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John Atkinson Grimshaw (see Figure 1, below) was a noted painter in the mid to late 1800s whose subject matter was primarily fairy figures, landscapes, and dockland areas, particularly at sunset and by moonlight. He was born in Leeds in 1836 and began painting full-time about 1861; he dropped his first name by about 1867. He is descended from the Edward and Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw line of Yorkshire.

Webpage Credits

Ancestor and Descendant Chart for Atkinson Grimshaw

Biographies of Atkinson Grimshaw

Samples of Atkinson Grimshaw’s Artwork

Curious Story about Artwork of Atkinson’s Son, Louis Grimshaw

Reference

Figure 1. Photograph of John Atkinson Grimshaw. Taken from the webpage, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jgrimshaw.htm. Original source is unknown.

Thanks go to Terry Micks for providing the website biographies and to Margaret Dequine for contributing the piece on the lost artwork by Atkinson’s son, Louis, as described below.

As noted, Atkinson Grimshaw was descended from the Edward and Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw line – a portion of their descendant chart, down through Atkinson and his two sons, Louis and Arthur, is shown in Figure 2. A description of the Edward and Dorothy Grimshaw line, including a more complete descendant chart, is given on a companion webpage.

Edward Grimshaw 1559 - 1635 + Esibell Collier

*2nd Wife of Edward Grimshaw: + Doryte Raner

|--|--2. William Grimshaw

|--|--2. Abraham Grimshaw 1603 - 1669/70 + Sarah Collier - 1695

|--|--|--3. Abraham Grimshaw 1650 - 1707

|--|--|--3. Jeremiah Grimshaw 1653 - 1721 + Mary Stockton - 1692/93

|--|--|--|--4. Joshua Grimshaw 1687 - 1764 + Jane Oddy 1686 - 1771

|--|--|--|--|--5. John Grimshaw 1723 -

|--|--|--|--|--|--6. William Grimshaw 1764 - 1829 + Ann Grainger 1768 - 1804

|--|--|--|--|--|--|--7. Jonathon Grimshaw 1784 - + Sarah Pickersgill

|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--8. David Grimshaw 1811 - + Mary Atkinson 1810 - 1889

|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--9. John Atkinson Grimshaw 1836 - 1893 + Theodosia Hobbarde

|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--10. Louis Grimshaw

|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--10. Arthur Grimshaw

|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--9. Jonathon Grimshaw 1841 - 1920 + Mary Clayton 1843 –

An excellent biography of Atkinson has been published by Robertson¹. The publisher provides the following notes on this biography:

In this first comprehensive study of the artist, now issued in paperback, Robertson shows the full scope of Grimshaw's work - from the early landscapes of the Lake District and Yorkshire to the townscapes, dockscenes, coastal views and richly colourful portrayals of sophisticated Victorian ladies. The author discusses the techniques of Grimshaw's art, and examines the many varieties of colour and mood that are captured in his paintings. He also assesses Grimshaw's place in Victorian art and society, comparing him with such contemporaries as James Tissot and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Many of Grimshaw's paintings are in private collections and are here reproduced for the first time, ensuring the book's appeal, not only to art lovers and general readers interested in Victorian art, but also to dealers and collectors. An appendix lists all the public collections which hold examples of the artist's work.

In addition, three different webpages provide biographies of Atkinson Grimshaw. Thanks to Terry Micks for finding and providing these webpage references. The three biographical renditions are included because they present different aspects or facts of Atkinson’ life.

http://www.artmagick.com/artists/grimshaw1.asp:

John Atkinson Grimshaw was a Leeds painter of landscapes, town views and dockyards, especially at sunset or by moonlight. Born the son of an ex-policeman, Grimshaw first began painting while working as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway. He encountered bitter opposition from his parents, but after his marriage in 1858 to Theodosia Hobbarde, a cousin of T.S. Cooper, he was able to devote himself to painting. By 1870, he was successful enough to rent Knostrop Old Hall, a 17th century mansion near Temple Newsam, which features in many of his pictures. Later in the 70s, he built a house near Scarborough, and in the 80s rented a studio in Chelsea. Grimshaw painted mostly for private patrons, and exhibited only 5 works at the Royal Academy between 1874 and 1886, and one at the Grosvenor Gallery. The towns and docks that he painted most frequently were Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds's, Scarborough, Whitby and London. Grimshaw's style and subject matter changed little during his career; he strove constantly to perfect his own very individual vision. He was interested in photography, and sometimes used a camera obscure to project outlines on to canvas, enabling him to repeat compositions several times. He also mixed sand and other ingredients with his paint to get the effects he wanted. Although he established no school, Grimshaw's pictures were forged and imitated in his lifetime, notably by Wilfred Jenkins and H. Meegan. Although his moonlit town views are his most popular works, he also painted landscapes, portraits, interiors, fairy pictures and neo-classical subjects. During his early period he signed "J.A. Grimshaw" but c.1867 dropped the John, and signed himself Atkinson Grimshaw. He usually signed his pictures on the front and the reverse, inscribed with the title. Two of his sons, Arthur and Louis, were also painters

Recommended Reading

Victorian Painting by Christopher Wood

Atkinson Grimshaw by Sandra K Payne

Atkinson Grimshaw by Alexander Robertson

A Companion to Victorian and Edwardian Artists by Adrian Vincent

Strange and Secret Peoples : Fairies and Victorian Consciousness

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends by Ronan Coghlan

Victorian Fairy Painting by Jeremy Maas

A Small Book of Fairies by Eugene Stiles

Fairies: Boxed Notecards

From the Deep Waters : Maidens of Myth and Mystery by Toshiyuki Takamiya

Treasures of British Art: Tate Gallery (Tiny Folio Series) by Robert Upstone/Nicholas Serota

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jgrimshaw.htm

John Atkinson Grimshaw was born in Leeds in 1836. His father was a policeman but in 1848 he found work with the Great Northern Railway Company. Grimshaw's parents were strict Baptists and his mother strongly disapproved of his interest in painting and on one occasion she destroyed all his paints.

In 1852 Grimshaw became a clerk at the Great Northern Railway office in Leeds. The city had several art galleries and Grimshaw was able to see the work of Holman Hunt (The Light of the World), Henry Wallis (Death of Chatterton), Rosa Bonheur (The Horse Fair) and William Powell Frith (Derby Day).

Grimshaw decided to become a full-time painter and in 1861 he left his job with the Great Northern Railway. Grimshaw's paintings were sold in two art galleries, smaller picture dealers and a couple of bookshops in Leeds. One of his main customers was Thomas Fenteman, who owned an antiquarian booksellers. Fenteman was a deeply religious man and would only buy the pictures after Grimshaw had confirmed that they had not been painted on a Sunday.

Grimshaw became a popular artist in Leeds and in 1865 he was able to move with his wife to a more expensive part of the city. William Agnew, a London art dealer, began purchasing his work. Further success came when a picture by Grimshaw was accepted by the Royal Academy. By 1870 Grimshaw was in a position to buy Knostrop Old Hall, a large seventeenth-century manor house, two miles from Leeds. Fanny Grimshaw gave birth to fifteen children but only six reached adulthood.

Until the early 1870s Grimshaw's paintings were predominantly still lifes with a few landscapes of the Leeds area. However, he gradually became interested in painting night scenes. This included Liverpool from Wapping (1875), Nightfall down the Thames (1880), Shipping on the Clyde (1881), Park Row, Leeds (1882), The Thames by Moonlight (1884), Liverpool Quay by Moonlight (1887) and Prince's Dock, Hull (1887). These paintings often included the smoke pollution and damp fogs that were common in industrial cities in the late 19th century.

Grimshaw had campaigned for a Leeds City Art Gallery since it was first suggested by Edmund Bates in 1862, and after a long struggle it was eventually opened in 1888. The Gallery mounted annual spring exhibitions in which Grimshaw was always represented. John Atkinson Grimshaw died in 31st October 1893.

http://www.xrefer.com/entry/438500

He was born in Leeds, the son of a policeman. After working as a clerk for the Great North Railway, he turned to painting, against his parents' wishes. He worked mainly in Leeds and in the North of England, where he gained a reputation for his romantic moonlight portrayals of towns and ports (e.g. Liverpool Quay by Moonlight, 1887, London, Tate Gallery). He was popular, despite rarely exhibiting at the Royal Academy. His work was precise and highly finished, using strong, luminous colour. Although he is best known for night scenes, some of his best works were daytime landscapes which showed a Pre-Raphaelite interest in detailed foliage (e.g. Autumn Glory Old Mill, 1869, Leeds). He also experimented with literary and historical subjects (e.g. Elaine, 1877, private collection). His sons, Arthur (1868-1913) and Louis (1870-1943) imitated his style.

Most of Atkinson’s artwork can be found on various websites that feature his paintings as posters that can be purchased. A few examples are provided below to give a sense of Atkinson’s art. The webpages where the images were obtained are indicated in parentheses.

Whitbey Harbor by Moonlight (1867) [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jgrimshaw.htm]

Endymion on Mount Latmos (1879) [http://www.artinaclick.com]

Summer [http://www.allposters.com] (by John Grimshaw; may be different artist from Atkinson Grimshaw)

Spirit of the Night [http://www.allposters.com]

Dockside at Liverpool [http://www.allposters.com]

Autumn [http://www.allposters.com]

Elaine [http://www.artinaclick.com]

Midsummer Night [http://www.allposters.com]

Thanks to Margaret Dequine for finding and providing the following webpage curiosity about a painting by Atkinson’s son, Louis. The original publication cited in the webpage is unknown.

http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/

Fortune that just hung on the wall

(First published on Thursday 14 May 1998)

Two paintings that hung for years on the wall of a Bradford house have netted their owner almost £50,000.

The father-of-two, in his 40s, inherited them from his mother and had no idea of their true value.

The Victorian paintings by Louis Grimshaw are both of Edinburgh streets - George Street and Princes Street, the city's main thoroughfare.

The man, who wants to remain anonymous, first became aware of their worth when he had them valued by experts at Phillips the auctioneers.

Valuers at the Leeds office estimated each was worth £10,000 to £15,000. But at auction the pair fetched £48,300.

He was present for the frantic bidding when a London buyer snapped up both. "After the bidding he went back to work absolutely delighted," said Phillips picture specialist Andre Zlattinger. "He is now planning a nice holiday."

Grimshaw was a Leeds artist whose work has recently risen considerably in value.

He was part of a well-known painting dynasty made up of his father John Atkinson Grimshaw, brothers Wilfred and Arthur and sister Elaine. Mr Zlattinger said: "These two are very nice examples of his work."

Because the Grimshaw family knew a lot of local people, they gave away quite a number to acquaintances, he added.

That could mean there are other Grimshaw paintings in Bradford that people are not aware of.

Mr Zlattinger said: "If people have any paintings that may be of interest, they can call in and we will provide a free verbal valuation."