head of John of Gaunt from Smith (bad): glazed a sleeve, and the blue
velvet of the same. Painted at the head of Chaucer from Hewlett from
three till six (bad). Worked from nine till ten at setting the lay
figure for the monk’s draperies, drew part of them till quarter to
twelve (eleven hours)....
5th.--Got up at six, to work by seven. Till ten at the shoes of
Gower, and the steps; from half-past ten till half-past one at the
head of Wiclif from Krone; eyes so dizzy obliged to leave off. Went
for a walk, bathed my eyes; began again at three till six--not the
thing. Dined, went to sleep. Mr. and Mrs. Lucy called in. Set to work
at ten, at one of the cinqfoil ornaments. Have not yet finished it,
twelve o’clock; must finish it before I go to bed--finished it by one
(twelve and a half hours’ work).
6th.--Got up at half-past six; to work, by a quarter to eight till
one, at the figure of Wiclif. Glazed his gown and part of his cloak,
and repainted a long time at the head. Eyes very bad; walked out over
the Park. Began again at the head at two till three; then painted
till six at the hands of John of Gaunt. Lucy came in, and drew-in the
figure with lily in the spandril. I began work again at nine, at one
of the cinqfoils; finished it by eleven; must try and do the other
and last one. Did nothing more (eleven hours).
7th.--Got up at quarter past seven; to work by half-past eight at the
third head of Chaucer; made it worse than before. Had Mrs. Yates for
it. Worked till eleven at it--quite horrible. Afterwards painted the
two hands rather well; then painted the hands of Gower and one foot
of Wiclif pretty well. John Marshall called in: talked a great deal
about the approaching revolution; what is to be the upshot of it?
Thomas called in. I set to work again at half-past nine till eleven,
and drew-in the figure in the spandril with the lily (ten hours’
work)....
14th.--Up at seven; to work by eight. Painted the head of Wiclif till
half-past ten from old Coulton. My uncle Madox called at twelve.
Began retouching the arch; worked at it till six. Went to the Free
Exhibition: began painting the female in the spandril at nine: worked
till half-past twelve (eleven hours’ work).
16th.--My birthday; twenty-seven to-day, alas! Got up at seven; to
work by eight. Painted the red cross and rosary of Chaucer, then the
hose of the Duke. Muddled at them; could not succeed. In despair
rubbed them out again partly, and made them another colour, yellow
and grey. Will do, _must do_, but not very well. Glazed the archway,
and began marking-in the stones. Did a little to the cloak of Wiclif,
and the hassock of the female. Began work again by eight till two in
the morning; painted a host of little odds and ends (fifteen hours).
17th.--Got up at six; to work by half-past eight. Finished the Pages
and Chaucer and Gower and Wiclif: painted the green rushes: finished
the ground, the reading-desk, and the female’s chair. In the evening
painted at the letters from nine till eleven. Then again at the
female and the mosaic work till four in the morning (seventeen hours).
18th.--Got up at six; to work by half-past seven. Repainted the whole
of the flesh, glazing the shadows with yellow lakes and madder, and
repainted the lights with their white tints. At three began at the
general effect. Worked till half-past six, then again till three at
the mosaic work and sundries (eighteen hours).
19th.--Got up at six: set off with my picture to the gallery, Hyde
Park Corner. Got there by nine. Ten o’clock before framed, and that
did not fit. Thought I had all day to work, but found we were all to
decamp at ten. Got leave to wait till the sweeping was done, and set
to work again at twelve till six. Improved the general appearance
much by glazing etc. Slept next door at a tavern, to be able to be at
work next morning at six, to finish it before the private view (six
hours).
20th.--Up at quarter to six; to work by half-past. Painted at the
hose of John of Gaunt, and put-in some trees--too green.... Then
fetched Thomas for the private view. Afterwards spent the evening and
slept at Bamford’s (four hours).
21st.--Went to the gallery at about eleven: repainted at the trees
till two.
4th May.--Had my pupil Rossetti here; working for about six hours on
a head, to show him (six hours).
6th.--Got up at half-past six. Began work at nine till five from
Maitland: began a study of his head in sunlight, and painted the
black silk legs for Shakespeare and Milton[45] (eight hours).
7th.--Got up at eight; to work by nine till four. Did little but a
drawing (of his head) for the courtier next to the one in the yellow
hood in the foreground, for which also is the study in oil (six
hours).
17th.--Up at five. Six till eight at the study of Mrs. Yates [a
hand]: the rest of the day made alterations in the figure and head of
Lord Byron (eight hours).
18th.--Up at five. Six till eight at Mrs. Yates. Walked till eleven
with Thomas. Had an argument; tried to persuade him that, to imitate
the true _tone_ of the model, it must be painted so that, when held
up beside it, it would not be like it in _colour_. Did nothing but
try to write down what I had been speaking of; afterwards went to see
Lucy....
22nd.--Up at half-past eight; to work by eleven. Altered the head of
Burns, and drew-in that of Pope. Walked over the parks with Thomas
(five hours’ work).
15th June.--Cleaned the dog, and shaved his head and paws....
17th.--They want to engrave _Wiclif_ for _The People’s Journal_.[46]
Laid-in skirt of Robert Burns’s gown; worked about four hours till
five o’clock. Called on proprietor of _People’s Journal_; supped at
Mr. Bamford’s....
25th.--Came back. Heard of the revolution in Paris; spent the evening
with Lucy....
17th July.--Went to Paris, to see my old friend Casey,[47] and buy
a lay figure. Did both; enjoyed myself much. Painted a portrait of
Casey: worked about seven hours at it. Came back to London on the 6th
[August].
28th August.--Set to work, about half-past two till six, at the
architecture of the Byron compartment; afterwards at the same by
lamp-light. Thomas has begun working by night in my studio....
30th.--Walked out over the Park; then to see Lucy. He told me of
another kick-up at the School of Design: he had been applying for one
himself; I began to think of it.[48] Called to see Thomas, and talked
the matter over: worked but little at the architecture (three hours).
31st.--Set to work about twelve till two, and from three till five,
at the architecture. Rossetti called with Hunt,[49] a clever young
man (three hours).
10th September.--Read Keats,[50] and spent the day with Thomas.
11th.--Ill in bed with a bad cold; Lucy called....
13th.--Up late; could not get to sleep. Out to see Thomas: could not
get well; who knows but it may be the death of me? Damned wretched,
but only because not occupied.
21st.--Started for the Lakes of Cumberland in company with Lucy: saw
the Exhibition of Manchester.
25th.--Began painting a view of Windermere: worked six days at about
four hours a day, last day in the rain under an umbrella.
2nd October.--Started on foot for Patterdale; then over the mountains
past the Greenside lead-mine to Keswick.
3rd.--Through the Borrowdale pass to Wast-water.
4th.--Rain all day; stopped there.
5th.--Started in the rain over the mountains by Eskdale to Windermere.
6th.--By rail to Liverpool. Saw my _Wiclif_ there up high: looked
damned bad.
7th.--To Chester, thence to Birmingham; saw Exhibition, and back to
London that night.
8th.--Went to Gravesend to see my darling.
9th.--Went to City; afterwards painted at my view of Windermere at
the sky (two hours’ work).
10th.--All day writing a letter to _Builder_ about Thomas....
12th.--Began a portrait of R. Bromley’s daughter (four hours).
13th.--Portrait not dry enough to go on with. Sent for Mrs. Ashley
and child, and began a sketch of them for a little picture of a
mother and child.[51] Made a sketch in the evening, in black and
white, of the view of Windermere (three hours’ work).
14th.--Laid-in the view of Windermere with a thin coating of
asphaltum, and white for the high lights: drying-oil and copal. After
dinner sketched the outline of a small sketch for _Mother and Child_:
after tea worked on the helmet and sword of Lord Byron[52] (eight
hours’ work).
15th.--Painted a sketch of the _Mother and Child_: in the evening
worked at the Byron’s sword (seven hours).
16th.--Worked at the portrait of John Bromley about four hours....
18th.--Went out with Rossetti to see his picture.[53]
28th.--Painted other arm of Julia Bromley (two hours), and in the
evening wrote a defence of Thomas’s Lectures for _The Builder_.[54]...
31st.--Wrote all day at the letter to _Builder_....
4th November.--Tooth all day; in the evening wrote about influences
of antiquity in Italy.[55]...
12th.--Did very little; painted a copy of Lucy’s head[56] (two hours).
13th.--Drew a portrait of Mrs. Ashley’s baby, and wrote in the
evening on Italy and Art (three hours)....
16th.--Worked at the little picture: laid-in the background, and
altered the legs of the child. In the evening thought a great deal
about the subject (four hours).
17th.--Wasted half the day, and composed _Lear and Cordelia_.[57]
18th.--Went to Pratts’s, and subscribed for armour and old furniture:
tried to work, but did little....
19th.--Began work late; composed _Lear and Cordelia_ (six hours).
20th.--Wrote an answer to “Amateur” in _The Builder_, and started for
Gravesend.
21st.--Came home by 8 p.m. Drew at sketch of _Lear_ (three hours).
22nd.--Went to Pratts’s. Set to work at one till half-past three at
the mirror; spent the evening studying grammar (three and a-half
hours).
23rd.--Began work at ten till half-past three, at mirror and gilt
leather: asphaltum, cadmium, lemon-yellow, ivory-black, sienna, etc.;
magilp and copal. In the evening worked at the composition of _Lear
and Cordelia_ (six hours’ work)....
25th.--Up late. To work by eleven till one at the gilt leather. John
Marshall came in: did little more but arrange a bunch of keys, and
begin them. In the evening worked at the _Lear_, but have not yet
settled it (five hours).
26th.--... In the evening worked four and a-half hours at _Lear_;
going on well (eight hours).
27th.--... In the evening wrote three notes, and worked from seven
till eight at _Lear_; finished the outline of the sketch (five
hours)....
30th.--Painted at the sketch. Went with Lucy to see Elliott’s picture
and Rossetti’s (four hours)....
5th December.--Spent the day in divers ways; bought a large oak door,
and scraped it with glass, and varnished it; in the evening composed
the panels of the little picture (three hours’ work).
6th.--Had a King Charles spaniel; paid 4s. 6d. for it. Painted it in
three hours: evening, began chalking the outline of the _Lear_ on
canvas (seven hours’ work).
7th.--Painted at the panel five hours. In the evening had a model, to
draw the nude of Cordelia (seven and a-half hours)....
19th.--Bought mittens and a rose, and made a fan; arranged it, and
began the gown. In the evening Maitland for two hours: sketched the
figure of Lear (seven hours)....
30th.--Drew at the outline of Lear till three.
1849--11th January.--Painted the sea, cliffs, ships, and tents, in
_Lear_; in the evening painted the four little figures, and drew-in
the nude of warrior resting upon his shield, from Maitland (nine
hours)....
16th.--Up till four night before. Supped with Lucy and Mark Anthony
at an oyster-shop. Began work at one, till four; painted body of
dress from Mrs. Ashley;[58] in the evening rubbed it out, and drew
four hours at the head of Cordelia; made it beastly (seven hours’
work)....
27th.--Laid-in the Jester’s hands,[59] and re-painted the flesh of
the child in little picture. In the evening, laid-in the head of the
fool, from Rossetti (seven hours).
28th.--Re-painted one arm and hand of mother in the little picture,
and re-touched it generally; in the evening laid-in one hand of the
physician, and retouched the expression of the jester (eight hours).
31st.--Laid-in the head of Lear from a cast of Dante’s, and a drawing
of Coulton. Called on Lucy, and ordered a frame in the evening. Again
in the evening (eight hours).
1st February.--Worked all day at the head of Cordelia from model: in
the evening rubbed it out, and retouched the head of Lear. Found a
dog in the rain, and brought him home with me (seven hours)....
6th.--Finished the little picture.
17th.--Altered the head of Cordelia; painted-in head of Lear, and
head and hand of Kent: evening, re-touched heads of Kent and jester
and Cordelia (eleven hours).
18th.--Sunday. Painted-in the head of Cordelia from model, and one
hand; evening at Lucy’s (seven hours)....
1st March.--Painted the head of the jester from Dante Rossetti, and
the hands from Mrs. Ashley; so muddled away the day. In the evening
Bell Smith, of Free Exhibition, called to inform me that I might keep
it till private view; also of secret machinations to form a fresh
society and so get rid of the muffs (seven hours).
2nd.--Went to Greenwich, and then to Free Exhibition to ballot for
places; evening at Thomas’s....
13th.--Re-painted one hand of Lear (bad), and his head (not too
good): bad day. Evening, carpet (eight hours)....
21st.--Re-painted and finished the head of Cordelia at last; painted
the carpet and flowers and shield and divers (eight hours).
22nd.--Took _Lear_ to the Free Exhibition. Found a large white sky
came directly beneath it: kicked up a row, and got it taken away,
then worked at the picture at divers (three hours).
23rd.--Re-painted the sky, and re-touched many things, and finished
it definitely (six hours).
24th.--Went to private view: picture much liked. Started for
Gravesend: my child in bed.
28th.--Went to see Baily’s _Graces_ at his studio, and Nichols’
sculpture for the pediment of the Hall of Commerce, Manchester; bad
but effective. Also to see some magnificent Dutch pictures at Mr.
Theobald’s.
29th.--Went to see young Hunt, and thence to see Millais’s picture,
_Isabella_; wonderfully painted, full of expression, sentiment,
and colour, and extreme good painting, but somewhat exaggerated in
character, and careless in drawing.
31st.--Painted at the view of Windermere.
2nd April.--Evening spent at Rossetti’s: saw his designs and his
brother, all up in his little room, fifth storey[60]....
5th.--Painted at _Windermere_, cows and foreground (five hours).
6th.--Painted at idem, horses, etc. (five hours)....
10th.--Painted in the day-time, and in the evening from nine till
eleven: finished it, and carried it to the Royal Academy (seven
hours’ work)....
27th.--Worked at the outline of Poats:[61] drew-in the page in the
foreground from nature (four hours)....
5th May.--Worked at the water-colour sketch;[62] began re-painting it
in oil (four hours)....
8th June.--Began painting on the centre compartment of the picture.
Painted at the yellow hood in the foreground; painted-in the head of
it ...; lemon, chrome, cadmium, and yellow lake, with copal; vehicle,
copal and drying-oil (five hours)....
21st.--Painted-in one hand and the head; laying-in the shadows with
emerald-green and white and much copal, and the lights with pure
white and copal; the outline drawn with water-colours, much hatched
(ten hours).
22nd.--Painted-in one hand from Maitland in sunlight: find I can put
the models in the sun (three hours).
23rd.--Painted-in the neck and hair and draperies of the admiring
courtier, also one hand of the foreground page, always laying-in the
flesh with pure white (eight hours)....
25th.--Painted a study of the head of Maitland for the Black Prince,
and the head of page from young Deverell[63] (seven hours)....
29th.--Touched the Page’s head, and painted-in the Jester’s from John
Marshall (nine hours)....
2nd July.--Set off to Shorn Ridgway. Found some fine scenery
overlooking the Thames and Essex; began a study of it for my
background to _Chaucer_ (three hours)....
[Towards end of August].--Painted about twelve days at the picture of
_King Lear_: altered the head of Cordelia, shortened her hands and
arms, enlarged the head, thickened the figure (sixty hours).
Painted four days at the little picture of _Mother and Child_ before
sending it home (twenty hours)....
Spent three days arranging the sleeves of the Page. Went to Margate
with my daughter, and stayed there two weeks, during [which time I]
had three sittings for her portrait[64] (nine hours)....
5th October.--Began a portrait of Mr. Seddon;[65] to be painted, and
that of Mrs. Seddon, for a sofa; went to a conversazione with them....
3rd November.--Finished Mr. Seddon’s Portrait. Drew-in the Jester,
and painted his hands, sleeves, etc. Drew at other parts. Composed a
subject for _Beauty and the Beast_; ... drew a figure of Beauty from
nature. Wasted about two months changing into a new studio. Began
the portrait of Shakespeare for the Dickinsons: painted a sketch of
it, made a drawing of the head, and a study from Mr. Barker for it.
Drew a cartoon of it.... Drew a figure of _the Lord Jesus_ for the
Dickinsons.[66]
1850--2nd March.--Worked at it and the cartoon of Shakespeare to-day
(four and a half hours). In the evening three hours at _The Lord
Jesus_ (border-work)....
4th.--... To meet S. C. Hall,[67] at Lucy’s, meeting of the committee
of the North London School of Drawing and Modelling (two hours)....
6th.--Painted at the forehead and hair of Shakespeare, and drew the
border of thorns of the Christ (eight hours)....
12th.--Went to a committee of North London School (six hours).
13th.--Idem. Went to Fenton to paint his dead child (six hours)....
16th.--Painted at the head of Shakespeare and background, and drew at
the Cordelia for etching[68] (10 hours)....
_Diary resumed on the 16th August 1854._[69]
Idle day: morning spent musing in bed; afternoon walked out with
Emma and Katy;[70] evening, garden and dim reflections. Much study
of Blue-book of Department of Art and Science (impudently called
“of Science and Art”). In the interval which the diary shows (to
the best of my recollection) I painted in the year 1850, still in
Newman Street, first the remainder of the Shakespeare portrait, for
which I was paid sixty guineas; then I finished the etching for _The
Germ_, which cost me 31s. 6d. and brought me in nothing. Afterwards
I designed a card for the Dickinson Exhibition of _Shakespeare_, on
which I worked several days for no remuneration. The drawing of
_The Lord Jesus_ was paid me £2: they afterwards lithographed it in
shameful style, so as to cause me much annoyance.
For the remainder of the year I worked at the large picture of
_Chaucer_, and studies of landscape for it, one of which I afterwards
finished up, and gave to Seddon. In 1851 I finished the centre
compartment of _The Fruits of English Poetry_,[71] having determined
to abandon the wings. To get this part finished for the Academy, I
had to labour very hard, and at the last worked three whole nights
in one week, only lying down with my clothes on for a couple of
hours. Emma sat for the Princess, which was done in two sittings of
two hours each.... Elliott, a pupil of Lucy’s, the cardinal. John
Marshall, of University Hospital, was the Jester. Miss Gregson, since
Mrs. Lee, was the fair princess behind the Black Prince. Her friend
Miss Byne sat for the dark one, but much altered. The scoundrel
(and afterwards thief) Maitland, then under Marshall’s hands for
operation, sat for the Black Prince. The fine woman below looking
round was a portrait of Julia Wild, celebrated as model, ... also
for black eyes; the boys were mostly portraits, but the other heads
ideal chiefly. I sold this picture to Dickinson for 85 per cent. of
whatever he might afterwards sell it for, to be paid after he should
have received the money. I have since urged him to put it up to
auction, which he has done, but no one would buy it; so he still has
it. This year 1854 he paid me £20 on account of it, which was all I
ever had for it.
After finishing this picture (which I forgot to say the Academicians
hung in such a way as to shine all over, and _without the frame_),
I took a house at Stockwell.... I went for three days to the
Isle of Wight with Anthony and Hunt. The first day we marched
for five hours in the rain; the second and third, revelled in
the enjoyment--liberty, novelty of scene, fine weather, and huge
appetite. The fourth we returned home. At Stockwell this year I
painted one month at the sketch for the _Chaucer_, begun on paper
and water-colour. Anthony was to give me a work for this, but I
afterwards asked him to give me twelve guineas instead, which he
did. I then began my picture of the _Baa Lambs_, which I finished
in five months of hard labour; during which time I was very hard
up generally, owing to McCracken not paying me all at once for the
picture of _Wiclif_, which he purchased of me at this time for fifty
guineas and a very bad Deighton[72]--a do in fact. During this
time I painted Mrs. Seddon’s portrait, which turned out bad and a
curse: this was the second portrait for the sofa, which they valued
at thirteen guineas cost-price. During this time I also finished
the landscape-study of Shorn, which I gave to Tom Seddon; he having
kindly lent me money about this time, £12, I think; £5 of which I
borrowed to lend Lucy. But Seddon was the first to borrow of me, £10
once. At this time I also finished the sketch of _Wiclif_, and the
first of _Chaucer_ (since given to John Marshall); about a day’s work
between the two.
The _Baa Lamb_ picture was painted almost entirely in sunlight, which
twice gave me a fever while painting. I used to take the lay figure
out every morning, and bring it in at night or if it rained.... My
painting-room being on a level with the garden, Emma sat for the
lady, and Kate for the child. The lambs and sheep used to be brought
every morning from Clapham Common in a truck: one of them ate up all
the flowers one morning in the garden, where they used to behave very
ill. The background was painted on the Common. The medium I used was
Roberson’s undrying copal (flake white). After getting rid of these
works I went to Foot’s Cray for Michaelmas with my daughter Lucy,
where I painted my picture of _Paul’s Cray Church_ in ten days.
This I have sent to Robinson’s Auction a few months since, and it
fetched £2. 8s. inclusive of frame. It was exhibited at Grundy’s and
Liverpool in 1852.
After these works I began my picture of _Christ washing Peter’s
Feet_, painting this one at my painting-rooms in Newman Street:
at the same time I began the study for the small picture of
_Waiting_,[73] working at it in the three evenings a week I used
to sleep in Stockwell--the other three being passed at the studio
to save time. Twelve days before sending in the _Christ_ picture I
had given it up in despair, none of the heads being yet done: so I
returned to Stockwell to alter the head in the _Baa Lambs_ picture,
being dissatisfied with it. I afterwards took up the _Christ_ again
at the instigation of Millais, and painted the heads of Peter,
Christ, and John (this one the only one laid-in), also all the other
figures of apostles, in ten days, and sent it in. This picture was
painted in four months, the flesh painted on _wet white_ at Millais’s
lying instigation; Roberson’s medium, which I think dangerous like
Millais’s advice. Having got rid of these pictures (which were hung,
one above the line so as to shine all over, the other against the
window in the octagon room), I immediately began the picture of
_Waiting_; from Miss Ryan[74] the head, the remainder copied from the
study painted at night. I all but finished this little picture before
leaving our house at Stockwell: ten weeks’ work at least....
[Illustration: (Chris Washing Peter’s Feet, sketch by Madox Brown)]