Holland House, Middlesex, the Seat of the Right Honorable Lord Holland

Location

Country: Turkey
City: Ankara
Place: British Embassy

Joseph Clarendon Smith trained as an engraver before later becoming a topographical draughtsman. His works are mainly views of the Thames Valley and Homes Counties but he also made sketching tours of Warwickshie and Devon in 1805 and Cornwall in 1806. He generally worked in pencil and monochrome washes of colour, sometimes adding further colours. He also used cross hatching in some of his shadows, a technique no doubt learnt as an engraver. In an attempt to recover from tuberculosis, Smith travelled to Madeira in 1810. However, he died during his return voyage.
Robert Havell senior, son of artist and publisher Daniel Havell, was born in Reading but moved to London as a child. After Robert launched his career, father and son collaborated on illustrations for Henry Salt’s ‘Twenty Four Views Taken in St. Helena’ (1809–10). However, the partnership was short-lived and Robert later established himself at premises in Fitzrovia. He married Lydia Miller Phillips and had a son, Robert junior. Robert junior and his father formed the firm of R. Havell & Son, working on numerous projects including ‘Birds of America’ for John James Audubon. The scale of this project led them to employ 50 additional staff and move to larger premises in Oxford Street. Robert senior died a year after the company expansion.
Robert Havell junior was the son of painter, engraver and publisher Robert Havell senior. Together with his father, Robert junior formed the firm of R. Havell & Son. Father and son worked jointly on numerous projects, including their ‘Series of Views of the Public Buildings & Bridges in London’ (1821-22) and ‘Birds of America’ (1827-39) for the American ornithologist John James Audubon. However, Robert senior died in 1832, leaving his son to complete the project. In the following few years Havell focused on oil painting. As a result of his friendship with Audubon, he decided to emigrate to America, moving to Tarrytown, New York state, in 1857. Here he became a leading member of the Hudson River school. He died in Tarrytown at the age of 84.

Places

England, Middlesex, London, Holland House

Subjects

topography, Victorian Genre, tree, man, woman, girl, parasol, path, garden, country house/mansion, steps, door, window

Materials & Techniques

aquatint, coloured aquatint

Artist

Joseph Clarendon Smith (1778 - 1810)
Robert, Snr Havell (1769 - 1832)
Robert, Jnr Havell (1793 - 1878)

Title

Holland House, Middlesex, the Seat of the Right Honorable Lord Holland

Date

Medium

Coloured aquatint

Acquisition

Purchased from Walter T Spencer, January 1953

GAC number

2021