I passed them by because of the lack of proper proportion between their quality and importance and the prices asked for them. Had he known them to be by Turner—oh, my! Many drawings by him, but wrongly attributed to other artists, have been sold by the dealers. SecTIon Four. In my opinion, the number of Turner’s unrecorded drawings and sketches in private collections approximates seventeen thou- sand. My own collection contains nearly fifteen thousand examples, and I know of many drawings by Turner in other private collections, which still remain unrecorded. There is abundant evidence of Turner’s having had a large number of private patrons during the major portion of his career. Many of their names are given by Turner himself in his sketch-books, under the caption of “Ordered Drawings’; many others are to be found on the drawings them- selves. Turner made groups, or series, of drawings for certain of his patrons, and I have evidence of it in the collections of drawings which have been 23 THE UNKNOWN TURNER obtained from various descendants of those original purchasers. Many of these groups were bound up in volumes by their owners, and now repose in my own and doubtless other collections. Turner also made up many albums and scrap-books of drawings and sketches, some of them most intimate in the nature of their contents, and they were, in time, sold by him to certain favoured patrons. It may be claimed that this is merely a matter of surmise. All I can say, with any degree of positiveness, is: I have the books; the work is Turner’s; his signature appears on the covers of many of the volumes; and every sketch and drawing in the books contain both Turner’s hidden signature and the date. 2.4 soyout 6 yysiay Aq sayour 41 YIpIM “eulsugO 64g1 ‘ANVLLOO HSTAM AO UOIUALNI ITINERARY OF TURNER’S TRAVELS tele Q2/HE advantage of a detailed chronological itinerary of Tur- “| ner’s travels, covering his entire art career, has been apparent Re| since his life was first published over sixty years ago. Some attempts have been made at it, but with little success. Mr. aeeee! Finberg made distinct advances on the problem in his “‘In- ventory,” but he suffered a great handicap in the necessity for giving only approximate dates, which are, in many cases, wide of the mark; and was also necessarily limited to the very incomplete records of Turner’s travels in the National Gallery, which formed the sole foundation for his work. I am bold enough to try my hand at it, offering it only as a basis for later ad- ditions and corrections. If I can be proved wrong in any statement, I shall be grateful to the one who will offer the correction, for I desire accuracy above all things. No place nor date has been included in this Itinerary on mere assump- tion. In every case there has been, and is, tangible evidence available in the drawings and sketches, which bear, either in Turner’s open titles and dates or in his hidden signatures and dates, reasonable and compelling grounds for every statement made. 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 Oxfordshire. 1790 ©6Gloucestershire. 1791 Sussex. Cambridgeshire. Worcestershire. Wiltshire. Wales. 1792 Gloucestershire. Worcestershire. Herefordshire. Wales. 1793 Kent. Derbyshire. Staffordshire. Cheshire. Wales. Hereford- shire. Worcestershire. Gloucestershire. Made copies only. 25 PADTAr Aly ATL Ar 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 I81I 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 THE UNKNOWN TURNER PUP APRAPNAPR ARR ARN AMY, PAINS AN INGEN GENTEN GEN AEN SEN AINAAN AEN ASAIN AN ANU PN PNP IUFOUP NUN YPN EPR SAN ABNARRSARSINAIA ANA P NUP N AUP RUP RUN VER SER SIR PASMN SIRS IA SRST A NASW NWP Nuh Cambridgeshire. Berkshire. Oxfordshire. Nottinghamshire. North- amptonshire. English Lakes. Derbyshire. Warwickshire. Lincoln- shire. Yorkshire. Lancashire. Staffordshire. Shropshire. Cheshire. Wales. English Lakes. English Lakes. English Lakes. Scotland. Yorkshire. Devonshire. Ireland. Wales. Kent. Wiltshire. Isle of Wight. Shropshire. Warwickshire. Kent. Warwickshire. Scotland. English Lakes. Oxfordshire. Kent. France. Germany. Switzerland. Italy. Kent. Sussex. Surrey. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Oxfordshire. Wiltshire. Scotland. Wales. Essex. Devonshire. Staffordshire. Hertfordshire. Yorkshire. Isle of Wight. ; Yorkshire. Somerset. Devonshire. Wales. Gloucestershire. Isle of Wight. Hampshire. Wiltshire. Herefordshire. France. Greece. Corsica. Isle of Wight. Ireland. Wales. Berkshire. Buckinghamshire. Derbyshire. Warwickshire. York- shire. Cumberland. Cornwall. Ireland. Scotland. Isle of Man. Kent. Hampshire. Dorset. Wiltshire. Devonshire. Somerset. Cornwall. Wales. Ireland. Kent. Yorkshire. Isle of Wight. Devonshire. Cornwall. Derbyshire. Kent. Sussex. Suffolk. Norfolk. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Dor- set. Devonshire. Herefordshire. Wales. Bedfordshire. Suffolk. Norfolk. Yorkshire. Lancashire. Cum- berland. Isle of Wight. Dorset. Devonshire. Herefordshire. Wales. Wales. Worcestershire. Wiltshire. Dorset. Hampshire. York- shire. Lancashire. English Lakes. Leicestershire. Berkshire. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Wiltshire. Dorset. Devonshire. Lancashire. English Lakes. Ireland. Derbyshire. Durham. Warwickshire. Yorkshire. Kent. Belgium. Hol- land. Germany. Buckinghamshire. Devonshire. Staffordshire. English Lakes. Scotland. Yorkshire. Warwickshire. Switzerland. Italy. Ger- many. Tyrol. Belgium. Holland. Kent. Buckinghamshire. Sussex. Dorset. Kent. English Lakes. Scot- land. France. Italy. 26 PUPPNAININN ANY 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 ITINERARY OF TURNER'S TRAVELS AIALIALIALIALIALLA NOPR APR APNARNAPRAIA SIN ANA ANY TADADIAT ALIA Ar ALA NAPNPPN AN PIRPEVA NAN LADTANTADIATIATIAVIAL UAT EL ELLY ltl Tal Tal LAA AACA ALATA Ati Pid il Taal y ANIA Italy. Berkshire. Hertfordshire. Wiltshire. Shropshire. Wales. Oxfordshire. Gloucestershire. Worcestershire. Hereford- shire. Buckinghamshire. Sussex. France. Belgium. Holland. Switzerland. Germany. Bohemia. Sweden. Denmark. Poland. Russia. Yorkshire. Italy. Sicily. Germany. Kent. Sussex. Gloucestershire. Wales. Devonshire. Yorkshire. Surrey. Berkshire. Oxfordshire. Warwickshire. Shropshire. Staffordshire. Wales. Gloucestershire. English Lakes. Scotland. Northumberland. Lancashire. Yorkshire. Derbyshire. Leicester- shire. Nottinghamshire. Rutlandshire. Norfolk. Cambridgeshire. Kent. Essex. Gloucestershire. Wales. Sussex. Holland. France. Germany. Kent. Herefordshire. Wales. Ireland. English Lakes. France. Belgium. Germany. Hertfordshire. Kent. Sussex. Isle of Wight. Hampshire. Glouces- tershire. Wales. Shropshire. Cornwall. Yorkshire. Kent. Sussex. Surrey. Berkshire. Oxfordshire. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Dorset. Wiltshire. Devonshire. Cornwall. Somerset. Cheshire. Gloucestershire. Worcestershire. Herefordshire. Wales. Isle of Man. Germany. Switzerland. France. Italy. Italy. Sicily. Switzerland. Turkey in Asia. Malta. Holland. Oxfordshire. Wiltshire. Wales. Somerset. Devonshire. Scotland. Isle of Skye. Isle of Mull. Middlesex. Buckinghamshire. Kent. Surrey. Sussex. Berkshire. Hampshire. Cornwall. Wales. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Devonshire. Surrey. Kent. Cam- bridgeshire. Bedfordshire. English Lakes. Lancashire. Scotland. Italy. Sussex. Kent. Essex. Yorkshire. Warwickshire. Somerset. Wales. Isle of Wight. Surrey. Isle of Wight. Hampshire. Cornwall. Wiltshire. English Lakes. France. Switzerland. Belgium. France. Italy. Sicily. Switzerland. Austria. Germany. Holland. Belgium. Cornwall. Isle of Wight. Sussex. Gloucestershire. Norfolk. Germany. Germany. Switzerland. France. Italy. Egypt. Turkey in Asia. Cambridgeshire. Gloucestershire. Kent. Italy. France. Suffolk. Warwickshire. Yorkshire. Northumber- land. Kent. Dorset. Devonshire. Somerset. Isle of Wight. Hampshire. Sussex. Essex. Surrey. Isle of Wight. Wiltshire. Wales. Sussex. Kent. France. Germany. Saxony. Switzerland. Italy. Belgium. 27 THE UNKNOWN TURNER ee aL AA AAA ALL La ea eh aA AIA AL la a aaa AAT TAT Arar alia viata Pl Pil Pl Yel Pal IATA ATTAM AT IAT iA ul Yd Vid al al 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 Italy. Switzerland. Germany. Belgium. France. Isle of Wight. Sussex. Hampshire. Devonshire. Herefordshire. Gloucestershire. English Lakes. Warwickshire. Lincolnshire. Kent. Sussex. Hampshire. Oxfordshire. Dorset. Devonshire. Gloucestershire. Herefordshire. Wales. Italy. France. Austria. Germany. Minorca. Spain. Italy. Hertfordshire. Kent. Sussex. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Wales. Lancashire. Scotland. Yorkshire. Lincolnshire. Suffolk. Cambridgeshire. Essex. Yorkshire. Oxfordshire. Hampshire. Sussex. France. Spain. Portugal. Italy. Switzerland. Germany. Belgium. Channel Islands. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Berkshire. Bucking- hamshire. Surrey. Sussex. Yorkshire. English Lakes. Wales. Gloucestershire. Worcestershire. Somerset. Devonshire. Wilt- shire. Dorset. France. Switzerland. Germany. Italy. Sicily. Dalmatia. Switzerland. France. Italy. Sicily. Greece. Albania. Turkey in Asia. Turkey in Europe. Corsica. Persia. Palestine. Isle of Wight. Dorset. Gloucestershire. Worcestershire. Wales. Somerset. Kent. Kent. Sussex. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Channel Islands. Ox- fordshire. English Lakes. Scotland. Ireland. Belgium. France. Germany. Switzerland. Yorkshire. English Lakes. Scotland. Durham. Sussex. Surrey. Hampshire. Madeira. Canary Islands. Gibraltar. Algeria. Italy. Switzerland. Germany. Belgium. Sussex. Berkshire. Scot- land. Somerset. Kent. Surrey. Hertfordshire. Oxfordshire. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Devonshire. Wales. Worcestershire. Lancashire. Isle of Man. English Lakes. Scotland. Isle of Skye. Northumberland. Yorkshire. Derbyshire. Norfolk. Essex. France. Switzerland. Italy. Italy. Switzerland. France. Kent. Buckinghamshire. Oxford- shire. Hampshire. Isle of Wight. Dorset. Devonshire. Glouces- tershire. Worcestershire. Wales. English Lakes. Devonshire. Wales. Gloucestershire. Derbyshire. Lincolnshire. Surrey. Channel Islands. Germany. Switzerland. Italy. Surrey. Devonshire. Dorset. Isle of Wight. 28 SCENE ON LAGO DI ORTA, ITALY, 1534 Original, width to inches by height 6 inches LA COUPEE, SARK, CHANNEL ISLANDS, 1843 Original, width 12 inches by height 8 inches A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF TURNER’S VISITS TO ENGLISH COUNTIES AND OTHER PARTS OF GREAT BRITAIN Bedfordshire 1815 Cheshire 1793 Devonshire 1828 1831 1794. 1829 Berkshire 1794 1828 1831 1810. =—O- Cornwall 1810 1837 1817 1811 1839 1818 1813 1840 1820 1827 1843 1824 1828 1848 1828 1830 1849 1830 1833 1850 1843 1834. 1851 1847 Derbyshire 1793 Dorset 1811 Buckinghamshire 1810 1794 1014 1818 1810 2eE5 8 1816 1819 Iol3 9 1821 1817 ae 182 ee 18 : 1828 1843 4 8 1850 1637 1849 ; 1840 Cambridgeshire I79I Devonshire en 1843 1794 x 1844 1808 1824 1849 I8II 1831 reye 1851 1836 1814 Durham 1817 1841 1815 1846 Channel Islands 1843 1817. English Lakes 1794 1845 1818 1795 1850 1823 1796 29 THE UNKNOWN TURNER AAA AAALAC ALA Us uaa aaa AAA ALAA til ia al al bt la a TAT ATA AT Aa TIA Tid ul Vid el Val el aA AAA Chak Ula aL English Lakes 1797 Hampshire 1803 Treland 1817 1801 1808 1826 1810 I8II 1845 1815 1814 Isle of Man _—1810 1816 1816 1828 1817 1817 1848 aa bees Isle of Mull 1829 1819 1828 1824 1830 Isle of Skye 1829 1826 1831 1848 1831 1833 Isle of Wight 1800 1833 1837 1803 1839 1839 1807 1843 1840 1808 1845 1841 1809 1848 1842 1812 1849 1843 1814 Essex 1804 1845) 1815 1824 1846 1817 1832 1848 1827 1837 1849 1828 1842 Herefordshire 1792 1831 1848 1793 1832 Gloucestershire 1790 1808 1833 1792 1814 1835 1793 815 137 1808 1821 aS 1821 1826 ig 1823 1828 saa 1824 1839 oa 44 1825 1840 1846 : ee Hertfordshire 1806 1848 1820 1849 1835 1836 1827 1851 1839 1841 Kent 1793 1840 1848 1798 1843 Ireland 1798 1801 1844 1809 1802 1849 1810 1803 1850 1812 I8iI 30 TURNER'S VislUSeromeENGLISH COUNTIES bah leh le CLT CATAL ANAT ATIATIAL IAL IAT LY il Tiel Yel} Ua Tal Alt TATIATIATLA ATIAT ALIA Id Vial Yl Y Leal AL TAL TALIALLAT AYA ATU Tbh Piel el Cl elt CATAL TAL LALLA Naf tur ATU hl lel Coal | PNPMNAN, AN ATALLALIAL A Kent 1812 Norfolk 1835 Shropshire 1824 1814 1848 1827 1817 Northampton 1794 Smimerser 1808 1818 = Northumberland 1824 1811 1819 1837 1828 1823 1848 1829 1824 Nee ReE ; 1832 ren ottinghamshire 1794 P 1824 1837 1627 : 1843 1828 Oxfordshire 1789 1844 1830 1794 1847 1831 1802 : 1832 1803 Staffordshire 1793 1836 1821 1794 1837 1824 baat 1838 1828 ite 1840 1829 1824 1841 1840 Suffolk 1814 1844 1842 1815 1845 1845 1837 1848 1848 1841 1849 1849 Surrey 1803 Lancashire 1794 Rutlandshire 1824 1824. I8Is 1828 ae Scotland nie 1450 181 1831 7 180 182 3 1833 “ 1810 1831 1838 1841 1818 1843 1848 be : 1846 : a 2 Leicestershire 1816 - g 1848 1824 1629 1850 PE relachi 1831 1851 I iIncoinshire ie 1841 Sussex 1791 1639 1845 1803 1841 1846 1814 1850 1847 1819 Middlesex 1829 1848 1821 Norfolk 1814 Shropshire 1794 1823 1815 1800 1825 1824 1820 1827 31 THE UNKNOWN TURNER NAPRPRAsMN AAA A ALA AALA LMM aaa AAA ALAA ALAM Maa aA AAA ALATA LALLY VV EVRY AYAT AT ATAPA Tria Pin Tul ul al al al eT IY Sussex 1828 Wales 1828 Wiltshire 1833 1830 1829 1838 1832 1830 1843 1835 1832 Worcestershire 1791 1837 1838 " 792 1838 1840 1793 1839 1841 1816 1840 1843 1821 1841 1844 1828 ur fas 1843 1643 To49 1844 1845 1850 1848 : Me Warwickshire 1794 1849 noe 1800 Yorkshire 1794 Wales 1791 1801 y 8 797 1792 IoIo 1806 1793 1817 1808 1794 1818 1816 1798 1824 Be 1803 1832 8 4 1808 1837 ca 1809 1839 be 1811 Wiltshire 1791 Bice 1814 1799 1824 181s 1803 1827 1821 I8II 1837 1823 1816 1841 1824 1817 1842 1825 1820 1843 1826 1828 1846 1827 1829 1848 32 soyour %or yysStay Aq sayour $1 yIpIm “Teuisug VVQI SATAONILNVLSNOO NI ANAOS Amc RONOLOGCICALMLIST OF TURNER'S VISITS TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND THEIR DEPENDENCIES SAPS Ne AN ATIATIATIAT Ars NAPAAPRDRNARNABNDSAPNAPN APN AA NPN NE ANGE NsPusryse NAPRASNARAA NEARY AA ATIALIALLA RAPRAPRAPRAP NARA ANY, PENIMNPNUPN INI N ah IAT IAT Is NsPRPRAsry AAIANPN NOP NAPPA EEN PR Albania 1844 France 1833 Gibraltar 1846 Algeria 1846 : ey Greece 1809 Austria 1818 ve 1844. 1834 1838 Holland 1817 1840 1839 1818 Belgium 1817 1842 1821 1818 1843 1825 1821 1844 Le 1826 1845 1834 1834 1848 Italy 1802 1839 1849 1818 1842 Germany 1802 1819 1845 1817 1820 1847 1818 1822 Bohemia 1821 1821 1828 Canary Islands 1846 1822 ee : 1825 1831 Corsica 1809 re 1834 et 1828 1836 Dalmatia 1843 1833 1837 Denmark 1821 1834 nie 1835 1639 Egypt 1836 1836 1840 France 1802 1838 1841 1809 1839 1842 1819 1842 1843 1821 1843 1844 1825 1845 1847 1826 1847 1848 1828 1850 1849 30 THE UNKNOWN TURNER SNOT BENDINAPNSPRDBRUBAS EADS ASSAM NAN AA NAA NAN AAT a a a a AAA AAA aia Tilt ati il tial Talal Talal AT ATA aia a Pull ial Vial Piel tial ial Tal Daal PAT ATLA ATLA IA LIA Td Italy Madeira Malta Minorca Palestine Persia Poland Portugal Russia Saxony Sicily 1850 1846 1829 1840 1844 1844. 1821 1842 1821 1838 1822 1829 Sicily Spain Sweden Switzerland 1834 1843 1844 1840 1842 1821 1802 1818 1821 1828 1829 1833 1834 1836 Switzerland Turkey in Asia Turkey in Europe 1838 1839 1842 1843 1844. 1845 1847 1848 1849 1850 1829 1836 1844 1844 Turner also visited Sardinia and Majorca, but as I do not possess any of the drawings made there, I am unable to include them in the above list, not knowing the dates with certainty. I have Turner’s own written statement as to the number and kind of sketches he made in the two places named. The famous house of Coutts in London kept Turner’s accounts, and were his bankers during the periods of his numerous journeys abroad. If the present directors of that institution could be induced to make a search through their early records, much light might be thrown on the in- teresting problem of Turner’s travels on the Continent. 34 TEE DiviCi Esso ARG YE, 1o24 Original, width 151% inches by height 18 inches FACTS AND DEDUCTIONS Sele From a study of over 200 specimens of Turner’s work in portraiture (sketches and highly finished examples), it is likely that, had he chosen to become a portrait-painter instead of a landscape artist, he would have equalled the best. There is overwhelming evidence of his having possessed a keen sense of humour. Besides his sketch-books, with over 250 pen-and-ink and pencil drawings of a comic nature, there are many separate pieces, equally calcu- lated to produce mirth. There is proof that he visited the islands adjacent to England — the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and the Western Isles of Scotland. From my collection we learn that Turner paid no less than seven visits to Ireland—in 1798, 1809, 1810, 1812, 1817, 1826, and 1845. With Turner’s well-known propensity for travel and his desire to see all that was worth seeing, it is a matter of surprise that among all his biog- raphers not one has even stated the probability of his having visited Ireland. I possess what seems to be indisputable evidence that Turner visited many countries and islands other than those mentioned by his biographers. They include Greece, Albania, Bohemia, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Persia, Spain, Portugal, Madeira, Malta, Algeria, Turkey in Europe, Turkey in Asia, Palestine, Egypt, Minorca, Majorca, Gibraltar, Sardinia, the Canary Isles, Corsica, and Dalmatia. Much speculation has been indulged in regarding Turner’s whereabouts and work during the four different years in which he was unrepresented in the Royal Academy exhibitions. They were 1805, 1821, 1824, and 1848. I am not able to throw any light on the year 1805. In 1821 he made an extended tour on the Continent, and also visited Wales; in 1824 he visited many northern counties, including the lake dis- trict, and went on to Scotland; in 1848 he visited Wales, France, Switzer- land, and Italy; also northern and western parts of England. I have many 35 THE UNKNOWN TURNER NOAA NANA N AEN ENGENENGENGINGENSINAAERNASNESOANNIN LNA NUENAERGENSERGENSENATNSSNS®NAINAMN/ INA NALS uP RUPYUENSPRGFA SFR SEA ARAMA INP IO/ IAS IONU/ ANALY NUP NUPNYPNDLSPN DTA SAZIA/ A/G h Nast of his drawings made on these three tours, those of 1821 comprising virtually his entire output of that year. Turner was a maker of “cut-out” silhouette portraits, following in the footsteps of Mrs. Delany rather than of those who were given to shadow work. I have about two dozen specimens of his work, besides many figures, birds, butterflies, etc. In Mr. Folger’s collection is a “cut-out” portrait of Shakespeare, while my own contains one of Mr. Pickwick. Both bear Turner’s hidden signature and the date. Turner was evidently a liberal purchaser of blank albums, and filled them with drawings and sketches from his vast accumulation. Some were made for certain of his patrons, and others for his own satisfaction and pleasure. Many of the latter bear his signature on the back. In time they passed into other hands, and became widely scattered. It-has been my pleasurable task to locate and bring them together once more. Turner made a number of panoramic views, generally by piecing to- gether leaves of his sketch-books containing part sketches of such places as, in his judgment, called for that particular type and method of representa- tion. They are sometimes mounted on linen. My collection includes, among others, panoramic views of London (six sections, one unfortunately missing); Sidmouth, Devon; city of Naples; Bay of Naples (seven feet in length); and Hastings and St. Leonard’s, in Sussex. The latter is seven inches in height by twenty-two feet in length, and covers a shore distance of two miles and a half! I have others of Palermo, Messina, the English lakes, and an island in Greece, the latter made on the occasion of his second visit, in 1844. Although Turner made a definite mention of lithography in his sketch- book of 1824, indicating his interest in it, most writers have believed that he never made one; articles, pro and con, appeared in the “Connoisseur” in 1906, but the matter does not appear to have been conclusively settled. My collection contains over fifty lithographs, more than one-half of which came to me in Turner’s own albums. I put them to the same test as had been applied to his drawings, and found that in every case they bore his hidden signature and the date. With few exceptions they are dated 1824, 36 FACTS AND DEDUCTIONS I have submitted them to Mr. Joseph Pennell, than whom there is no greater authority, and than whom there is no one more difficult to convince without good evidence and reason, and he has expressed himself as finally satisfied that Turner made lithographs. It is well known that Turner made copies of the work of other artists. In my collection are copies of Raphael, Rembrandt, Correggio, Gerard Dou, Guido Reni, Adrian van Ostade, Teniers, Paul Potter, Poussin, Van Dyck, Van de Velde, Reynolds, Wilson, Gainsborough, and many others, includ- ing Thomas Girtin. A study of the drawings for the “Liber Studiorum,” on exhibition in the Tate Gallery, and a comparison of them with those in my own collection, has convinced me that Turner made two or more drawings of many of the sub- jects, generally with slight variations. I have duplicates of many that are in the Tate Gallery, and a few of the original subjects (including ‘“‘Calm”’), not in the National Collection. There are varieties and types of Turner’s work with which even experts and authorities are unacquainted, because of their want of correspondence with any and all examples in the National Gallery. A portrait in silhouette, a copy of a Chinese painting, a bouquet of flowers, a bunch of grapes, a bird’s nest, a lead-pencil, a comic sketch, or even a landscape showing unusual treatment and effects, would fail of recog- nition and acceptance by them, though Turner made a number of each. Mr. Marcus B. Huish compiled and published in 1878 a very interesting map of “Turner’s Haunts,” in England, Scotland, and Wales, from 1790 to 1835. It was necessarily and solely based on the material in the National Gallery. The number of places mentioned is 339. It should be remembered, however, that Mr. Huish’s map was compiled many years before Mr. Finberg’s “Inventory” was published. Were a new map compiled to-day, and the places represented in my col- lection of drawings, not known to Mr. Huish, added to his, the number would be doubled at least. In evidence of Turner’s having been a reader of literature, I have illus- trations by him of the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Scott, Cervantes, Byron, Rogers, Burns, Tennyson, and Cowper. 37 THE UNKNOWN TURNER Somewhat over one hundred different subjects, other than landscape, drawn by Turner appear in the collection in the National Gallery. This number could be materially augmented from my own. From Turner’s drawings and sketches in my possession a list of con- siderable proportions could be compiled of places in Continental Europe visited by Turner, but not mentioned in Mr. Finberg’s “Inventory.” Turner made, at two different periods of his life, special collections of his architectural work. The drawings and sketches, with a few oil-paintings (on prepared paper), were placed by him in four folio volumes, of which I possess three. One volume is devoted entirely to his European tour of 1821, the other to his visits to Greece in 1809, and Italy in 1819. The third vol- ume covers England, France, and Italy at later periods (1841-1843). The total number of Turner’s drawings and sketches is probably between 38,000 and 40,000, instead of the 21,000 or 22,000 hitherto supposed; every one of them bears Turner’s full signature and its date, affixed by him in a hidden place and manner. It is not surprising that supposedly unsigned drawings of supreme quality and beauty should tempt unprincipled men and women to appropri- ate them and pass them off as their own. In consequence, many fine specimens of Turner’s art have been located and secured, some bearing the signatures of well-known contemporary artists, and others of unknown amateurs, the former having been affixed by certain unscrupulous dealers, or collectors, the latter by the amateurs them- selves. In connection with these “appropriated” drawings the problems presented can be solved only by the application of a double test: they must “bear all the earmarks” of Turner’s work, and they must also bear Turner’s hidden signatures and dates. No drawing, nor sketch, answering to the above description has been admitted to my collection unless it passed—and decisively so—that double test. Turner made copies of the work of other artists, but generally attached their names to the drawings in some way; he also made sketches in the man- ner of artists whose work merited his approbation, and who had earned public recognition. This accounts for his imitations of the work of Henry Alken, Thomas Rowlandson, and others. 38 ’ TURNERS) POR TRATD SiGe CH. Olsens PAN EL Ri 1823 inches hes by height 13% 1, width 9 inc igina Or TURNER’S HANDWRITING Speeds +%/HILE viewing certain Turner drawings on exhibition in the | Tate Gallery, some years ago, a gentleman whom I met there | said to me: “How strange it is that such marvellous work could have been accomplished by a man who was unable to ae eee] write legibly.” i? appeared that the very drawing he was inspecting had its title in Turner’s own clear handwriting, and I told him so, to his great surprise. Turner was above the average, as regards fama ged rather than below. He wrote a legible hand at all periods of his life, when he chose to do so. When hurried, he became careless, and then his writing was illegible—a mere scrawl. As to this, no more competent authority can be quoted than Mr. Finberg. He says: “On a small proportion of the drawings (in the National Gallery Collection) Turner has indeed scribbled some kind of note which no doubt would have been sufficient indication to himself of the name of the place represented; but the artist’s phonetic methods of spelling (especially in the case of foreign names) and the appalling illegibility of his handwriting render these indications less useful than they might have been.” Turner was an uncommonly good letterer. Judging from an “exercise” which I found in one of his personal albums (signed and dated by him), he had probably taken lessons from some early writing-master. The fine let- tering on the frontispiece of the “Liber Studiorum” was probably done by Turner himself. Like everybody else, and particularly those who live to old age, Turner’s handwriting changed materially at different periods, but peculiarities in the formation of certain letters can generally be traced in his writing throughout his entire career. A large proportion of his drawings and sketches have titles affixed to them by Turner himself. Sometimes an entire group will bear titles, and the next group found will lack them. It may be explained by the different periods, or that the titled ones were made for special patrons, on order. From the scarcity of Turner’s personal letters, one might imagine that he did little writing. The contrary is the fact. Many of his pencilled archi- 39 THE UNKNOWN TURNER tectural drawings are literally covered with his writing. He gathered an im- mense array of facts and information from many sources during his entire life. A large portion of this he laboriously copied, and much of it appears in his sketch-books in the National Gallery, and elsewhere. One of Turner’s many peculiarities has to do with his handwriting. Even as he hid his signatures on his drawings, so he attempted to dis- guise his handwriting on certain varieties of his work—notably his comic sketches. The titles show all the characteristics of disguised handwriting, but a close comparison of them with his regular and undisputed writing shows but little change in the formation of most of the letters. Besides, these comic sketches bear, like all the rest of Turner’s work, his hidden signatures and the dates. Two letters of the alphabet—k and x—seem to have often given Turner trouble in the making, and occasionally, when there existed an uncertainty regarding the identification of his handwriting, the presence of these two letters, with their peculiar formation, has helped to turn the scale and settle the question. With few exceptions Turner’s personal letters are written in a large, free, businesslike hand, while most of his other writing is smaller in size, not so easily read, and indicates hurry, if not carelessness. This applies, particu- larly, to the descriptive details given on his sketches. A considerable portion of the titles on his later drawings is given in capi- tal letters—others in a sort of “half-print.” While, in general, his handwriting preserved its main characteristics throughout his entire life, he made many changes, from time to time, in the formation of certain letters. My collection contains specimens of Turner’s handwriting covering approximately sixty out of the sixty-six years of his active career. A study of them is most interesting from more view-points than one. 40 sayoul g yysIay Aq sayout C1 YIPIM “[eulsuG 878I “LSVOO HSINYOO AHL NO VaS HONOY adie! et TURNER’S HIDDEN SIGNATURES Seedy HAVE already told the story of my accidental discovery of Turner’s hidden signatures, and its value as confirmatory evidence in the examination of drawings and sketches pre- viously accepted as the work of his brush or pencil. ee I have located Turner’s signature on thousands of his drawings and sketches, and have marked on them the places where they have been and can now be found. No sketch made by him was considered too trivial to bear his signature. I have one on a spade; another on the wick of a candle; still another on alead- pencil. If an appropriate place presented itself in the completed drawing, it was placed there; if not, he invented one. A study of his methods and pecu- liarities, in the placing of his signatures, is most interesting, and as a result of such study, one learns where they are most likely to be found. His boyhood drawings of 1785-1787 were signed in rather large letters “W. Turner”; those from 1788 to, approximately, 1797 were signed “J. W. Turner’; and beginning with 1798 his full name, “J. M. W. Turner,” was used. In the fine collection of Turner’s drawings in the Manchester Whitworth Institute there are examples with the signatures “Turner”; “Turner, 1795”; envied 3. J. Turner, R. As’: and.““J. M, Wo‘Turner, rzos.”” These impossible signatures must not be considered as casting discredit on the drawings themselves, which are doubtless the work of Turner’s hands. It simply means that the signatures are fictitious, probably placed there by, or under the directions of, original owners, or their descendants, who, knowing them to be by Turner, and being unaware that they already bore his hidden signature, by which they might be identified, endeavoured to “make assurance doubly sure” by adding a visible sign of the great artist’s workmanship. My own collection contains a beautiful water-colour drawing by Turner of his favourite “Norham Castle” on which some former owner has gratu- itously placed the artist’s signature. Turner’s method, apparently, was to write his signature on the selected space (possibly with the aid of a magnifying-glass), and then to cover it 41 Tahoe U NoRINIO OW ON ay UR NFER: with such substance as he happened to be using as a medium. Unfortunately, his adoption of this method makes it almost impossible to obtain, by pho- tography, satisfactory results in enlarged reproductions of the signatures, for they are to a certain extent buried under the surface, and the substance covering them is also reproduced with all the defects incidental to enlarge- ment. He generally placed the signature in the darkest available place, and on a solid line. It will not do to use the fallacious argument that Turner was too proud of his name to have hidden it, for he hid it consistently from the very begin- ning of his career—his boyhood days—when he had no name to be proud of. Having started it, in all probability, as a whim, he continued it unto the end, doubtless taking both pains and satisfaction in his ability to place it in such ways and places as to escape observation and discovery. Whatever theories one may have on the subject, the fact remains that he did place a hidden signature and date on all his drawings and sketches, and they can be found—and have been found—by those sufficiently interested in them to expend the necessary time, patience, and labour in the search. In nearly all cases it is necessary to use strong magnifying-glasses with which to reveal the signatures and dates. They are generally minute and difficult to locate. No one will deny that if a man of Turner’s great skill and ingenuity chose to hide his signature, it would be done in such a way that no hasty glance nor superficial examination would reveal it. To one possessing good eyesight, together with a large stock of patience and per- severance, the task will not prove particularly difficult. As elsewhere stated, I have examined many exhibited drawings in the National Gallery, Tate Gallery, British Museum, Oxford University, Vic- toria and Albert Museum, and other institutions, and have found Turner’s hidden signatures on every one of them, although knowledge of their exist- ence is still unknown to the officials who have them in their keeping. They are not to be blamed for the want of this knowledge, which was based on a discovery, but they lay themselves open to condemnation and public rebuke if, having had their attention specifically called to the fact that every drawing and sketch in their keeping, really the work of Turner’s hands, bears both his signature and its date, they deliberately determine to ignore the facts so clearly stated, so capable of proof, and so limitless in possibilities. With a view to demonstrate the variety of methods and places which Turner made use of in hiding his signatures and dates on his drawings and sketches, I gathered a dozen of them at random from my collection, and give herewith a list of where the signatures and dates were found on those particular pieces: 1. On body of cow; 2. On boat; 3. On man’s hat; 4. On antenna of butterfly; 5. On walking-stick; 6. On legs of cow; 7. On trunk of 42 TURNER'S HIDDEN SIGNATURES tree; 8. On head of man; 9. On legs of man; 10. In eye of woman; 11. In window; 12. In eye of bird (parrot). Walter Thornbury said he had no doubt that Turner died actually re- joicing in the fact that even his best friends knew not where he lay hid. There is an even greater likelihood that the occasion for his rejoicing would be the knowledge of his: having successfully hidden his signatures and dates on every example—great or trivial, large or small—that came from his magic brush and pencil. He carried with him to the grave the knowledge that no human being had discovered his secret-—and it was destined that nearly another half- century should pass before the mystery would be solved. In placing his signature and date on his drawings and sketches, Turner was both methodical and consistent. If the selected space was oblong in shape, the signature was made in a single line; if the space was square or oval, it was divided into two lines, the initials “J. M. W.” above and “Turner” below. The date was invariably placed in the upper left-hand corner when the shape was oblong, and in the upper centre when square or oval. A signature in a perpendicular space was so placed that it could only be read from the right-hand side, never from the left. Familiar knowledge of the unchanging methods of Turner in affixing his signatures and dates is an essential aid in locating and deciphering them. The same thing may be said regarding the spots selected by Turner in which to place his signatures and dates. A long familiarity with and a close study of his methods are most helpful—in fact, essential—in locating them. As with the reading of the signatures and dates, so with the locating of the spaces containing them: the more you find, the easier it will be to find others. While my attention has been almost exclusively given to Turner’s draw- ings and sketches, I have good reasons for believing that his hidden signa- tures and dates appear on all of his oil-paintings as well. I possess eight of them, and they are all signed and dated. Among the paintings on permanent exhibition at the National and Tate Galleries, I have located the signatures and dates on several, including his “Fighting Témeéraire,” and “Rain, Steam, and Speed.” The signatures on these paint- ings can be found without special effort. On the “Téméraire,” it is on the black head of the party at the left of the base of the smoke-stack. The signature is in two lines: ONES 2 above and “Turner” below, the date above all. On “Rain, Steam, and Speed” the signature and date can be easily dis- cerned on the locomotive. In all cases where photographic reproductions have been made directly 43 THE UNKNOWN TURNER from original drawings, the hidden signatures and dates may be readily found. In confirmation of this statement, the reader is requested to examine with a magnifying-glass of sufficient power the darkened doorway entrance to the castle in the reproduction of the drawing of Dunstanborough Castle in Mr. Finberg’s “History of Turner’s Liber Studiorum,” 1924. The date appears in the upper portion. Below it are the initials J. M. W., and the name Turner follows directly beneath. The signatures and dates may likewise be found on every drawing and sketch reproduced in the present volume, when no screen has been used. It is significant that in one of Turner’s personal albums in my collection appears an engraved copy of the Lord’s Prayer in such minute form that it measures only three-eighths of an inch in diameter. I have another, also, which belonged to Turner. They clearly indicate his interest in microscopic handwriting. In 1924 the Smithsonian Institution at Washington received from a correspondent a forty-four-word letter reposing in the eye of a needle. It had to be magnified eighty-eight times before it could be read. Another man in England wrote 9,000 words (a report of a case in court) on a post-card. Turner’s minor performances in the line of compressed writing must not be confounded with such feats as those described. He merely wrote his name and the date on chosen spaces of various sizes, and glasses magnifying from ten to twenty times will generally reveal the writing with sufficient clear- ness to enable one to decipher and read it. 44 soyout g yySiey Aq sayoul F YIPIM “eUISIO sayout 6 yyS1ay Aq sayoutr L y prim “Teulsugd TVQI SHOIMMOMM “UW AO LIVULAOd LAO-LND ZVSI “AGVT 10 LIVYLUOd FLLERONTIS ORAM ARE TURNER’S HIDDEN DATES Spee pe2|HE importance of the discovery that all of Turner’s drawings and sketches are dated can hardly be overestimated. A careful reading of all the biographies and critical stud- ies of Turner reveals, in the admissions of their authors, the —<*=! great handicap they suffered in the want of knowledge as to when the pictures they referred to were painted or drawn. Mr. Finberg, in his exhaustive inventory of the drawings and sketches in the National Gallery, was obliged to give only approximate dates to the great bulk of them. Elsewhere I have called attention to instances where there proved to be differences of many years between the actual and as- sumed dates. Without knowledge of the exact dates as given on the drawings, all other writers on Turner have been, and will, necessarily, be, subject to the same handicap as Mr. Finberg. The dates have in many cases confirmed my own suppositions, and in others have proved them erroneous. By the dates I have been enabled to establish basic itineraries of Tur- ner’s travels in certain years, viz: 1794, 1798, 1809, 1810, 1818, 1821, 1822. 1824, 1826, 1828, 1833, 1834, 1836, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1848, 1849, and 1850. It will be observed that in this list are included three of the four years in which Turner failed to exhibit at the Royal Academy. Judging from my experience in the study of Turner’s dates, I am satis- fied the date affixed by him to a drawing or sketch was that of the year in which it was made—whether original or copied. If in 1835 he made a copy of an 1815 “Liber Studiorum”’ drawing, he dated it 1835. | There are, in my opinion, great possibilities in connection with the use of Turner’s dates in further investigations of the work of that wonderful genius. I have supplied the key. It is for others to make use of it. As an illustration of the value pertaining to the hidden dates of Turner, I will narrate one of my personal experiences. For years I had preserved on a back shelf a parcel labelled “puzzle- 45 THE UNKNOWN TURNER drawings.” It contained a group of over twenty pen-and-ink and pencil sketches of places in Italy, Switzerland, and Austria, bearing titles and the uniform date of 1835. They were leaves from sketch-books. I purchased them because I recognised the work as undoubtedly by Turner, and the titles were in his handwriting. Why, then, were they designated “puzzle-drawings,” and refused ad- mittance to my Turner collection? Other sketches in my possession proved conclusively that Turner was touring the River Rhine on the very dates named in the Italian series. He surely could not be in Italy and on the Rhine the same day. After the lapse of years, during which I had placed absolute dependence on Turner’s openly written dates of 1835, I made a particularly close exam- ination of the sketches, and found that every one of them bore Turner’s hidden date of 1834! I do not pretend to explain such an error. There are a number of ways of accounting for it. I only know that it did occur, and the proof is avail- able in the signed and dated sketches. In 1834 Turner made an extended tour in Italy, Sicily, southern France, Switzerland, and Austria, returning through Germany and Holland. He explored the regions in which all the places in the “puzzle-drawings”’ were located. 46 soyout ZL yysiey Aq sayoul 6 ypin ‘BUIslLC (astuyued puv ‘ysnaq “louad s sousny) 6781 SON Wa TY “ULS @2O SSSAHONGd GN Ach a INTERESTING ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION eh Teh eT PINISISCENN ING INWINGENGERAENGIRAINIINESNDSAANSINGINGINNENVINGENGENGENSPNGPRAENAMRAMNDNNIMNINGANLANG ANAL NUE NAENUPNGPRGPAGPASANIBLAERIIOANA/MGP MEAN N GL Naf Mef MUP APNGMEIAESALIERZIA AIAN AA Portrait sketch of Lord Byron, with drawings of his residences in Greece and Switzerland. | Drawings on silk, made in southern France. Home of John Milton in Oxfordshire. Panoramic sectional drawing, in pen and ink, of Bay of Naples, 7 ft. in length. Unpublished illustrations of Scott’s novels. Series of large drawings of Gibraltar and vicinity, 1846. Drawing in the style of Thomas Rowlandson. Illustrations of Dickens; mostly copies, with variations. Turner’s oil sketch (unfinished) of his father, 1820. Devon sketch of 1850, with draft of letter to his nephew. Series of scenes and figures made in Constantinople, 1844. Turner’s drawings of “Liber Studiorum” subjects (20). London places and scenes. (List given elsewhere.) Humourous sporting scenes in style of Henry Alken (8). Humourous illustrations in pen and ink entitled “The History of Damon and Phillis” (6). Turner’s masterpiece in pencil (23 x 15 in.), Smyrna, 1836. Drawings of dead game. Water-colour portrait of the Duchess of Argyll. Naval engagement between the ships “Shannon” and “Chesapeake.” Tower of Belim, Portugal. Original sketch and completed water-colour. Arctic scenes (3) illustrating the Franklin expedition. Room at Walmer Castle in which Wellington died. A “composition blot”’ landscape. A drawing made in Devonshire for his mother. Collection of pressed leaves, fitted to a pencilled basket design. Transparent landscape. 47 THE UNKNOWN TURNER OVLIVLIVITTLIVITULITLITATTATTAPIA TIAA TLL Pin PRT LIU RT TATTATIAT IATA ATA Pi a LSA AADAC ai a AAA heehee aLe Drawings made in France in 1838 which would pass for the work of one of our modern artists. Large water-colour of Tintern Abbey, with the pencil drawing from which it was made. Water-colour portrait of Lola Montez. Miniature remarque etching by Turner of his “Téméraire.” Original sketch of “Plymouth from Mount Batten.” (Victoria and Albert Museum has the water-colour made from it.) Sketch containing Turner’s note, “Corrected from nature by myself.” Original sketch of “Corfe Castle,’ with engraving made from it. Water-colour design for wall-paper. Leaf of illuminated manuscript. Original sketch of “Margate,” with engraving made from it. Sketch of birthplace of Sir Joshua Reynolds, with Turner’s detailed descrip- tion on reverse. Portrait sketch of George Jones, one of his executors. Street representation of “Punch and Judy.” Portrait sketch of Sir Joshua Reynolds. “Return from the Derby.” Portrait sketch of Robert Southey. Balloon ascension, Brighton, 1843. Figures of General Washington and Mrs. Washington (copied). Map of the Lakes of Killarney. Milton dictating ‘‘Paradise Lost” to his daughters (copy). Copy of a Chinese painting. The ship “Victory” in Portsmouth Harbor, 1849. Gray’s monument at Stoke Pogis. Birthplace of Robert Burns. U. S. ship “Chesapeake” after her capture by the British. Bacon’s monument in St. Michael’s Church, St. Albans. Boat-race at Putney. A bull-fight in Spain, 1842. A number of portraits in silhouette form. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Patchwork combination of 12 drawings on a sheet. Remarkable copy of a mezzotint portrait of John Locke. Groups of Oxford and Cambridge views. 48 PND E RESTING) fTEMS IN ee COLLECTION Portrait eat Lord Rares Humorous playing-cards. Panoramic view of London, 1837. Panoramic view of Hastings and St. Leonards, 1841. Portrait of Topham Beauclerc. View of Nazareth (sepia), 1844. Cut-out transparency: church interior. A wheel of fortune. Interiors of the four famous churches in Rome (St. Peter’s, St. John Lat- eran, St. Paul’s, St. Maria Maggiore). Turkish “Hamal” carrying Turner’s personal luggage on his back. Design for an album title-page. Original charades with accompanying flower design. Bioscope (seven ages, in decades). Cut-out portrait of Mr. Pickwick, 1842. LONDON VIEWS It is generally believed that the drawings and sketches of London in Turner’s sketch-books in the National Gallery comprise his entire output in that important and particular line. Few, if any, London drawings are known to be in any other public or private collection. The scope and comprehensiveness of my collection of Turner’s work may be judged by the following list of London views, forming a single section of it: Northumberland House. Blackfriar’s Bridge. Waterloo Bridge (building). Guildhall. Interior. Guildhall. Chapel. Herald’s College. St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. Auction mart. St. Paul’s School. Dutch Church, Austin Friars. Interior. 49 THE UNKNOWN TURNER PiAriaria NaPRsPhsPi Pasty PENATRAIREMN ANY: AATIATIALIAIALIALIALIAL ILD Mri ele Lely TENT a I AIAL Lary ATIATIAT IAT IA Ll il lek Lek BPNPRAPSAPS PNR EN ARERR Dutch Church, Austin Friars. Exterior. Charterhouse. Interior. Unknown. Interior. Chelsea Hospital. Painted chamber, Westminster. Roof of St. Stephen’s Chapel. Speaker’s House, Palace Yard, Westminster. Union Club-house, Trafalgar Square. Horse Guards, Whitehall. King’s Cross, 1815. Principal entrance to Vauxhall Gardens. Panoramic view of London, 8 feet in length. Opera-house, Haymarket and Suffolk Place. Hyde Park. Fire in Tooley Street. Host of the King’s Head, Cheapside. Devonshire Street. Scene at Millbank. Kensington Gardens (2). Primrose Hill. Church and inn, Chelsea. Sketch of fire which destroyed Houses of Parliament, 1834. Doorway from the Palace of Westminster. London from Greenwich. Back of the toll-bar, King’s Road, Chelsea, 1808. Battersea and London from Putney, 1810. Battersea Bridge and Chelsea Church. Chelsea Hospital from the other side of the water. Near the Red House, Battersea Fields, 1811. Windmill in Battersea Fields, 1811. Near Battersea, 1811. In Lord Cremorne’s grounds, Chelsea, 1808. Toll-bar, King’s Road, Chelsea, 1808. Back view of Lord Cremorne’s house, Chelsea, 1808. Chelsea Hospital from Ranelagh. Ranelagh, 1810. | London from Blackfriars Bridge, 1841. 50 Aid ie lek el Ue PINAR PS EE LONDON VIEWS TAA AA AAAL Aaa a aaa TAAL TAArAriaAl iat id il il vil Tiel Yl Y AN ADALIALIALIALIALIALIAT ATi bE a Talal TATA AIA ALA ALAA il Cel tel Cel Le aaa al ialy Horizontal mill, Battersea. Battersea, 1811. Colosseum in Regent’s Park. Plan for a street-railway. Design for Architectural Insurance Co. Millbank, 1808. Interior of St. Stephen’s Church, Walbrook. From Millbank. Nine Elms Mill, 1811. Horseferry Road, 1808. Westminster Abbey, Hall, etc., from Stangate Wharf, 1810. Near the Red House, Battersea Fields (boat), 1811. Battersea Fields, 1811. Ranelagh, 1810. Paddington Canal (2). Near Grosvenor Place, Pimlico, 1810. Back of the pest-houses, Tothill Fields, 1808. Lambeth Palace from Tothill Fields, 1810. Westminster Abbey from Tothill Fields, 1810. Water-cart, with name and address of owner (“John Summers, Tothill Fields, Westminster Common’”’). Horseferry Road, Tothill Fields, 1810. Marylebone Church. Tothill Fields (15 different). Westminster Abbey Towers. Lansdowne House. Holland House (2). Treasury, Whitehall. Army and Navy Club, Pall Mall. British Museum. Bayswater Conduit. Christ’s Hospital. Serpentine and bridge, Hyde Park. St. James Park. Lambeth from Westminster Bridge. Houses near Drury Lane. Westminster Cloisters. SI THE UNKNOWN TURNER AAFADPADENDEADNAANG/NGEN APNE NEMS FAZER GPRSEA SPAS EUSEADSND MA NAPNAANA ANGE NEN MENGE APRS PRS PRSEA SERA RAD EAD NOPNAP NAL NAS PN DENDPNAENAPN SERS PAS EAS IRA SAL EOP SOP NEP NAL NAL NUPNEN AERP AIPAIPAIPADSAS SAAS AENE Lambeth Palace. Bond Street. Vauxhall. Exterior of St. Ann’s Church, Soho. Crystal Palace Exhibition (2). Crystal Palace Exhibition Grounds. Old public house at Bayswater. Tree in Kensington Gardens. Tavistock Square (Fields). Kensington Gardens, 1848. Elms in St. James’s Park. On the Thames, near Hammersmith. Jerusalem Chamber, Westminster Abbey. Bank of England (now in H. G. Spicer’s collection, London). On the Canal, near Maida Hill. Fulham and Fulham Bridge (4). Elephant and Castle. Custom-house. The foregoing list does not include drawings and sketches of the vicinity of London: Hampstead, Highgate, Richmond, Barnes, Wandsworth, Putney, Wimbledon, Twickenham, etc., of which there are over one hundred. Of the London views above described, every one bears a mark indicating where Turner’s hidden signature and date has been found by myself and others, and where it may be found by any person possessing ordinarily good eyesight, a fair amount of patience and perseverance, and an open mind. 52 BY WAY OF COMMENT THE WRITER OF THESE COMMENTS DESIRES TO SAY THAT WHILE HE HAS, IN THE LIGHT OF LATER RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES, FOUND IT NECESSARY IN SOME INSTANCES TO CONTROVERT THE STATEMENTS AND OPINIONS OF OTHERS, HE HAS ENDEAVOURED TO DO SO IN A SPIRIT OF FAIRNESS. HE BELIEVES THAT WITH RARE EXCEPTIONS TURNER WAS FORTUNATE IN HIS BIOGRA- PHERS AND EXPOSITORS, AND GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES HIS INDEBTEDNESS TO Ev- ERY ONE OF THE AUTHORS FROM WHOM HE HAS TAKEN THE LIBERTY TO QUOTE. soyout If 3yBroy Aq sayout $1 YIpIM “eurlsi4gO gfgr S‘ATTASOW FHL NO WAHIOD pes BY WAY OF COMMENT PTIVIIVIIVEIVRIVAIYAIVATTATIATIATTIATIAT IAT ATi Tid Vl Pal Pl Pa ALTA TAL TAL AT ATIALIAL IAL in id Ci Cel el aA AIAIADAA A ee aaa eee ie ee “In 1830-1840 Turner produced his most wonderful drawings in his own ; ae a special manner—in the perfect pieces of it, insuperable. JOHN RUSKIN. Mr. Ruskin’s statement implies that Turner had one distinct “special manner,” whether he meant it to apply to that single decade or to his entire art career. As well might he speak of a sparkling, scintillating diamond as possessing its one special colour. To name the number of Turner’s “special manners”’ would require some calculation. The drawing herewith reproduced is titled in Turner’s handwriting “‘Cochem, on the Moselle.” It bears, also, his hidden signature and the date (1838). “Cochem” will, I trust, be accepted as a fitting representation of Turner’s work of the period named. “T am tolerably familiar with the actual grinding and polishing of lenses and specula, and have produced by my own hands some by no means bad optical work; and I have copied no small amount of Turner’s work; and I still look with awe at the combined delicacy and precision of his hand. It beats . e »”> optical work out of sight. W. KINGSLEY, OF SIDNEY SUSSEX COLLEGE. This is only one of a number of similar testimonies to the remarkable skill of Turner, as shown in his more delicate and minute work. It is useless to attempt to judge such a man by ordinary standards. There is no mea- suring-line for genius. A famous artist and critic when informed by me that Turner’s full sig- nature and the date were often placed by him in minute spaces smiled in- credulously and said that Turner could not have afforded to waste his val- uable time in such ways. On the contrary, a gentleman deeply versed in optical science and with wide practical experience gave it as his opinion that the signatures and dates could have been made by a man of Turner’s powers, without special effort, in not over a minute each. On a reasonable computation, this would have called for the total expenditure of only about two or three months’ time out of over sixty years of Turner’s active career! 55 THE UNKNOWN TURNER ENN A NORIO Dents Act fant ara pe “To many of our Soreign visitors, Turner is one of the principal attractions o> of England. SIR EDWARD T. COOK. This is not an exaggerated statement, in my opinion. One of many of my personal experiences will tend to confirm it. Shortly after the Great War I met a lady in London who had come from Boston, in America. Being a stranger there, she inquired whether the Tate Gallery was open to visitors. I informed her that portions of the collection were then on exhibition, but none of the Turners. The lady showed intense disappointment, saying that one of the greatest reasons she had in making the trip was to study the collection of Turner’s work there. She said she had looked forward to it for years. “ The earliest drawing reproduced in this series (Agnew Galleries Exhibition, London, 1924), the “Conway Castle, shows Turner already a virtuoso in all the immediate developments of the traditional style. I, If it is rightly dated, about . . 2 »” 7802, it shows him no novice, etc. A. P. OPPE. “If it is rightly dated!” The language implies uncertainty. The drawing of Conway Castle was not made “about 1802,” but a quarter of a century later. It was made while on a visit to Wales and West England in 1828. Turner’s hidden signature and date appear on the dark- ened upright post which rather obtrusively projects from the foreground. The writing and figures are placed lengthwise, and they are to be read from the right side. They could doubtless be easily discerned on the original drawing, but a screen has been used in the process of reproduction, and I possess many of Turner’s drawings made on this same tour, including his “Carnarvon Castle” and “Pembroke Castle.” They bear every evidence of having been made by the same hand, and are all dated 1828. Turner’s “Dartmouth” was also of the vintage of 1828, I have over twenty of Turner’s drawings made on his first Continental tour of 1802; it needs only a glance by any one conversant with his work of 56 . 7 i “ . , es i i, rn y ew 7 Ao al ie re 4 : | é soyout VT JY SI9y Aq sayoul ot YIpiIM ‘JBUIBIIC STQI ‘NOAA SHLNOWXA UVAN ‘WVHATLLIT BY WAY OF COMMEN PLATIAT INV TiLY al aT aL TAL TALL TAT ALIALIALIALIAT Mn TEL el ela a aaa AA AAA AL hae aaa AAAI AL Aaa eh hee ae AL aL aL el ee ee ele “Am I the only Turner enthusiast who feels it at times a relief to turn away from his chromatic harmonies to his more simply rendered landscapes?” J. E. PHYTHIAN. “Turner treats the most common little subjects, such as a group of trees, a meadow, a shaded stream, with such art as to impart to them the most picturesque ” charm. DR. WAAGEN. Mr. Phythian and Dr. Waagen are not alone in their regard for Turner’s simply rendered landscapes. There are many others who have an intense love for his charming rustic scenes, which he made by the hundreds, while on his numerous tours. He evidently sketched picturesque cottages and roadside scenes as con- tinuously. and rapidly as we now take photographic “snap-shots.”’ Turner’s work may be divided into two classes: those which were the product of his richly stored mind and unequalled imagination, and those for which his heart supplied the inspiration. He took pride and satisfaction in his great paintings, as he well might, but the loving care bestowed on so many of his “‘simple-nature” drawings and sketches present evidence in themselves of their having made a “pull at his heart-strings.”’ “Turner had a very marked attachment for special localities where he had worked, an attachment enhanced by the memory of the friends he had known there, and for the kindly and courteous welcome and hospitality they had given ° 3? to him. Cc. A. SWINBURNE. We are all aware of Turner’s friendly relationship to the homes and fam- ilies of Walter Fawkes, Lord Egremont, Rev. Mr. Trimmer, W. F. Wells, and others mentioned by his biographers. One notable case has hitherto escaped attention. The family of the Simcoes, in Devonshire, was almost as close to his heart as the Fawkes family, in Yorkshire. There is evidence of his frequent visits to their home near Honiton: his familiar acquaintance with the chil- dren, whose Christian names often appear on his sketches, made with and for them; his drawings of the house and other buildings on the estate, as at Farnley Hall; views of the grounds (in one of which he represents himself in his favourite pastime of angling), etc. It would make a fine subject for an article by some competent and sym- pathetic hand. a7 THE UNKNOWN TURNER UP Naf Nat Nat NUP DPA DBADPADRNPRASAQANNEN AS NAP NUE N UPN DPR PRZPRDPRAPADBAPNOANAANRANGA NGL NUE NGPA UL NAPASPRSPRAPRS ANDERS SALSA NAL NONE NUENBPNDPASPADPNDEAD RNA SAL SOL NEL NEL AUPNUP NUL NU PNUERPRSERSTAZTAASALS AY “4 drawing in my possession—‘A Roadside Inn’—the earliest dated work by him (1786) known to me.” W. G. RAWLINSON. This drawing by Turner is one year earlier than any in the National Gallery, which begins with the year 1787. I have six of his drawings of 1785, made when he was only ten years old, and an equal number of 1786. “T have to inform you that your collection is of no interest to this gallery.” J. B. MANSON, Assistant Director, Tate Gallery, London. My sole object in presenting this communication from the Tate Gallery as a basis for any comment is that my personal attitude in relation to the disposition of my Turner collection may be clearly understood. Being well aware of Turner’s ardent love for his native country, and that he himself was one of her most gifted and loyal sons, I endeavoured to find a way by which my collection of Turner’s drawings and sketches might be- come the property of the English nation, and not be transported to another country. I was prepared to make a great monetary sacrifice in order to bring this about, and made a preliminary approach to the officials of the Tate Gallery with this in mind. A visit was paid to my home, a small portion of my col- lection was examined, and the receipt of the letter, from which an extract is given, followed. Almost every drawing and sketch shown to the representative of the Tate Gallery came from either the Landseers (father and son), John Hender- son, Lady Leicester, Sir Charles Fellows, or Sir Wilfrid Lawson, although no mention of this was made at the time. A large proportion of them bore titles in Turner’s characteristic handwriting. Every sketch and drawing was surely the work of J. M. W. Turner, and bore his hidden signature and date. I endeavoured to do the right thing, and a generous thing, for Turner’s beloved England—and failed. Had reasonable and proper consideration been given to my suggestion, the English nation might easily have obtained possession of the largest and most important collection of Turner’s drawings and sketches ever formed, with the sole exception of that which came to it as part of the Turner Bequest. 58 TEMPLE OF ZEUS OLYMPIUS, WITH ACROPOLIS, ATHENS, 1844 1, width 17% inches by height 11% inches igina Or BY WAY OF COMMENT LVL Til Vl Vial Val Lol LALLA TAT ALIALIALIALIAL IA Mtl Til Tel Cal Pel TAT TALTALIALIALIALIALIALIAT IAAT alata a AAA IAAL AL eee eA AAA Le ie lek ed “One water-colour, the magnificent Chryses, which he sent to the Royal Academy in 1811, calls for notice. What is so remarkable 1s its extraordinary Greek feeling. Colour apart, it at once recalls the scenery and the sentiment of the Greek Islands, although Turner never in his life saw them.” W. G. RAWLINSON. There is a risk involved in making positive statements regarding what a man with Turner’s peculiar characteristics did or did not do. He went to many places, in many foreign lands, the knowledge of which he studiously hid from even his most intimate friends. Some of this has been revealed in the inventory of the National Gallery collection, and still more 1s now, for the first time, brought to light in this volume. The reason why Turner was able to express “extraordinary Greek feel- ing,” and to “recall the scenery and the sentiment of the Greek Islands,” was that he had visited Greece two years before, in 1809. I have many of his sketches bearing indisputable evidence of having been made on the spot, and they are all dated 1809. Moreover, Turner made a second visit to Greece in the early months of 1844, going also to Constantinople, Persia, and Palestine. “This (a sketch-book used by Turner during his tour in Scotland and the north of England in 18or) is almost the only sketch-book which Turner allowed to be dispersed; the others he kept intact, and in his own possession till hts death, after which they passed to the National Gallery.” A. J. FINBERG, 1923. To the facts: at least two of Turner’s sketch-books, together with some hundreds of detached leaves from others, passed from Turner’s hands to those of his friends and patrons, John and Charles Landseer. I have them all. Five of Turner’s sketch-books were formerly in the possession of Lady Maria Leicester. They were probably purchased from Turner by his patron Sir John Fleming Leicester and presented to his wife. They are now in my collection. I also possess more than twenty other Turner sketch-books which are filled with his drawings, “done direct from nature.’ Some have labels on the covers in Turner’s characteristic handwriting. | Every drawing and sketch in the thirty or more volumes bears Turner’s hidden signature and date, and a large proportion of them bear my own marks, indicating where the signatures and dates may be found. 59 THE UNKNOWN TURNER TA APNGARARRARASNRANGA NAA NAA NAA NWP NE NESE SER SER SPA SRA SAA ANA ANAS NANA NA NPR WA NAPS RDARDERDBR DARA NAANASNA PNA NAP NAL NUAN WP RUERERUPRDPRDPADBAMASNNANNANUANUA NAS Naf NUP NMPRMFRUPRA PRD MRAPRAMAARRANES! “Turner's early work, apart from his earliest exhibited pictures, ts of the greatest possible value to the art student, and will teach him how and why the boy who did such work became the mighty painter that he was.” C. A. SWINBURNE. There are those to whom the inspection, acquirement, and enjoyment of a fine Turner drawing is the “‘be all, end all,” of art appreciation. That indicates wisdom and good taste, but there is something from which even greater pleasure may be derived. Study Turner’s drawings and sketches chronologically, from his early boyhood days to those of his old age, and you will find nothing more absorb- ingly interesting. My collection contains over 200 of his drawings made before he at- tained the age of sixteen, including the six earliest ones known. Mr. Swinburne was correct in his statement that they are of the greatest possible value to the student. “T believe that there are certain men who would rather possess a fine Turner ”» water-colour than any other work of art. G Lewis ie In England, one has not only the privilege of viewing the remarkable Turner collection in the National Gallery, but there are also numerous mu- seums and art galleries in London, and other cities, where good Turner water-colours may be studied and enjoyed. It is not strange, therefore, that in England there are certain men who with all the world’s art to choose from, give loving preference to a Turner water-colour. They have had oppor- tunity to become acquainted with them. In America, on the contrary, Turner’s art is represented almost exclu- sively in the museums and galleries by oil-paintings and the “Liber Studi- orum” plates. Fine water-colours by Turner are conspicuous by their ab- sence. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York does not possess a single drawing. It is time that Americans became acquainted with the water-colour work of England’s greatest landscape-painter, without the necessity of making a visit to London. It was the medium over which Tur- ner had perfect control, and with which he wrought miracles of loveliness. He stands in a class by himself in water-colour painting, and all others are judged according to their measure of approach to his excellence. 60 DUCK SHOOTING, 1842 Original, width 10% inches by height 7 inches SALTRAM HOUSE, DEVON, 1828 Original, width 9 inches by height 6 inches BY WAY OF COMMENT “The water-colour of “Woodcock Shooting’ (painted for Sir H. Pilkington, and dated 1813), now in the Wallace Collection.” A. J. FINBERG. Were it not for the indisputable evidence of this and other equally well- known specimens, it might be difficult to convince even experts and authori- ties—to say nothing of mere ordinary persons—that Turner painted sport- ing scenes and subjects. My collection contains a dozen of them. One is reproduced herewith. “These which now follow are drawings showing the kind of work he did for the pleasure of English gentlemen, in the representation of their houses. He visited much at this time: was of course always kindly treated, and did his utmost to please his hosts by faithful and lovely drawings of their houses.” JOHN RUSKIN. It is to be regretted that, with few exceptions, the names of the houses and their owners are not appended. In Cyrus Redding’s “Recollections” an account is given of his journey- ings in Devonshire, in company with Turner. They were entertained at Saltram House by Lord Boringdon (afterwards Earl of Morley), had dinner there, and spent the night. The illustration presented herewith is a view of this house by Turner, made from his water-colour sketch in my collection. 61 THE UNKNOWN TURNER VAD AUAUAUALALALALALM MMM a aaa aA AAA ALA aaa AI ALIAL TALIA ATi ii TARA IATIATIATIAT IAT Til Tall Pal bITa ATT ATTA “ Turner makes tt clear that he loved water-colour for its own sake as he never loved oil. He nursed tt, dexterously behandled it, watched its symptoms, and corrected its weaknesses, like a mother with her child, until at last he moulded it into the finest possible instrument for the use to which he put it, an instrument having, indeed, no defect but that curse of mortality which it shares with us all.” SIR WALTER ARMSTRONG. This appreciative tribute to Turner’s love for water-colour as a medium is frequently quoted by me to friends who ask why I chose to collect his water-colours in preference to his oils. They are better to live with, and represent him at his best. “The drawings in the Farnley ‘Hall Book of Birds, as well as other scattered examples, have only been surpassed by Diirer and Rembrandt in such renowned masterpieces as the ‘Hare’ at Vienna, and the ‘ Bittern’ at Dresden.” Cc. F, BELT: I have examined the beautiful drawings of birds in the Farnley Hall Collection, and add my testimony to that of many others as to the wonder- ful. workmanship displayed by the artist. The statement has been made that Turner drew dead birds only. This is incorrect. I have many live birds drawn by him, and they are of many species. “The horses seem to me to be by Sawrey Gilpin, the foreground and lana- > »” scape alone being by Turner. A. J. FINBERG. This refers to a “Group of Horses in Windsor Park,” a water-colour, about 21 x 29 inches, which is in the National Gallery Collection. Its assumed date is 1800-1802. One does not need to possess much “horse sense”’ to figure out the prob- ability of this drawing being entirely the work of either Turner or Gilpin, but to suggest that Turner would divide work and honours with any other artist, at this or any other period of his mature life, places a heavy strain on one’s credulity. We can well imagine the reception which would await the artist who approached Turner personally with such a proposition! 62 os 2 +e TURKISH FIGURES ON LEAF OF SKETCH-BOOK, 1844 Original, width 9 inches by height 6 inches THE KNIFE GRINDER, 1829 Original, width 9 inches by height to inches BY WAY OF COMMENT PRIN UINWENGEN YEN DPN APABNISN ANNAN ESPNLANGANLLN GPR U EN ENDER SER GFN IHN ABN DINAMAPSRPNAINA ANNAN APN UPN URGE NSN APR BN AMR AMA DIN ANA AMAIA PNAS NAN Nu FNMA SERSEASPASEA SPA SNR ANA ANN Af Nef Buh e PARE “Turner could draw very small figures very well, giving more spirit and essence than any other artist, in a touch. He could imitate a shamble, a strut, a march, lassitude, confidence, and physical or mental quality of a figure as easily ” as he could a bough or a cloud. Losey ea I offer as illustrations, in confirmation of Mr. Cosmo Monkhouse’s state- ment, a leaf from Turner’s Constantinople sketch-book, 1844. In the draw- ing of the human figure Turner was a master, when he chose to be. “ The beauty of Turner’s pencil drawings has never been enough emphasised. They are the most wonderful landscape drawings for truth and direct inter- pretation of nature that exist, and as they were nearly always done out-of-doors, on the spot, are of espectal value as expressing Turner’s thoughts in nature’s own »” presence. SIR CHARLES HOLROYD. The example presented for reproduction bears convincing testimony to the truth of Sir Charles’s statement. Why is it that the National Gallery has never given the public an opportunity to view a collection of the best and most characteristic examples of Turner’s pencil drawings? Turner was evidently in accord with J. D. Harding’s statement that “the lead-pencil is the most valuable instrument in Art.” A large proportion of Turner’s water-colours still show traces of the pencil lines beneath. THE UNKNOWN TURNER AAT Meee RIAA AAALAC aa AIALTALIATIAL IATA i PTL el ATTA TAL IATA IAT UT il Yk Pik Yl dal al al Ca AAT TA Tia Pid Pla Pil “The lofty hill (Ben Voirloch, in Scotland) has all the appearance of a burn- ing mountain. All the northwestern sky is now such a sight to see that no brush of any painter could do justice to it, now that the immortal Turner is no longer ”> on earth. GORDON STABLES. Turner was no longer on earth to paint Ben Voirloch, as Dr. Stables saw it, but in 1824 he viewed the same magnificent effect at Loch Sunart, near Oban, and made a water-colour sketch of it, which is now in my possession. On one of our numerous Turner pilgrimages, my wife and I enjoyed the privilege of witnessing this same striking effect, on the same mountain peaks so graphically portrayed by the artist. “ The difficulties were immense, owing to the almost entire absence of reliable . . . y »” chronological information as to Turner’s movements. ¢. LEWIS HIND. “Reliable chronological information as to Turner’s movements” can be obtained from only one source—his signed and dated drawings and sketches —and even then many blank spaces will need to be filled in. Until it is definitely recognised that the National Gallery Collection con- tains only about one-half of Turner’s drawings and sketches, there can be no proper working basis for an understanding of the quantity and variety of his output, nor definite knowledge of his numerous journeys both in his own country and in foreign lands. “It 1s very doubtful whether all these drawings (‘Studies from the Nude’) are by Turner.” A. J. FINBERG. The drawings referred to, eleven in number (size about 14 x 20 in.), are in the National Gallery Collection. An additional number are in my own possession, coming to me from the Landseer family. Mine are by Turner, and bear his hidden signatures and dates. Any doubt which exists regarding those mentioned by Mr. Finberg, in his “Inventory,” could be definitely settled in short order by means of a close examination. If Turner made them, he surely signed and dated them. The National Gallery possesses about a dozen other examples, of smaller size, regarding the authenticity of which no question seems to have been raised. 64 sayout 6 yySiay Aq sayour C1 YyIpIM “JeuIsUG 6VOl *SaIVM NI SOVLLOO BY WAY OF COMMENT tA PNDPNGPNAPNASNESNASNANNANSINGAN ENGIN GEN GEN GEN APNG INABNABNANNANNAINANNAN RENNIN NN UP NUENEAN GAN PN AMNABNDBNAMEDIODNN SINAN ANUS WAN WENGE APNG EN GENER ABN ABN ARN MNANNA NNN N/N AN Nu Pua RAPD GPRS RA DAY, “The cottages painted by the greatest artists are often decidedly less pictur- esque than those of inferior men, and, indeed, the devotion to the Ultra-pictur- as is esque 1s invariably the sign of a second-rate intelligence. PEC AIER TOR The example of Turner’s work here reproduced is a testimony to the soundness of Mr. Hamerton’s criticism. The drawing was made in the later years of his life (1849), and bears his inscription on the back, “‘ Cottage near Bettwys-y-Coed.” Ten or fifteen years earlier, Turner, in painting this same cottage, would probably have laid himself open to rebuke from Mr. Hamerton because of its u/tra-picturesqueness. Fortunately, he postponed its making long enough to escape being designated as the possessor of a “‘second-rate intelligence.” If Turner saw picturesque elements in a scene, whether cottage, castle, or cathedral, they went into his picture without regard to any criticism they might evoke. He was a truth-teller, and made faithful records of what he saw, but he was not a photographer. The cottage, as he depicted it, really existed, even though a sun-picture might reveal its want of conformity to the exact details of locality and con- struction. Of the many drawings I possess of cottages by Turner, I chose this one as being the farthest removed from the stigma of “‘ultra-picturesque.”’ “Turner's journeys this year (1795) were mainly confined to portions of the coast-line, to the Isle of Wight, and the south coast of Wales.” J. FINBERG. As regards the Isle of Wight, I am of opinion that this journey was made in 1808, and not 1795, as stated. My main reasons for so believing are as follows: 1. The evidence is abundant, and seems to be conclusive, that Turner passed the entire year of 1795 in the English lake district. The complete series of drawings which he made on that initial visit to the lakes, together with those made in the two following years, formed part of the collection of Sir Wilfrid Lawson, and they are now in my possession. They total nearly 400 in number, and are signed “‘J. W. Turner.” He also wrote the title on the margin of every one of the drawings. 2. I have carefully examined the sketches in the Isle of Wight book in the Tate Gallery (XXIV), and find that they all bear Turner’s hidden sig- nature and the date of 1808, the year in which the visit was really made. I am prepared to designate the exact place on every one of the sketches where the signatures and dates may be found. 65 THE UNKNOWN TURNER AAAS AAAs ee aaa AAA Aaa aa aa aaa AAA Ti TTT el tel a RAAT AT IATIALATIAT IAT tid VOLT Tl al RTPA TAAL Ar iAy “At least nine of Turner’s drawings have faded in some perceptible degree Pca tein aaa arches for every one which ts still in tts pristine condition.” 3p watrTER ARMSTRONG. When we read Mr. Ruskin’s description of the condition of the National Gallery drawings as he found them after Turner’s death, we cannot believe that Sir Walter’s statement is overdrawn. Fortunately, there are scarcely a dozen in my entire collection showing even slight signs of having faded, doubtless due to their having been secured mainly from private families, where they were carefully preserved in books and portfolios. “Unfortunately, Turner very rarely signed his drawings, etc.” WILLIAM WHITE. We respectfully submit a new reading of the above: Fortunately, Turner always signed (and dated) his drawings, etc. It is probable that the only drawings of Turner’s to which he openly affixed his signature were those made for Mr. Fawkes of Farnley Hall. Turner was doubtless requested to sign them by Mr. Fawkes, and the artist could scarcely be expected to refuse so reasonable a request from his best patron. “Every quarter of an inch of Turner's drawings will bear magnifying; and much of the finer work in them can hardly be traced, except by the keenest sight, until it 1s magnified. ; “In his painting ‘Ivy Bridge’ the veins are drawn on the wings of a butter- fly not above three lines in diameter; and I have one of his smaller drawings of Scarborough in my own possession in which the mussel-shells on the beach are rounded, some shown as shut, some as open, though none are as large as the letters of this type; and yet this is the man who was thought to belong to the ‘dashing’ school, literally because most people had not patience or delicacy of sight enough to trace his endless details.” JOHN RUSKIN. If the use of magnifying-glasses was advocated by Mr. Ruskin as neces- sary for a proper discernment of Turner’s marvellously delicate and minute work, they will be found equally serviceable—if not more so—in revealing his hidden signatures and dates. 66 sayoul g aysiay Aq sayout Ir YIpIM “feulsiG QT8I SANVIAUI SAUANAOS NIVLNAOW ANV UFTAIU BY WAY OF COMMENT SANRENCENWIN NANA NUENWENGINDENGINGENGPNABADTNANAA SND NAA NAL VAD NAP NAP NGPNAENDPADENGINAAN SMA INADIADNNA NAA NGP NAA NP NP NaF Nu NUP RUPNU ANSP SPAZIRIMAAMAANA/ NA NAP NAS NaN OuP NUP AY NSPS BRS RAY NAMA MASA A MS “ But Ireland, Mr. Moore, Ireland! I have often longed to go to that country, but am, I confess, afraid to venture myself there.” J. M. W. TURNER TO THOMAS MOORE. David Roberts and others have spoken of the pleasure Turner enjoyed in mystifying his friends and throwing them off the scent. This is a notable instance. When Turner made this remark to Moore he had already made six visits to Ireland: one in 1798, the others in 1809, 1810, 1812, 1817, and 1826. He made still another in 1845. The drawings and sketches covering these visits are in my collection. One is reproduced herewith. “Turner would draw anything that came in his way.” P. G. HAMERTON. It would be difficult to mention anything that he did not draw. I have a list of 200 subjects, other than landscape, that he drew or sketched, and it cannot be regarded as exhaustive. Did space allow, the list would be appended as an interesting exhibit. “I would rather have half the drawings of Turner than the whole of his oil- Che ”» parniings. JOHN RUSKIN TO P. G. HAMERTON. No more striking tribute could be paid to the primacy of Turner in the field of water-colour painting than this. The thought of monetary values did not enter into Mr. Ruskin’s calcu- lations, and his criterion was Art in its inherent quality alone. It is a safe prediction that should a vote be taken on the subject among those most competent to decide such a question, Mr. Ruskin’s judgment would be almost unanimously sustained. In the realm of oil painting there are a number who might reasonably dispute Turner’s leadership, but it is universally conceded that in water- colour painting he stands supreme and unrivalled. 67 THE UNKNOWN TURNER SATA A ATA L i Ta a aa al aaa AAA Arai id i a AAAS TATA IAAI al il Poel hl RAAT ATA iA Pil td Pid Pid Pl Pa Pr bl Td “Mark the range of the drawings and sketches by Turner in the National Gallery, and you will realise that the whole world was his province.” C. LEWIS HIND. Subject only to necessary limitations of time and space, Turner was a world-traveller. Not only did he visit every county in England, Wales, and Scotland, and a large number of those in Ireland, but, incidentally, he took in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and the Isle of Skye. Of foreign countries, he visited France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Bohemia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sicily, Swit- zerland, Greece (including Corfu), Albania, Turkey in Europe, Turkey in Asia, Palestine, Egypt, Persia, Spain, Portugal, Madeira, Canary Isles, Algeria, Corsica, Minorca, Majorca, Malta, Dalmatia, and Sardinia. As to subject variety, it would be difficult to name anything that Turner did not, at some period of his career, either draw or paint. Nothing was considered too trivial for his pencil or brush—nothing too great. I have his drawing of a lead-pencil. Near by is his large and striking representation of Taormina, in Sicily. He was equally at home in the delineations of still life, interiors, por- traits, costumes, architecture, animals, caricatures, birds, fishes, butterflies, hunting scenes, illumination, flowers, living models, comic sketches, book illustrations, and many others, besides every conceivable variety of land- scape and marine painting. Mr. Hind’s statement is in no way overdrawn. The whole world was Turner’s province. “On the face of it, the idea of Turner’s life having been a sad one is an absurdity. Every man takes his pleasure where he finds it; what but joy, intense love, and delight could have been in the man’s soul who through long years wandered over Europe in all weathers, conscious of the supreme gift of artistic genius, pouring himself out in his matchless drawings in never-ending fulness and versatility. . “No doubt if any of us were allowed to take Turner's imagination on trial for a week we should ask for no better companionship for the remainder of “| »> our lives. J. E. HODGSON, R. A. I had intended making comment on the statement of some one of the “Jeremiahs” who have poured out their sympathy for Turner so freely, because of his lonely and unhappy life. Mr. Hodgson anticipated me in showing the fallacy of any such view-point, and demonstrated it much more effectively than I could have done. 68 YORK CATHEDRAL, 1843 Original, width 5 inches by height 7 inches BY WAY OF COMMENT AONAPNDINADNISNENNENNINNANNENNANINGINGENGENGPNGPNGPNGENAPNSFNSBRDBNITNATAANG ANNAN INGANUPNG PNG ENUPNUPNUFNGPNSPRGPR AN IANSBRATODTNSMNISA DINING AMAA PN UPN UP NGF N PNG FRYPNSAN DBR JBOARN ZT STNSNA AAAI “ Turner had at this time (1840) quite lost the power of painting architectural detail, and his feeling for Gothic Architecture had never, at any period of his life, ” been true. JOHN RUSKIN. If Mr. Ruskin, when he referred to the “painting” of architectural detail, meant to include drawing also, he was sadly out of his reckoning. The remarkable drawing of York Cathedral, from which the accompany- ing reproduction was made, bears Turner’s date of 1843. One might well be pardoned for mistaking it for an engraving. It refutes Mr. Ruskin’s statement most convincingly. Barring the 1842 series of Swiss drawings, Mr. Ruskin seems to have been strangely uninformed regarding the work and whereabouts of Turner for the last ten years of his life. He believed that Turner’s last visit to the Continent was in 1843, while he made at least a half-dozen subsequent visits; he named 1845 as the year of Turner’s “breakdown,” while it was really 1849; at the time when, according to Mr. Ruskin, Turner had “quite lost the power of painting (or drawing) architectural detail,” he was making hundreds of drawings and sketches which, when called to the attention of talented archi- tects of to-day, evoke their admiration and enthusiasm. Mrs. Wheeler, who was intimately acquainted with Turner for sixty years, made this statement: “I have often heard Turner say that if he could begin life again he would rather be an architect than a painter.” Independent of his masterly work in that line, Turner’s remark, as quoted by Mrs. Wheeler, would be sufficient to indicate his great interest in archi- tecture. THE UNKNOWN TURNER PATIATIAIArIAr iA tilt id lel tel el ee ee aA AAA iA i i ee ee ee eal eae aaa ee ee ee ie ell el “These indications (records of ‘ordered drawings’ from private patrons) suggest that the drawings in these volumes were not made entirely for the artist’ s Li >? own use and enjoyment. A. J. FINBERG. How quickly and easily the problem could be solved, if Mr. Finberg and other writers on Turner would but realise that not only “the drawings in these volumes,’ but thousands more, including sketches, passed from the artist’s own hands to those of his numerous patrons, and that the National Gallery contains only a fraction of his work—much the largest, but far from the whole of it. “Latterly, in the names and even the subjects of his pictures he sought to puzzle and tease the public. His charitable intentions were mysterious; his residence was a mystery; where he had been to, where he was going to, and what he intended to do, were all mysteries; and so powerful was this habit of reserve that I have no doubt that Turner died actually rejoicing in the fact that even his ° G ” best friends knew not where he lay hid. WALTES Taare “Turner's life partook of the character of his works; it was mysterious, and nothing seemed so much to please him as to try to puzzle you, or to make you . > think so. DAVID ROBERTS. The same notes have been sounded in many keys. Turner’s love of mys- tery and his possession of an abnormally secretive nature cannot be denied (save by some word-juggler), as the evidence is conclusive. It is an estab- lished fact, and, as such, is entitled to universal acceptance. But “human nature is human nature.” Let one but announce the fact, as I do now, that this same “‘mystery-man”’ placed his hidden signature and the date on every drawing and sketch that he ever made, and immediately there are cries of “‘impossible,” “unreasonable,” “‘incredible,” and the like. Happily, however, this attitude of mind is assumed almost exclusively by a limited number who labour under the mistaken impression that be- cause of such a discovery, their individual work and reputation are affected. It is as unreasonable as the former opposition of the working man to the introduction of newly invented labour-saving devices and machinery—and as futile. 7° sayout Fr 3YysIay Aq SoyoUT 17 YIPIM “[VUIsIIG TVQI SANVIUAZLIMS ‘NOHL 10 ANVT BY WAY OF COMMENT NAPNGPNAENAPNAPNAPNAPNANLANNENNANNENSINGAYNEN ALN L NUL GFNUENAPNAPNIPASBNISN AND SADNNANAANAP NEP NOP NUP NUANAFNGENGPNDPAAPAAMNSMAD®NS IOS SNAANPN AANA NAP NP NAP NAP NUE N GFA PNGARGENDPRAMASPA ZEN DMAP IAS SAS IOAN “The work of the first five years of the decade (1840-1845) is in many ae Seheys respects supremely, and with reviving power, beautiful. JOHN RUSKIN. A fine and unrecorded specimen of Turner’s art of that period, answer- ing in every way to Mr. Ruskin’s characterisation (Switzerland, 1842), is in the collection of Rev. Dr. S. Parkes Cadman, and he has most courteously granted me the privilege of reproducing it in this volume. “The work (‘Picturesque Views in England and Wales’) remains a frag- ment. But when we patch together all Turner’s fragments of this kind, if even then they do not prove a whole, they afford a wealth of illustration of British scenery such as has hardly entered into the waking dreams of any other artist.” J. E. PHYTHIAN. > In Mr. Huish’s outline map of “Turner’s Haunts” in Great Britain, based on the drawings in the National Gallery Collection, he was able to record the artist’s visits to 339 places. It is likely that from my own collection of Turner’s drawings and sketches an equal number could be added. Com- bined, what a basis they would have proved for either publication or exhibi- tion! “Possibly the only evidence of Turner’s having visited foreign parts in any ) . . ° ° »”? particular year 1s to be found in his pictures. R. CHIGNELL. Mr. Chignell evidently intended that we should depend on the subject or place represented, as indicating the year in which the picture was made. There is a far better and a surer way. Every drawing and sketch by Turner bears somewhere on its face the date of its execution, placed there by the artist himself at the time he made it. It is possible, therefore, to obtain exact information not only of the years of Turner’s travels in “foreign parts” but also of those in his own country, which he so dearly loved and so thoroughly explored. G3 THE UNKNOWN TURNER PIMAPLLV IAT in Pid Vial Vil Vel Cal tal Ut Pa LL A LL A ATATIALIATIALIAL IA i Pitti til Cel Cel el aA AA a AACA hee aA bk taka ele “The book (indorsed by Turner, ‘South Wales—Mon, (Monmouthshire)) was used in 1795, the same year as the Isle of Wight drawings.” A. J. FINBERG. It has already been shown that the journey to the Isle of Wight was made in 1808 and not 1795. The visit to South Wales, so interestingly and fully described by Mr. Finberg in his articles in the publications of the Walpole Society, was not made in 1795, but in the same year, 1808. Turner passed the whole of the year 1795 in the English lake district, and I possess virtually his entire output of that visit. It is impossible to believe that the touch, essential to the making of the South Wales sketches, was possessed by the twenty-year-old Turner who made the tinted drawings of the English lakes. The Turner of 1795, as shown in the lake drawings, was slowly emancipating himself from the topographical or “mappy”’ style of art, and the delicate handling of the pencil and brush seen in the South Wales drawings was a development of a later period. It may be claimed that the dual reproductions of the original sketch and finished drawing of Llandaff Cathedral in the Walpole Society publication (the latter said to have been exhibited in 1796) prove my statement to be incorrect. Any one sufficiently interested to do so may examine both the sketch and the drawing in the Tate Gallery, and he will find on them Turner’s hidden signature and his date of 1808. On the sketch it will be found on the two smaller parallel lines to the left of and above the window-arch—the date in the upper one, the signature in the lower. On the drawing it will be found on the black head of the woman dancing (left one of group). The signature is made in two lines: the initials above and “Turner” beneath. It is true that a drawing of Llandaff was exhibited in 1796, but it was un- doubtedly one made on the occasion of a previous visit. Turner was in Wales In 1791, 1792, 1793, and 1794. Moreover, the hidden signature of Turner and his date of 1808 can be found on every one of the nineteen drawings of the South Wales sketch-book in the Tate Gallery. I have located them, and am prepared to name the exact places where they are. The signatures and dates may be found also on the reproductions appearing in the volumes of the Walpole Society. Incidentally, I may state that the drawings of Canterbury Cathedral and Allington Castle were not made in 1798, but a quarter of a century later —in 1823—and are so dated by Turner himself. The dates may be readily found on both originals and reproductions. 72 sayoul 6 YSIay Aq SdYyOUL TI YIPIM “[VUISIIG 64g1 ‘saIVM SAAGAV ATIVA SIONUOS BY WAY OF COMMENT PN GPNAPRAPRAPRAENAIN ANN AINAIND SN ANUANU ANT NUP NUN UPN P RSPR MER APRS ER SER AIN ARR SIN AIRANAANLPNA ANU ANU ENV PN UPN VENUE N UPN R SPR AMRAMRSMRORAPSR PIAA APNE IUPUI APNE N PNR P NUON PNP N DPR AER ABA AMR ANNAN ASN The drawing of Christ Church, Oxford, bears the date of 1824; also easily discernible to any student of Turner’s work blessed with normal eyesight. Apparently the economical Turner used the blank leaves of his sketch- book of 1808 for those few later drawings of 1823 and 1824. “Turner was great as an artist, in spite of all (decline of his powers), up to the day of his death. ROBERT CHIGNELL. The water-colour drawing, reproduced herewith, bears Turner’s hidden signature and date (1849). The following appears on the back of the drawing in Turner’s hand- writing: “Crucis Abbey, Wales. Sketched and drawn at the age of 76.” This is not the only instance of Turner’s having laid claim to 1773 as the year of his birth. Whether true or not, he evidently believed that to be the date. The drawing must have appealed to him as good for a man of seventy- six, or he would not have made the statement. I possess other drawings made by Turner in Wales this same year (1849); also, a painting in oil of Tintern Village. “Tf only we had good reproductions of all of Turner's drawings and sketches, what a pleasure we should all have, and how we should learn to appreciate his greatness! I should like to see every fragment before the public.” SIR CHARLES HOLROYD. Many illustrated works on Turner have been published, but, with few exceptions, the illustrations contained in them are duplications of what, by reason of repetition, has become trite. When will some enterprising publisher issue a series of volumes devoted exclusively to photographic reproductions of the large number of beautiful drawings by Turner which have not hitherto been brought to public notice? Art at its highest expression, by one of its chief exponents, and a novelty withal! 18) THE UNKNOWN TURNER SINAN WANING NEN WENGER GEN GEN GEN PNUENSPNBNASNDSNATAISA PINNING LNAI PNG PN UN UEN GPR GR ZBNAPRAANBNAMRANNAMA ASR INAZIN ANUP NUNN LNW P UPN UP NUP GRIFF ANABAA ARAMA ASIA SIA NEMS Nu Nuh Ne Nu ule “It would take a lifetime to follow the vicissitudes of all Turner’s water- colours; when they were painted, and where they are to-day.” C. LEWIS HIND. My estimate of the time required for such a task differs somewhat from that of Mr. Hind. It would not be possible to follow all the various changes of ownership, and that phase of the subject would have to be eliminated. The only way by which it can be definitely and surely ascertained when Turner painted his water-colours is an examination of the drawings them- selves. Every one of them bears a date, but it calls for the exercise of good eyesight, strong glasses, and unlimited patience. It is a comparatively easy proposition to find out where they are to-day. Combine the National Gallery Collection, Mr. Edward Dillon’s list, as given in Sir Walter Armstrong’s work, and the Anderson Collection, and little else remains. In my opinion the work could be done in a few years, and the results would prove commensurate with the time and labour expended. “ These drawings (Continental series of 1802) had all been purchased from Turner and mounted, in a more orderly fashion than, as far as I know, he ever achieved in business of this kind, in a large folio volume. The title was, how- ever, written beneath each subject in Turner’s hand, and in Turner’s French. “The volume had come to sale, and been bought back by Turner; it retains still its auction ticket.” RUSKIN, IN HIS CATALOGUE OF SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS BY TURNER, EXHIBITED AT MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, 1857-1858. What happened in that particular case, so clearly and circumstantially related by Mr. Ruskin, has happened many times since Turner’s death, when volumes similar to that above described have come into the market and been purchased by me. My collection contains possibly twenty-five such volumes, every draw- ing and sketch in them being the work of Turner. Some titles are in Turner’s French, others in Turner’s Italian, but they are mainly in English, in Turner’s characteristic handwriting. Many similar volumes were made up by Turner himself, and on the covers of these he usually placed his signature. I possess a number of them. 74 HEAD OF THE CHRIST, 1843 Original, width 8 inches by height g inches BY WAY OF COMMENT PIATIAT Tid Cll tee Cl aA ALTA IALIALIALIAL IAA TiAl Til vl tel el aCe TAAL AIALIATIALIALIALIAL ULL ATlt i Clee TATRA ALAA ALIA CAR Ube lek ek ial i ek es Le c< = >? Turner was a sceptic. P. G. HAMERTON. A loose statement, and one that can easily be disproved. Out of the abundance of evidence in my own possession alone—pictorial and written—showing the fallacy of Mr. Hamerton’s statement, I submit the following, in Turner’s own words: On August 6, 1839, he visited the church and monastery at Altdorf, in Switzerland. He writes: “Entered a small chapel underground, many wor- shippers; and a wooden ass, part of the procession with a man to personate our Saviour on its back, at certain holy festivals.” On September 29, 1850, he wrote to a nephew as follows: “He who made the world is no utilitarian, no despiser of the fine arts, no condemner of or- nament, and those religionists who seek to restrain everything within the limits of cold, dare utility do not imitate our Father in Heaven.” The reverential treatment accorded his drawing of the head of Christ (copied), also in my collection, makes it impossible to believe that the artist was a sceptic. He] THE UNKNOWN TURNER WENDENDENAPNAPNANNTSNLSNLSNLNNANNENGL NAD N ALN GENGENGPNGNGPRGPNGPRDENDBADEADBADNAANN ENGAGE NGL NAA NUP AUP NUPNYPA GPA GPA GPA SEAS ERS ANI END MADMAPNAP NAA NAS Va NW PREP DPN DPAYPADARUAA PRA SMA SNARES NASM AS Na Ned SY “Scott's mind failed slowly, by almost imperceptible degrees; Turner’s sud- denly, with snap of some vital cord, in 1845.” JOHN RUSKIN. It will be generally admitted that this drawing, made by Turner in 1849, is fairly good work for a man whose mind had failed, due to the “snap of some vital cord!” After a close study of the large number of Turner’s drawings in my col- lection, representing his work from 1845 to the end of his career, I am led to the conclusion that deterioration did not set in, nor become apparent, before 1847 at least, and that his art was not seriously affected before the later months of 1849. “To any one familiar with his work in water-colour, it is generally easy to et aS date his drawings within a year or two. W. G. RAWLINSON. Rather strongly put. Many will be inclined to disagree with Mr. Rawlin- son’s statement. My opinion is that dates on the very early and very late drawings could be so determined, but that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to name anything but approximate dates to most of those of his middle-life period, say 1820-1840. Incidentally, I may add that every drawing in Mr. Rawlinson’s own col- lection contains its exact date, placed there by Turner himself. No surmise is necessary. “Turner can never be appreciated nor admired, except by delicately refined . ° »”) and highly educated minds. CHARLES HENRY HART: Most flattering to those who have appreciated and admired Turner’s art, but the statement is incorrect. It does not take into account the ex- traordinary variety of Turner’s work. For every example like “Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus,” he painted and drew hundreds of charming land- scapes, which are easily understood and make the strongest appeal to the eye, mind, and heart of all who see them. 76 TURNER WITH THE SIMCOE FAMILY VA WwW OL ORD es lOD G Ene > PavaOiuNre 1843 Original, width 11% inches by height 9 inches CHURCH ON MOUNTAINSIDE AT FUNCHAL, MADEIRA, 1846 Original, width 11 inches by height 8 inches BY WAY OF COMMENT TONAPNDPNARNASRANAENEPNNA NAN UP NGA N UP NUP NUP NUPNUPRUPNPRIPRABNAMNDMRAMRDNA DNAS IAS NAS NAS NA Nu MUP NUP NUP NUPRUANGANDPRYPRSRADMAPASMASIAANAS NAAN AP NUL NPN uP NWP NUP AU PRIPAGPRSPNYAN DMA DIRATA SIAR Nh Mier “ Turner returned again and again to the Lake of Lucerne, which, after York- shire, was probably, up to the last, of all places in the world the dearest to his ”> heart. W. G. RAWLINSON. This statement would be literally correct if for the words “the Lake of Lucerne” the word “Devonshire” were substituted. Turner loved Lucerne and its surroundings because they presented such great possibilities for the exercise of his art. He loved Devonshire as he loved Yorkshire, because he was not only in a beautiful country but also a welcome inmate of a happy home among congenial friends. He had no rich patron there, as in Yorkshire, but his many sketches, made in Devon, indicate a loving intimacy that was of the same order as that he enjoyed with the Fawkes family at Farnley Hall. The sketch reproduced shows a portion of the grounds at Wolford, with members of the Simcoe family, Turner himself appearing among them in- dulging in his favorite pastime, angling. “I cannot believe them to be by Turner. No mention of a visit to Madeira is . @ > made by any of his biographers. STRICHART ES HOLES This remark was made to me by Sir Charles at the National Gallery in 1921. I had shown him a book containing eighteen water-colour sketches of Madeira and the Canary Islands, by Turner, covering a visit made by him in 1846. Incidentally, the titles are all in Turner’s characteristic handwrit- ing, and the sketches bear both his hidden signatures and dates. I had read all the biographies and was thoroughly aware of the fact that not only was no mention made in them of any visit to Madeira but also that all writers on Turner have deplored their inability to frame an adequate itinerary of Turner’s travels because of his sudden and mysterious disap- pearances from home, covering months at a time, when even his most in- timate friends were not informed of either his departure, whereabouts, or doings, nor did he vouchsafe any information to them after his return. It merely happens to be one of the many events in Turner’s career which escaped the attention of his biographers, and was discovered by me. During this same tour Turner visited Gibraltar and Algeria. I have a number of his drawings of these places, signed and dated. One of his Madeira sketches is reproduced herewith. 77 THE UNKNOWN TURNER [LPIA PATIL id Vid Vid Vial Vol Viel Vaal Lael Lal CA LL LALA ATI AL ALATA ati til Lil Ciel cel taal al Aa a AA hel el ll el el a ea ll “ These drawings (water-colours connected with Scotch tour, 1807) all seem to have been based on the sketches brought back from the 18or tour, as Turner does not appear to have revisited Scotland till he went there for Scott's ‘Pro- . . . ee > >> vincial Antiquities’ in 1878. A. J. FINBERG. Turner made two visits to Scotland between 1801 and 1818, the first in 1803 and another in 1810. I possess a volume containing virtually all of the sketches made on the tour of 1810. He visited Inverary, and the volume contains a number of sketches of the place, including the castle. “The period between his thirtieth and forty-fifth years (1805-1820) was the period of his freshest and happiest inspiration, as well as that of his soundest and most perfect workmanship.” A. J. FINBERG. Many will not agree with Mr. Finberg on this. The judgments of Mr. Ruskin, Sir Theodore Cook, and others will find readier acceptance. The former said: ‘The change which led to the perfect development of Turner’s power took place in 1820.” Sir Theodore said: ‘“‘It was not till 1820 that he discarded precedent, found his own methods, revelled in the possibilities of his delicately deliberate handling, and strove for his own ideal.” Such differences of opinion indicate the advantages which might be gained by an exhibition of Turner’s work, arranged on strictly chronological lines. “ Between 1811 and 1814 (the exact date is doubtful) he paid his first and, so far as is known, his only visitto Devonshire.” sap WaAlTER ARMSTROMEE There is convincing evidence of Turner’s having visited Devonshire at least eighteen times. After Farnley Hall, in Yorkshire, Wolford Lodge, in Devonshire, was perhaps the nearest approach to a real home that Turner knew. The dates of his various known visits to Devon are given elsewhere in this volume. There seems to be no doubt as to the exact date of Turner’s first visit to Devonshire. It was 1797, and I have his drawing of the coast-line between Beer and Seaton, bearing that date. 78 ey “T, pee! a ee Spe ee coe or ~~ COPY OF REMBRANDT’S “‘MILL,’’ 1827 Original, width 4 inches by height 3 inches AN EPITOME OF TURNER'S ART, 1829 Original, width 7 inches by height 5 inches BY WAY OF COMMENT AAA AU AIA ALIAAIALIAIALM MMM aaa a aaa Alia iAlia ial ial il i ll al ele aa aaa ALIA IALiAl iA ATi ily il Tiel el el al al el al al a AAT Aa aia id “Tt shows that tendency to put himself in direct rivalry with deceased artists of reputation which, through life, was one of the peculiarities of Turner's am- *,° ” bition. P. G. HAMERTON. I have copies made by Turner after Raphael, Rembrandt, Correggio, Claude, Reynolds, Wilson, Gainsborough, Teniers, van Ostade, and many others, including his friend Tom Girtin. One after Rembrandt is reproduced herewith: a copy in pencil of his well-known “Mill,” the original painting being in the Widener Collection in Philadelphia. “Sometimes Turner’s pencil is cut broad at the end and the sketches are very comprehensive in treatment; and other times a harder pencil is used, and it is s » sharpened to a fine point. P. G. HAMERTON. I could supply many specimens of Turner’s work in pencil which would fully corroborate Mr. Hamerton’s statement, and show the folly of passing hasty judgment on examples of it, when the results obtained by the two methods are so entirely dissimilar. Mr. Hamerton knew far more about it than a well-known “authority,” who, in the course of an examination of a group of Turner’s pencil sketches, discarded offhand the larger portion of them because they were not made with a fine-pointed pencil! It was impossible to convince him, for “he knew rau Ege 79 THE UNKNOWN TURNER Pia Aa PNAPAAPRANEAIRANAANEAN APN ELSE NMEA PNR PRUE RAPA PR AMASMAS IRS IRSNEPIES NEL SEPM EP NUE RUPP UPR APRS PNABRSPASIRSP RSPAS SRANAL NAD NS SUP NUP N aT aE NU PR UPA A PRAPRAPRAMRSMR STASIS TAS IRAN E NEEM “Tn a case where the chronology of a group of drawings has seemed to be guaranteed by its connection with the whole series, and by its concordance with all the external facts, I have ventured to assume that we may take the date as established. But when, for one reason or another, I have not felt quite satisfied on this point, I have printed the date with an asterisk. All the dates marked with an asterisk must therefore be taken as more or less hypothetical.” A. J. FINBERG. So far as “approximations,” ‘“‘hypotheses,”’ “asterisks,” ‘“‘circas,” “abouts,” “query by Turner?” and such are concerned, they are now things of the past in connection with Turner’s drawings and sketches. Every one of those in the National Gallery Collection, handled by Mr. Finberg during his four years’ task in preparing the inventory, Jore then and bears now Turner’s hidden signature and the date. Mr. Finberg had no reason to believe they were there, and consequently did not look for them. “His works of this early period (1793-17906) are usually signed. The earliest signature known to me 1s the one previously alluded to, W. Turner, 1786. For the next few years he signed simply Turner, or oftener W. Turner, occasionally adding the date. In 1799, when he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, he changed to W. Turner, A. R.A., and in 1802 be- came J. M. W. Turner, R.A. In his works of his later life it is the excep- . . > tion to find any signature. W. G. RAWLINGS OM This statement is so misleading, as a whole, that I am obliged to take it up in sections: ; 1. Every drawing of this, and all other periods, is signed and dated; from 1788 to 1797 they were signed J. W. Turner. 2. My observations confirm the form of signature given by Mr. Rawlin- son. 3. I never saw an authentic drawing signed “Turner.” It is difficult to believe that one exists; the signature “‘W. Turner” was, I believe, confined to the years 1785-1787. 4. I can say nothing regarding these from personal experience, but should require convincing proof that any signature of 1799, ““W. Turner, A. R. A.,” exists and is genuine. At that date it would be J. M. W. Turner. 5. “It is the exception to find any signature” —unless you know how and where to look for it! ’ 80 sayout %L yyZiay Aq sayoul 11 YIPIM ‘[eUlIsUC TORI “HOOE-HOLIMS (0 AVAT NO SLVOU TIVWS TO ALHIUVA V BY WAY OF COMMENT NUT NUPNAPRAENAPRABAABAASRAADNRASAANU ANA ENE NEN UPN MER EN YER ER ERD ER ARAMA AIR ANAANN AMA AN ANAS NAP NAAN SAUER PU PND PRY PR YAMPA SPAS RRS MAS IRS RAS IAS MSNA SNAP NAP NN PNP Nu RP APNG P AURA SRA ARR ZAR ZAR SNAG! “Vessels of every rig, and sailors at their work, or following their rollicking pleasures on shore, appear in numbers of his drawings.” ROBERT CHIGNELL. The accompanying illustration indicates the painstaking care which Turner put into everything he did. It will repay close examination in its details. It is a leaf from one of his sketch-books; and every separate vessel of the group bears Turner’s hidden signature and the date (1802). “Unsigned, unnamed, undated, it is impossible to give them a certain date, and really it does not much matter. Turner painted them; the nation has them; . »”> that ts all we need to know. C. LEWIS HIND. We cannot altogether agree with Mr. Hind in this. It does matter whether a drawing bears Turner’s signature and the date or does not. An illustration may be given. Some years ago I examined a number of so-called “doubtful” Turner drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, which came to it from the Alexander Dyce Collection. I found that some of them were signed and dated, and was glad to be able to assure the officials of their authenticity. There are numerous spurious Turner drawings about, but while it is most difficult to successfully copy or imitate one of his drawings, it is altogether impossible to imitate his hidden signature and the date. Imagine the interest the National Gallery Turner Collection would possess should a definite and authentic date be affixed to every one of the 19,000 pieces comprising it. Light would be thrown on a number of problems that are now most vexatious. Besides, a reliable and complete Turner itinerary could be compiled, and that is an admittedly great desideratum. SI THE UNKNOWN TURNER AAA AA AIAAIAIAria a i aaa AAA Aa ai el a AIA ALIAL AIA IAVIATIAT LAVA LLY ae aT ATTATATTATATIATIATIATT “Turner was perhaps the most anomalous character of the nineteenth cen- in »”? tury; he was more than eccentric. CHARLES HENRY HART. Unfortunately, my old friend Hart, well-versed in many phases of art, and the accepted authority on the work of Gilbert Stuart, has passed away. He would have been delighted at an opportunity of discussing the question of Turner’s eccentricity with the only man who has ever been known to deny it, Mr. Finberg. “By the time Turner was seventy years of age (1845) his bodily infirmities prevented him from visiting Switzerland. For a year or two we find him haunt- ing the coast of Normandy, about Dieppe, Eu, and Ambleteuse. Then he is unable to cross the Channel. For a short season he flits about Sussex and Kent —at Folkestone, Margate, Deal, and Sandwich—and then there is silence.” A. J. FINBERG. As throwing light on Turner’s movements from 1845 to 1850, inclusive, the material in the National Gallery is deficient, and this has led Mr. Fin- berg into a justifiable error. Excepting records of occasional visits to adjacent English counties, one to France and a misdated Swiss tour (1844—should be 1845), the sketch- books in the National Gallery afford no clew to Turner’s work nor where- abouts after the year 1843. The bulk of his drawings and sketches made during this period (1845- 1850) came into my possession by purchase, many years ago, and a close study of them, in conjunction with material obtained from other sources, reveals these facts: Instead of 1843 being the date of Turner’s last visit to Switzerland, as is generally supposed, he made five subsequent journeys: in 1845, 1847, 1848, 1849, and 1850. During this same period he visited Italy four times, France four times, Germany three times, and Belgium twice. He also visited Madeira, Algeria, the Canary Isles, and Gibraltar in 1846. During those same years he made no less than thirty-five visits to twelve English counties, going once to Ireland and twice to Wales. In 1851, when for the first time his rapidly growing infirmities precluded any lengthy travel, he went to near-by Surrey, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, and, last of all, to pay a farewell visit to his beloved Devon. He was much interested in the great exhibition of 1851, and made sketches of some of the exhibits, two interior views, and one of the grounds, in Hyde Park. I have them all. 82 eet, tide WE a Pte tne eecereit * VRetchedl with Burnt Woorl =i CHARCOAL DRAWING, LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION, Lo. Original, width 13 inches by height 9 inches PENCIL DRAWING, CONTINENTAL SCENE, 1834 Original, width 8 inches by height 6 inches BY WAY OF COMMENT PUTT ilY il Viol Vil Vial Yl Pol al Cl al AIT TAL ALAM ATAL AT ATATiAl Ubi ill id Vl Piel Vial Cal taal Cl Cal Lal a TAAL TATA Aa Cl iat al al el eA AAA leh Cee tk aa “These studies (for Turner's diploma picture of Dolbadarn Castle) are made in coloured chalk. This is, I believe, one of the few occasions on which ¥ ?) Turner has been known to work in pastel. A. J. FINBERG. Mr. C. Lewis Hind’s statement that Turner “tried everything in turn”’ applied to mediums of expression as well as subjects. My collection con- tains more than a dozen of his pastels, one of which was made in northern Europe on his tour of 1821. The charcoal sketch reproduced herewith bears Turner’s own special title, and the pin with which he attached it to the sketch. The collection of H. G. Spicer, Esq., of London, contains many fine ex- amples of Turner’s drawings in charcoal (unrecorded). “To describe the delicate minuteness, combined with breadth of effect of the drawing, would be impossible. Unless the actual working out of the details ts actually seen and examined, no one would credit that human sight and touch were fine enough to accomplish such results.” RORERTICHICN EIS “Turner's small hand was so delicate that it could draw with a degree of executive refinement which astonishes even opticians, the most refined of all workmen in the pure handicrafts.” Pepe Ver eee: It takes a fine example to measure up to such a description, but I believe that the accompanying reproduction will at least serve to show the meaning of the writers’ remarks. If Mr. Hamerton’s statement was correct—and no one has ventured to question it—there should be no occasion for surprise when it is stated that this same man, with such admittedly marvellous powers of execution, often placed his entire signature, and the date, on spots no larger than the head of a pin. 83 THE UNKNOWN TURNER AOOANVANGEN WINGER GEN GINUINGENGENAPNAPNAANASNAENDENASNISNSNINGA IRINA NGPNGLNAEN GEN APN UFY GENER IBNABEAAN IR ATAASAAILANNAY AANA PNA /NUF MMF NUPN GANA O GPR OFN SAN SFASMAINSTA/MA/ IIIa Va/ Mul Nut Nut ah “All the true and strong men who were Turner’s contemporaries shrank from the slightest attempt at rivalry with him on his own lines—and his own lines »”» were cast far. JOHN RUSKIN. Not only true, but most encouraging to all students of Turner’s art. It explains why, in a roomful of water-colour drawings, at an exhibition, there is comparatively little difficulty in locating those by Turner. There is an indefinable something in a Turner drawing that is not to be found in the work of the other water-colour artists, though most skilfully designed and brilliantly executed. Incidentally, there is a great scarcity of good copies of Turner’s drawings. It is easy to make poor copies of his work, but extremely difficult to make one that would deceive a person well acquainted with the methods and character- istics of his art. “Hamerton says Turner never was able to spell. The statement is much too strong. I have read dozens of Turner’s letters, and enough manuscript notes of one kind and another to make a substantial volume; and yet, even in memo- randa tntended only for his own eye, mistakes are rare, and the few which occur are such as even well-educated people were prone to in his day.” SIR WALTER ARMSTRONG. Turner certainly did make some bad blunders in his spelling, and I pos- sess numerous examples in proof of it. However, I believe that Sir Walter is right in his statement. Strangely, as he states, the mistakes rarely occur in his letters, manu- script notes, etc. They are found mainly in the titles of his drawings and sketches—at least that is the result of my observations. In a number of cases I have noticed that, having occasion to use the same word twice, he would spell it correctly in one instance and incorrectly in the other. Hurry or indifference probably accounts for it. I have Turner’s copy of Reynolds’s portrait of “Perdita” Robinson. He titled it “Perditer,” as that spelling corresponded to the sound of its pro- nunciation by others. Mr. Ruskin called attention to the fact that all of Turner’s mistakes in spelling were economical. He said: “Many bad spellers waste their letters; but Turner, never.” It happens that I have beside me as I write, some travel records in Tur- ner’s handwriting, and I read that he visited “the ‘scite’ of the ancient castle.” I have met with other examples, also. 84 S9YUL OL Jy Soy Aq Soyoul VI y}pIm *‘]BUIBIIC QTQI SALIOILSAWOdG HSTAM BY WAY OF COMMENT Lib ee eA IAAL ALAA MAL Ce aa AA ALIA IAAT AT eT aL TATA TALIATIALIATIAT IATA bt iT il Pel el Lal a LAAT TALIALIALIALAT IAT il Til ol tl Pel Ll hd “ There 1s at least one note missing in his gamut of human circumstances— that of domesticity. Turner shows us men at work in the fields, on the seas, in the mines, in the battle, bargaining in the market, and carousing at the fair, but ”»> never at home. COSMO MONKHOUSE. The fact never occurred to Mr. Monkhouse that there might possibly be some Turner drawings in existence which he had not seen. The sketch reproduced herewith is only one of a number of similar im- port in my collection. An interesting article might well be written concerning the things which Turner could not draw—but did; where he did not go—but went; what he could not do—but did; what he did, a la Wapping—but did not; the kind of a man he was—but was not, etc., etc. “ The drawings and sketches included in the Turner Bequest at the National Gallery comprise practically the whole of the great landscape-painter’s work done . ” direct from nature. A. J. FINBERG. So broad and sweeping an assertion should not have been made without a certainty of its correctness. At least there should have been some measure of qualification attached to the statement, which is incorrect and over- drawn. In one volume alone I have nearly 250 of Turner’s sketches “done direct from nature.”” They came from the artist’s early patron, Mr. John Hender- son, and bear Turner’s hidden signatures and dates. I also possess the large collection of Turner’s sketches which passed from his hands to those of his patrons, John and Charles Landseer. I have also a bound collection of nearly 600 sketches, put together by Turner himself. The title, “Studies from Nature, of Figures, Costumes, and Landscape,” is in his handwriting, and on the cover appears his signature and the date of 1848. In all, my collection contains over 3,000 sketches which answer in every detail to Mr. Finberg’s classification, and yet we are told that the National Gallery possesses practically all that Turner ever did. Incidentally, I may state that the Rosenbach Company of New York and Philadelphia possesses a collection of about 130 leaves from Turner’s sketch- books—a series of pencil sketches of scenes in England and Wales. 85 THE UNKNOWN, TURNER a AA AUALAaLalMa Mm a Me eee AI ALIALIALIALIALA LALA id il il al a a RIAA ALIA ALATA iT el LLP eae aT RATA TATA APA PLA Pi PL Pe “From that time (1792) onward Turner managed his own affairs, living mainly by the commissions, which were so plentiful, for topographical drawings, portraits of country houses, and such Itke, but also by the sale of drawings, made »”? to sell, etc. SIR WALTER ARMSTRONG. These are undeniable facts. Probably as many of Turner’s drawings and sketches passed—by sale and purchase—from his hands to those of others, as remained in his own possession at his death. Where are they? Not in the National Gallery. Many of them are still widely scattered throughout Great Britain, and thousands are in my own collection. I can myself name forty households possessing Turner drawings that are unrecorded. “It was William Hazlitt who said: ‘If we wish to know the force of human genius, we should read Shakespeare; if we wish to see the insignificance of learning, we may study his commentators.’ “It seems almost trite to point out how truly this observation may be applied to F. M. W. Turner.” CHARLES HARRIS WHITAKER, Editor of “ Fournal of American Institute of Architects.” The more real learning a man possesses, the less inclined will he be to make a show of it. The more copious his vocabulary, the more simple his words and the greater his restraint. Hazlitt’s shaft of ridicule was doubtless aimed at certain types of pedan- tic commentators who were more concerned with their own reputations and show of learning than with the measure of light they might be enabled to throw upon the work of the Bard of Avon. An ounce of Shakespeare to a pound of Self! And the editor of this well-known architectural journal, with his dis- criminating judgment, is likely to have adopted Hazlitt’s dictum as a pro- test against the disposition on the part of certain writers on Turner to inter- pret his work as being so intimately and exclusively connected with hand and brain as to cause their readers to forget that Turner’s primary appeal is rather to the eye and heart. Turner was, of all men, the least desirous of being interpreted to the lovers and admirers of his art through the medium of an art dictionary. An ounce of Turner to a pound of Self! 86 sayout $ yysray Aq sayout ZL yIpIM “[BVUIsIIC (A94IOJ STY 1OfJ JOUINT Aq ope) QOgI S‘NOAGC ‘NOLUAAIL LV AOGIUA FHL WOUT MAIA BY WAY OF COMMENT PITIPAPIAV LAVA VIL LIY LIV LTT RI TLITAITATTATTATAMATIAPIATILTELV INTL V VITOR TAIT AU AT TAATTATIAL IATL aM RL a aR AAALAC AUC LL “ Although there is no direct evidence to guide us, there is enough indirect to enable us to reply with confidence that Turner and his mother understood and loved one another during the years they spent together.” pogeRT CHIGNELL. The only direct evidence of Turner’s love for his afflicted mother that apparently exists is a beautiful pencil drawing in my collection, of Tiverton, in Devonshire, which he doubtless made for her enjoyment, and on which he wrote her name. It is dated 1808. The painstaking care with which the drawing was made is evidence enough of his affection for her. It is reproduced herewith. “Turner was the Shakespeare of Landscape Art.” ALFRED TENNYSON. “This Turner, whom you have known so little while he was living, will one day take his place beside Shakespeare and Verulam. “Of all the three, though not the greatest, Turner was the most unprecedented. Bacon did what Aristotle had attempted; Shakespeare did perfectly what Aischy- lus did partially; but none before Turner had lifted the veil from the face of Na- ture; the majesty of the hills and forests had received no interpretation; and the clouds passed unrecorded from the face of the Heaven which they adorned and the Earth to which they ministered.” JOHN RUSKIN. “Such is the intense and infinite sympathy which Turner appeared to have possessed for every kind of life at this period that Shakespeare, in his own style, is the only man that can in any way be compared to him.” ERNEST CHESNEAU. y Many similar comparisons have been made by other responsible writers, including Prof. William Knight of the University of St. Andrews, who sup- ports his opinion with strong and convincing reasons. Two of the many biographers of Turner have even suggested the possi- bility of his having been a reincarnation of the Bard of Avon. (Both Shake- speare and Turner were born on St. George’s Day.) Can any one mention a name other than Turner’s in the entire history of modern art which has been deemed worthy of being linked in genius with that of Shakespeare? 87 THE UNKNOWN TURNER PNMINGENGTNGINGPNGPNAMNGTAINNUSNANGASAINGINNENENGENDFNUFNGPNGENGFRUENSENSMASMASPASMAISNDNUANAANA/ NA NMPRANUFAUPAUFNGARDRAGPLIMNAMASIRAANAANA/ VAP NOPNEPNAP NUP NUP NUP LEPRGPLSPRSRN ZA ZAA JME SAK paI “Turner, all through his extraordinarily industrious life, amassed money hand over hand by the sale of his drawings, and by the profits of the engravings of his works; and he died worth £140,000.” J. E. HODGSON, R. A, A clear statement of undeniable facts. There is abundant evidence that Turner sold not only finished drawings but also a great number of his sketches “done direct from nature” to certain of his patrons. On nearly all of those made for Lady Elton, of Clevedon Court, he named the price on the back of the sketch—and other similar cases are known. It does not require any special amount of intellectual effort to figure out that things cannot be in two places at the same time. The thousands of drawings and sketches that Turner sold and received money for, from his numerous patrons, during his entire life, never remained in his Queen Anne Street house; were never in the National Gallery Collection, and are not there to-day. “It 1s an impossibility for any man to have collected as many as 5,000 draw- . ” ings and sketches by Turner. CHARLES AITKEN, Director of the Tate Gallery. This remark of Mr. Aitken was repeated to me by his assistant, Mr. Manson. It is perhaps unnecessary to recall to Mr. Aitken’s memory the many things in every known phase of human activity which, being deemed “‘im- possibilities,” nevertheless came to pass. This only adds one more to the number. Mr. Aitken might have easily figured out the problem in this way: On a most conservative estimate, Turner worked 300 days per year for sixty years, making an average of two drawings or sketches per day. The total output would therefore be 36,000 pieces. It is impossible to account for more than about 21,000 in known public and private collections, not counting my own. This leaves 1 5,000 unac- counted for. Then allow for thirty years of steady, persistent search made by a man who knew what he was after, and knew the thing when he saw it—more- over, the only person possessing knowledge of Turner’s hidden signatures and dates—and consider whether it would really be an impossibility for him to have collected 5,000 drawings and sketches—or 10,000, or more. Personally, I am of opinion that the total number of drawings and sketches made by Turner ranged from 38,000 to 40,000. 88 sayoul or qysioy Aq sayour $1 YIpIM “[eUuIsUG 6781 ‘UANUNL AP NMVUG SV _‘AONVLSIC,, 40 ATAWVXA Nv ‘ db ONG. Se SiON. ie BY WAY OF COMMENT Natns Uae et eee ALAA AA alia alia lial ia id il ata ala AL AALIAL TALIA iAr Arata Tia Pil La ARIAT ATArAliAlArIALIArIAT IAA iA TiLv i PLY RIYA RIT RATT “Who can but be entranced by the distance, Turner’s sign-mark, the open gate that lures us away from the troubled foreground of the world.” C. LEWIS HIND. This example of Turner’s “sign-mark” may be deemed an appropriate illustration of Mr. Hind’s sympathetic tribute to one of the great features of Turner’s art. “Turner made his first visit to Italy in 1819.” A. J. FINBERG. While Mr. Finberg is quoted on this point, it will be remembered that all writers on Turner make the same statement. On the occasion of Turner’s first Continental tour, in 1802, he crossed the border from Switzerland into Italy, and visited places in the Val d’Aosta. A number of drawings of Aosta, made on this trip, are in the National Gal- lery Collection (see Mr. Finberg’s “Inventory,” txxiv). Although the stay was a casual one and hurried, it was nevertheless Turner’s first visit to Italy. From the artist’s own sketch-books in my possession I am able to prove that he made a Continental trip in 1818, spending the month of July in Swit- zerland and Italy (Venice and Lakes Maggiore, Lugano, and Como), the month of August in Switzerland and the Tyrol, and the earlier portion of September on the Rhine. Soon after his return to England—in October—he made his visit to Scot- land. I believe that a careful examination of the Italian sketch-books of 1819 in the National Gallery Collection would show that certain ones among them (174 and 181 particularly) represent Turner’s work of the previous year. This could be definitely proved by the dates on the drawings. It is significant that when Turner went to Italy the following year (1819) he omitted visits to the localities already covered in the tour of 1818. The sketches by Turner covering this journey are about 135 in number. They formerly belonged to the wife of Sir John Leicester, one of the artist’s best patrons. Turner’s third visit to Italy was made in 1819, and proved far more im- portant in results than either of the previous ones. 89 THE UNKNOWN TURNER PTAIT ALTA ALLATATIATIATIATIATIATIALIAT in Til tin Val vil Tel Tel Talal Talla ATA IALIATIALIATIA in init il tlt tele ee a aA eA AAA hh le eee A Lal “Tt goes far to establish the immortal greatness of Turner that a work from . . << his mature brush always cries out “I am a Turner. FRANCES DOWNKIAN: Not only “the works of his mature brush” but fully three-quarters of the entire product of his brush and pencil cry out “I am a Turner” to those with watchful eyes and listening ears. I have heard that cry many times during many years. I have heard it when the drawings in my hands bore the names of other artists, which had been placed there by unscrupulous dealers; in other cases, when amateur painters had “appropriated” Turner’s work, and audaciously attached their own names to the drawings. I have heeded the cry many, many times, and found that the drawings and sketches were truly the work of the great artist, and this has been con- firmed by finding on them Turner’s hidden signatures and dates. “Incidentally it may be noted that Turner has not painted a single Irish scene; nor does he appear ever to have visited Ireland, although it might have been supposed that its fine lake and mountain scenery and the variety of atmos- pheric effect, due to the moisture of its climate, would have strongly attracted ° »”? him. FRANCES TYRRELL-GILL. “With an indifference for which I am at a loss to account, Turner 1s not known to have expressed even a wish to see Killarney. His business never took him to Ireland, and Killarney has lost the advantage of having her beauties transferred to canvas by the pencil of Turner.” PETER CUNNINGHARE How is it possible for any one to believe or even surmise that Turner, the constant and tireless traveller to all available parts of Great Britain and Continental Europe, would fail to visit a country of such exceptional charm and interest as Ireland—a next-door neighbour? His earliest visit to the Emerald Isle was made in 1798. I have his sketch- book used on that tour, containing sixty drawings. He made other visits in 1809, 1810, 1812, 1817, 1826,and 1845,and many of the drawings represent- ing his work on these various journeys are in my collection. I have probably a dozen drawings and sketches of the Lakes of Killarney by Turner, and believe that another fine drawing of the subject is in the collection of Thomas Hughes Kelly, of New York. go MOSS ROSE, 1823 Original, width 8 inches by height to inches BY WAY OF COMMENT SIVEIVAIVAITAIIAIIALIATIATIATIALIALIATIALIAV In TATTLE TR aT ATA ALTALTALIATIALIALIATIALIAT IAT Tid ill hl Pale ATA LATAlIArIALIAr Ariat isis il Til tal vaPal ae TAL ATIATIALIAL “Hunt could paint a flower, but not a cloud; Turner, a cloud, but not a ”» flower. JOHN RUSKIN. How can we account for so misleading a statement from such a man as Ruskin? It is correct so far as it applies to Hunt, but certainly incorrect as to Turner. Remember, the statement is not that he never painted a flower, but that he cou/d not. What are the facts? Turner loved flowers as he loved all other beautiful things in nature. Equally with birds and butterflies, their colouring made a strong appeal to him, as is evidenced by the exquisite work he bestowed on them. Most of those in my collection—over fifty in number—came to me from Turner’s various albums, sold by him to patrons, and finally reaching my hands as the result of many years of persistent search. “Nothing is more striking in Turner’s pictures than his constant repetitions, with but slight variation, of the same theme.” ALR RT Not only true as regards repetitions of the same theme, but he also made many copies of his own drawings which, to the ordinary eye, were already complete and satisfactory. In all cases, however, a close examination of the two drawings will show that the alteration has invariably worked an improvement. Turner duplicated many of his “Liber Studiorum”’ drawings. I have seen three drawings by him of the ‘“‘Little Devil’s Bridge,” in every one of which slight variations are found. Duplications of his water-colours were often made, while apparently he seldom made a second copy of any pencil drawing. I have one subject drawn in pencil, which was later redrawn by him in pen and ink—the latter being a decided improvement on the former. Both are in my collection. gI THE UNKNOWN TURNER aah uh ahaa aaa a aA ALIALIALIALIALIAL IATL Til Cal al al TAAL AL AL IAT AL AAA iA TULvilv il Til il Tiel Pa TALIA ALTA AAT Ariar alist bil til Pid vil al area Tae ATT ATT “For this (the ‘Liber Studiorum’) he made about a hundred drawings in . » sepia—a colour he rarely used elsewhere. W. G. RAWLINSON. Mr. Rawlinson’s statement was necessarily based on his own experience and observations. He had doubtless examined the drawings and sketches in the National Gallery, also those in many private collections, and found few sepias among them. On the contrary, my experience leads me to an altogether different con- clusion. I should say that sepia was one of Turner’s more favoured mediums of expression. He used it exclusively in certain series or groups of drawings made for special patrons, and also on many separate pieces. Two of the largest Turner drawings I possess are in sepia: ‘“‘Hospital of St. Cross,” near Winchester, 27 x 40 inches, and “Taormina,” in Sicily, 23 x 34 inches. Two Scottish tours, a visit to Yorkshire, and a prolonged stay in Italy, Sicily and southern France are represented entirely in sepia. There are over 500 examples of Turner’s work in sepia in my collec- tion alone. “That Turner the water-colour painter is represented at all in the National Gallery is purely an accident. The bulk of his water-colours are in private col- . »> lections. A. J. FINBERG. The significance of these statements cannot be too strongly emphasized. Turner did not leave his water-colours to the National Gallery. No mention of them was made in his will, and as a result of the judicial settlement— virtually a compromise—they were apportioned to the Gallery. There is room for a difference of opinion as to the reason why Turner neglected to include them with his finished oil paintings. Was it because he considered that they did not adequately represent his art? We must re- member that, with many notable exceptions, they were the drawings which his patrons probably had opportunity to purchase from him and did not. The second statement is equally suggestive. If the bulk of Turner’s water-colours are in private collections, how did they get there? Turner must have sold them, and it is evident there were many purchasers. Mr. Finberg has doubtless taken Mr. Dillon’s list as a basis, but that list is sadly incomplete. The number recorded by Mr. Dillon is no larger than of those he failed to enumerate, being unaware of their existence and where- abouts. g2 seer: ETAL ELE seyout or 3ysley Aq sayout $1 YIP “PeUIsUO CVRI ‘WAASAW HSILIUG BY WAY OF COMMENT WIV TiAl il Vid bl Pal TAIT AT TT TATTATTATTATTATIAT IAN IATA ia Pid tid Viel Vil Pil Phi Pal al CATAL TAAL TAT AMALIA ATIAT IAT Tilt il tel aaa AAA A Aaa ea “T can think of no worse architectural work for artists or architects to study than that of Turner. He cared to show places and buildings, not as they really were, but as it pleased him that they should look. Rightness was nothing to him.” JOSEPH PENNELL. Mr. Pennell is generally emphatic, and always honest in the expression of his views. Moreover, his statements usually have a sound basis in fact, and are seldom successfully refuted. In his statement above quoted, Mr. Pennell is, in a sense, both right and wrong. The criticism is a just one when applied to a large proportion of Turner’s oil-paintings, with which he is well acquainted, but is incorrect in the main when applied to Turner’s drawings and sketches, with which Mr. Pennell is less familiar. As stated elsewhere, the larger portion of Turner’s architectural draw- ings were gathered together by him and placed in volumes. Mr. Pennell has never seen the contents of those volumes. If he had, his statement would have been made with material qualifications. An example of Turner’s architectural “rightness” is given—his drawing of the British Museum. The reader’s attention is also called to the drawing of the Church of St. John Lateran, Rome, appearing in this volume, on an earlier page. “How many times Turner went to the Continent no one knows. He moved about silently and alone, leaving no trace of his movements save in his drawings.” ’ JOHN C. VAN DYKE. “Save in his drawings.” And yet, when a man produces these same drawings, showing Turner’s characteristic work in every stroke of the brush or touch of the pencil, to those who really know it; in most cases with the titles and notes in Turner’s own handwriting; bearing also his hidden signa- tures and dates; in many instances presenting an almost entire sequence of his work in a given period, from which an itinerary of that particular trip could be compiled; instead of being welcomed as the possible possessor of valuable material which might prove serviceable in throwing additional light upon the remarkable career of one of the world’s greatest artists, he is informed by a leading official of one of the great English galleries—“We have no interest in your collection.” 93 THE UNKNOWN TURNER TAN N AP Ahetent rut Ned dutNufNutNotQaPh4PQaPNatatQsPQsPAsTOATVANNISUINAD NAA NU/NUIVUELGENGP NGF UPN GFR SFRIPLINASSNASNASVAALITA PE MUAN/NAPRA/ UGE RAF LaPVaFVaPLaFLSPLSPEUENAVIMLATAD USSU SOP NAP UPNgD “What a sight Turner's pictures chronologically arranged would be.”’ C. LEWIS HIND. A decidedly good idea, Mr. Hind. To the students and admirers of Tur- ner’s art no more interesting exhibition could be named. Quoting both Chaucer and Shakespeare, there need be no “ guessing” as to the dates, and the approximate ones given in Mr. Finberg’s inventory of the drawings and sketches in the National Gallery are too wide of the mark to warrant any dependence being placed on them. As every drawing made by Turner bears a date, there need be no uncer- tainty regarding an exact chronological order of the exhibits. To be able to follow Turner’s entire art career—from his early boyhood copies, through sixty-odd years of such experiences and attainments as fall to the lot of few men, to the work of his declining years, and the final end— truly, what a sight it would be! Why has the National Gallery never given the public such an oppor- tunity? “No drawing exists, that I know of, founded frankly on that key of colour (fresh green), nor is there any evidence of his having taken any pleasure in the ” colours of flowers. JOHN RUSKIN. There is no basis in fact for the latter portion of the above statement. It is on a par with Mr. Ruskin’s other misstatement that Turner cou/d not paint a flower. The only explanation I can offer is this: most of Turner’s flower pieces were made before Mr. Ruskin met him, and they had been made for his pri- vate patrons, generally appearing in books made up for them by him. Mr. Ruskin was consequently not familiar with Turner’s flower pieces, and jumped to the conclusion that the artist never made any. Sir Edward T. Cook gave a reproduction of one of Turner’s flower pieces in his work on the “‘Hidden Treasures at the National Gallery,” and titled it “one of the very few that Turner painted.” From a study of the many examples in my collection, I find conclusive evidence of Turner’s having fairly revelled in the colours of flowers. There are fields of wild flowers, cultivated gardens, flower-beds in front of gentlemen’s country houses, bouquets of flowers in great variety, flowers on stalks, etc., all bearing internal evidence, in the making, of Turner’s great love for them. 94 soyour % FI yystay Aq soyoul %61 YIpIM ‘feulsug Laital aNv oawour, S dauavVadsSaHyVHs WOU ANAOS < ’ BY WAY OF COMMENT AIA A ATA Aris NarNarnsmnse NAMAASNASAAIRANAPNAL NENA NP NUE Nurhururaur NUPNAPR IPRA M RAMADAN, PANPSRANEPNAEN EAN APN W ENE NUP NUP RSPAS PRUPRAMRAPRAMRABADIRASA ENN NRA AL AA Alaa iaal) wyarner “Turner was never without a volume of one of his favourite authors when on his travels. Shakespeare he knew best from the acting of his plays at the theatre, where he was constantly to be found in Macready’s time.” ROBERT CHIGNELL. A number of writers on Turner, besides Mr. Chignell, have referred to his appreciation of and admiration for the works of Shakespeare. Far more important testimony regarding it, however, is offered in a re- markable group of more than a dozen of Turner’s drawings and sketches, illustrating certain of Shakespeare’s plays, which are in the matchless col- lection of Shakespeareana belonging to Mr. Henry C. Folger, of Brooklyn. It is well known that Turner painted a few Shakespearean subjects in oil (Mr. Ruskin possessed one of them), but no other drawings of Shake- speare’s characters can be traced, except Mr. Folger’s. He also possesses one of Turner’s oil-paintings, referred to: a scene from “King Henry IV,” with Sir John Falstaff and Bardolph. Mr. Folger has kindly given me permis- sion to reproduce one of his drawings in this work, a scene from “Romeo and Juliet.” “The opportunities of studying Turner's work of that period (1790) are so extremely limited that few can be acquainted with them.” A. J. FINBERG. “Very few of Turner’s quite boyish drawings—I refer to those before 1790— have survived.” a EL WEIN NS Both of these statements are based on the unwarranted assumption that practically all of Turner’s drawings and sketches are to be found in the National Gallery Collection. I possess five volumes containing about 250 tinted drawings by Turner, made between the years 1785 and 1790 (mainly of 1788 and 1789). The drawings were evidently sold by Turner to one of his many patrons— Hammond by name—who had them bound. They then passed into the collection of Sir William Augustus Fraser, and at the Fraser sale they were purchased by the dealer from whom I obtained them. I have also many separate drawings of the same early period. 25 THE UNKNOWN ‘TURNER PNeINGINATNGPNGPNDINA PRASAD END SLISNESAA YA INPNEA NAD NEP NEN NUP NE Na Na Na PAu ay NAPNANUASNTSNANNANNANGINGEN GENES GEN UPN GENE GP NAPRAPADPRSPRS IAD ARA SAP IAS APNEA NAL VANE NEP NEE NaF Neha P A aPA DARGA “ Smirke and I, on our way to the Royal Academy, drank tea with Turner, and looked over his sketch-books. He said that he had Sixty drawings now be- Spoke by different persons.” DIARY OF JOSEPH FARINGTON, R. A., UNDER DATE OF JULY 6, 1799. How convincingly does this statement support the claim which has been made and maintained throughout this work—that Turner made probably double the number of drawings and sketches which comprise the Turner Collection in the National Gallery ! If the work of the young artist of twenty-four was then so highly appre- ciated that advance orders were given him for sixty drawings, the question naturally suggests itself, how many drawings were likely to have been ordered from and executed by him during the succeeding half-century of his active and fruitful career? Many thousands, without doubt, and not one of them is in the National Gallery Collection. “The peculiarity of this period (second style, 1820-1835)—the central one of Turner’s life—consists in its defiance of precedent, its refinement, brilliancy of colour, and tendency to idealism. “Only a few finished drawings, characteristic of the time, exist in the Na- . 2 »” tional Collection. JOHN RUSKIN. A large portion of the drawings and sketches made by Turner during this important period of his life is in my collection. Mr. Ruskin’s analysis of their characteristics is in striking accord with the facts. Included are the fruits of the extended tours of 1821 and 1824; the for- mer in northern Continental Europe, following a trip to South Wales; the latter in the northern counties of England, and including Scotland. Then follows the tour of the western counties and Wales in 1828, leaving for Italy in the latter part of the year. In 1834 he made an extended visit to Italy (including Sicily) and southern France. Incidentally he visited Italy in 1822, Holland in 1825, Ireland in 1826, Scotland in 1831, and France, Germany, and Belgium in 1833. 96 Original, width 17% inches by height 11 inches = lee) a os iS Z (ea) oO nN b YN [ea] fad ° & Z ° vy, 4 ° 2 H < fad ta Z oe =) BY WAY OF COMMENT ee a erherneon rte ttinnts amnion iho wrctinarrurunonmutununinamsirinuniAd alnedrisn “With the one exception of sombre and majestic forest scenery, Turner found his own in every conceivable kind of landscape that European travel could SUg- »”> gest. WALTER SHAW SPARROW. By this, we learn of still another thing which Turner was unable to draw or paint. We have already been told by various other writers that he could not paint either a horse, a dog, a tree, a flower, or a human figure, and now we learn that the painting of forest scenery was beyond his powers. Happily for his peace of mind, Turner died before this deficiency of his was discovered and published to the world. He had been bold enough, however, to attempt the impossible, and I offer from my collection an example which will enable the reader to judge the matter for himself. It is one of many instances where Turner introduced a representation of himself into the picture. Possibly he may have anticipated Mr. Spar- Trow’s criticism, and posed accordingly! “These titles (‘Blaze Castle’ and the ‘Deney and Welsh Coast, 791’) are written on the backs of the drawings by the artist himself—an excellent prac- tice which he very soon abandoned.” A. J. FINBERG. My observation differs materially from that of Mr. F inberg in this matter. The titles appear in Turner’s own handwriting on possibly one-fourth of my entire collection, on face or back, covering nearly all periods of his career. I can account for it in only one way. It is likely that when Turner made a series of drawings, in fulfilment of an order, he wrote the title-subjects on them for the enlightenment of the purchaser, while those in the National Gallery, not having found purchasers, received in the main no mark of iden- tification. It was, apparently, his custom to write the titles on his group-drawings, but in this there were many notable and regrettable omissions. 97 THE UNKNOWN TURNER PRT Ria ALI ALIAliAliAL Arial arial ia lid tin vid tid Tiel Piel Piel Tel Val cal Tal a a La a a a a ea a a ek ee el ae dl al a a al a ee ee Ll “ To-day, at a distance of almost a century and a half since his birth, Turner is still studied, and still has something to say to us that our painters of this age do not or cannot say.” HARRY TOWNEND This was written by Mr. Townend as applying particularly to Turner’s work in water-colour. If a measure of this same insight and wisdom could by some means be injected into certain of the officials of our art museums, and some of our newspaper art critics, what a blessing it would be! They seem obsessed with the notion that the most effective way to safe- guard and support the structure of modern art is to undermine and destroy its foundations, and Turner is generally singled out for attack because of his being the chief corner-stone. A well-known art critic in a lecture recently delivered in New York said that “Turner, though a master of colour, was not one who advanced the value of landscape art.” It concerned this gentleman little that his judgment was in distinct vari- ance with that of nearly every worth-while landscape painter of France and England, and also with the leading writers on landscape-art in both countries. Sane modern painting merits and should receive adequate support from all true lovers of art, but reciprocal and sympathetic interest should also be shown to those who believe that Turner was the outstanding exponent of nineteenth-century landscape art; that he first made known, and, in his own time, almost monopolised the element of “‘mystery”’ in art, and that a large portion of what is best in the work of our modern landscape artists can be distinctly traced to Turner’s influence and example. “Turner employed lithography on one occasion only.” (View of Leeds, 1823.) W. G. RAWLINSON. Turner employed lithography on probably more than sixty occasions. The one referred to by Mr. Rawlinson was vot drawn on stone by Turner, but by J. D. Harding, after a Turner subject. My authority for this is Mr. Joseph Pennell, recognised as a world- authority on the subject. Turner’s interest in lithography, which first became active in the follow- ing year (1824), was probably brought about by this lithograph of Harding’s. 98 sayour %z1 ysiIay Aq SOYIUL GT YIPIM “[vuUIsLGO VTQI SUANUAL AM HdVUOOHLIT ®& Wee a te ett BY WAY OF COMMENT Se a NAOMI Nala Prat thal nse r Rstrnt NPAT rad ad bat ol teh abnor TOA SonsiasheshImajsphashadrgaParn.orcmom “In this year (1824) Turner is apparently fumbling towards Lithography.” C. LEWIS HIND. As a specimen of Turner’s “fumbling towards Lithography,” a repro- duction is given of one of his genuine lithographs made in the year named, 1824. Like his drawings and sketches, they bear both signature and date. As previously stated, Turner made over sixty lithographs. “ Turner knew the public were interested in his water-colours and oil paint- ings, but he does not seem to have thought that they would care equally for his pencil drawings. “TI doubt if he sold, during the whole of his life, more than a dozen of his drawings of this kind, and we know that he consistently refused to give them . ° s »”? away as presents to his friends and acquaintances. A. J. FINBERG. Mr. Finberg’s expressed doubt that Turner sold during his entire life more than a dozen of his pencil drawings is very wide of the mark, and a specific reply seems called for. It is true that Turner did not, as a rule, give away his drawings and sketches to friends and acquaintances. The exceptions were few indeed. But there seems to be abundant evidence that he was willing to sell, at a price, almost everything that he either drew or painted. There were notable exceptions, of course, and in general they redound to his credit. Hundreds of pencil drawings were sold by him to John and Charles Landseer, some forming the contents of entire volumes, others in groups and separate pieces. The bulk of them are in my collection. Turner evidently sold to a certain patron, whose name I have, a series of his sketch-books containing pencil drawings of places in Wales and vari- ous counties in England. He wrote the person’s name and address in the volumes, which I now possess. And I have hundreds of other pencil drawings by him, too numerous for detailed mention here. | 99 THE UNKNOWN TURNER aT UPNU ERUPT ENDER ABRAM RAEN SENOMR ASA ASA PSAP ONAN U PMU P NU PRU ENV ENV R UFR PR SPN TRAIN AEN AERAENSIRASESSEPNEPI OPN EL NUL RUNG PNP NE PR TER SERENA MR APRAMRASSASIRASAPIR ASAP NUNES N UNL UPNUPN PNP R SPREE RAM R AMR SE “Turner sent to the Royal Academy in 1803, a Holy Family (he tried . . >» everything in turn). C. LEWIS HIND. One of the keys to the complex nature of Turner’s art is here supplied by Mr. Hind. “ He tried everything in turn.” In the National Gallery Collection there are about 120 subjects repre- sented by Turner that are not landscapes, nor sea-pieces, and the number could be materially augmented by additions from my own collection. It would be difficult for any one to name an object or a subject which was not at some time drawn or painted by Turner. He made many copies of the various heads of Christ, Holy Familys, and Madonnas, and I have a con- siderable number of them in my collection. “Turner was attracted by the humblest and most insignificant subject, and threw his whole soul into its study, but then, on the other hand, there were no heights in grandeur and sublimity unattainable by him.” ERNEST CHESNEAU. This 1s true, and in no sense can it be deemed an exaggeration. Inciden- tally, it belies the belief, so frequently expressed, that the French lacked both understanding and appreciation of Turner’s work. No artist is more generally misunderstood than Turner, mainly for the reason that, with few exceptions, his interpreters have harped continuously and exclusively on one or two strings of the many which were under his masterful control. The art-loving public have been misled into the belief that the only true representations of Turner’s work are to be found in pictures of a certain defined type—so-called “Turneresque’”—while the truth is that probably ninety per cent of the entire product of his brush and pencil are of alto- gether different types, and in endless variety. It is hardly a valid argument against the authenticity of a lovely draw- ing by Turner of a typical English rural scene to claim that it does not show the same method of treatment as may be found in his “‘ Rain, Steam and Speed!” Ruskin endeavoured to persuade M. Chesneau to write a life of Turner. His failure to do so is a matter of regret. I0Oo COP SO FTE OUR REA Ora Os eN ae a Ola 1828 Original, width 4 inches by height 5 inches BY WAY OF COMMENT AD ATADAlAialialia MMe el aaa IA AAA AlAalialialiali ia lee el ea a aA IAL ALIA Aria isi i ll Ph a a aa ATIALIAL Arar iA tia tia il tid “ Between the water-colours of different periods of Turner’s career there are the most astonishing contrasts of subject-matter and sentiment, but in all of them one finds the same inimitable grace, strength, and dexterity of workman- ship, the same unequalled technical mastery over the medium.” A. J. FINBERG. Mr. Finberg’s statement is true, and effectively presented. Moreover it is based on the unusually wide experience he has been privileged to enjoy. A publication on the subject-matter of Turner’s drawings would doubt- less be welcomed. One phase of it may be touched on. Turner ‘made many single attempts at unusual subjects—his success in the accomplishment evidently satisfied him, for he seems to have made no further trials—and they were either made for, or purchased from him, by certain of his patrons. I have been fortunate in securing many of them, and can give assurance of their being remarkable examples of Turner’s skill and ingenuity, and mainly of superb execution. One is offered as an illustration: a copy of a mezzotint portrait of John Locke. Iol THE UNKNOWN TURNER eA aaa Al ial aaa ia iat ie eel el el a a A a aA ee el lel el el el a eee ae i eel el el el el a al el a el eel “Throughout his whole life Turner never came under any ennobling or refining feminine influence, either in marriage or out of it.” P. G. HAMERTON. Did not Mrs. Wells, Mrs. Wheeler, Mrs. Fawkes, Mrs. Trimmer, and Mrs. Simcoe and her daughters exert a refining influence upon him? This is merely another of the loose statements which were too often made by Mr. Hamerton when he ventured to stray from his own field of art criticism. “ The central spire of Rouen Cathedral (River Seine series) 15 an interesting indication of the date when Turner was on the spot, for 1t was burned by light- ning in 1821, the very year that Turner was most probably on the spot.” SIR THEODORE A. COOK. The whereabouts of Turner in the latter portion of the year 1821 has been an unsolved problem with all of Turner’s biographers. The records of the Royal Academy exhibitions throw no light on the subject, nor do any of the sketch-books in the National Gallery. Sir Theodore Cook seems to be the only writer on Turner who has pre- sumed to offer even a surmise as to where he was and what he did—and, so far as he went, he was correct. In September—December of that year Turner made an extensive tour, visiting France, Belgium, Germany, Bohemia, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, and Poland. Earlier months of the year had been spent in Wales. His Welsh sketch-book used on that trip is in my collection; also the bulk of the drawings and sketches made on the Continental tour referred to. 102 soyour 4 yysiay Aq sayout O1 YIPIM “PeUIBLIIC grgr ‘NVW dO AISI SATLSVO 149d ; : - % < at ‘ ~ + 3 if - errf ~. Leena é » 4 ) , by : ‘ | { 1y » ~~ ‘ t ~ ‘ Pa Syd Es 8 4 vy i 4 ole bo te p S Rie : & 5 Rag eal Pw y Fi te ie if cif? é Lisi » . . i 4 ‘ i + ’ P iY * & 1% e pro : a yy yy . ¥ S ? BY WAY OF COMMENT E WIVIVIVLIVLITLV ATU T ITA MATAMArArar ara rath inva olor a ara AAA ATAT IAT AAT ATUL Til Vial ial ta Cal al a RACAL ee ea aa “There is no record of a visit by Turner to the Isle of Man.” COSMO MONKHOUSE. There may be “no record” of any visit by Turner to the Isle of Man, but, nevertheless, I have at least twenty of his sketches made there, with the titles in his handwriting. They came from his own sketch-books, now in my possession. The sketches are all signed and dated by him. Turner made three visits to the Isle of Man, in 1810, 1828, and 1848. Incidentally, this may explain the presence in Turner’s rooms in Queen Anne Street of the half-dozen Manx cats. The accompanying illustration is a reproduction of a sketch of Peel Castle, made in 1848. The title is in Turner’s handwriting. “Turner's sketches were sometimes so slight, he boasted that nobody else could use them. “