Weber, Kaylin Haverstock (2013) The studio and collection of the 'American Raphael': Benjamin West, P.R.A. (1738-1820). PhD thesis http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4307/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] The Studio and Art Collection of the ‘American Raphael’: Benjamin West, P.R.A. (1738-1820) Kaylin Haverstock Weber Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy History of Art School of Culture and Creative Arts College of Arts University of Glasgow January 2013 © Kaylin Haverstock Weber 2013 Abstract The Studio and Art Collection of the ‘American Raphael’: Benjamin West, P.R.A., 1738-1820 Kaylin Haverstock Weber When the history painter Benjamin West (1738-1820) died in March 1820, he left behind a remarkable monument to his life and work in his residence at 14 Newman Street, in London’s fashionable West End. Here, he had created an elaborate ‘palace’ of art, dedicated to history painting and to himself – his artistic genius, his artistic heroes, and his unique transatlantic identity. This impressive establishment was nearly fifty years in the making and part of an elaborate strategy to develop an artistic reputation as the pre-eminent history painter of his generation. While his studio has been considered by scholars as a place of pilgrimage for dozens of American students, its physicality and contents have never been thoroughly explored. Using a variety of evidence, including bank records, contemporary descriptions, and visual material, this thesis reconstructs much of this important space and collection to reveal how it was shaped and utilised by West. It combines a documentation of the spaces and objects with an analysis of their use and meaning in terms of the painter’s engagement with art theory, pedagogy, practice, collecting, display, and legacy. West, who was History Painter to George III, inhabited 14 Newman Street from 1774 to 1820, a period of dramatic expansion and cultural ambition in the London art world. Indeed, this thesis argues that 14 Newman Street and its impressive contents were more than just a history painter’s ‘palace’ of art but a place symbolic of the ideals and ambitions of British art. Following an introduction that more fully defines the aims and scope of this thesis, four chapters explore the significance of West’s house, his collections, and their display in this context. Chapter one provides an overview of his home and studio, and considers how it was designed with West’s various audiences in mind. The scope and character of his impressive collection is examined in the second chapter with a particular focus on a selection of Old and New World objects that represent particular areas of strength within the corpus of the collection. Chapter three examines the collection as a public and private artistic resource for West and his students as well as a statement of his commitment to the grand tradition. In chapter four, West’s self-promotion and exhibition strategies at Newman Street are addressed, highlighted by his exhibition of The Death of Lord Nelson in 1806. Developed in the dynamic context of the establishment of the Royal Academy, the proliferation of public exhibitions, and ongoing debates about national art, West’s collection and studio at 14 Newman Street exemplified the aspirations of British art. Table of Contents Acknowledgments ii List of Illustrations iv Introduction 1 Chapter 1: 14 Newman Street: The House and Studio 15 Chapter 2: The Collection of a Modern Old Master 63 Chapter 3: The ‘Sacred Flame of Emulation’: The Collection as a Private 127 and Public Resource Chapter 4: The Death of Nelson, West’s Wests, and the Importance of Display 193 at Newman Street Conclusion 229 Bibliography 242 Illustrations 269 i Acknowledgments I would like to first thank my thesis supervisors Alison Yarrington and John Bonehill for encouraging this project and providing invaluable scholarly guidance throughout my research and writing. I am also grateful to Liz Hancock for so graciously stepping in as my supervisor and supporting me during the last stages. I greatly appreciate the help and encouragement along the way of Nick Pearce, Genevieve Warwick, and Jeanette Berrie. It was my good fortune to be introduced to the world of West while an intern at the Royal Collection some years ago. I am indebted to Christopher Lloyd, former Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures, for encouraging my interest then and continuing to do so. This thesis would not have been possible without the incredible mentoring and support of Emily Neff, who enabled a multi-year leave of absence so that I could pursue this PhD and provided me with the opportunity to publish part of my research in the forthcoming exhibition catalogue, American Adversaries: West and Copley in a Transatlantic World (late 2013). I would like to especially thank the following people for their invaluable assistance: Allen Staley, West catalogue raisonné author; Giles de Margary, West descendant; Christopher Densmore, Curator at Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College; and Mark Pomeroy, Royal Academy Archives. I am also very appreciative of the assistance provided to me by the staff of the following institutions in Britain and the United States: Westminster City Archives, London Metropolitan Archives, Royal Institute of British Architects Archive, English Heritage Society Archives, Christie’s London Archive, Coutts Bank Archive, The Hunterian Gallery, The Paul Mellon Centre for British Art, The British Museum Print Room, The British Library, The National Gallery Archive, National Library of Scotland, Ashmolean Museum Print Room, Bodleian Library, The Royal Academy of Arts Archives, The Royal ii Collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, American Philosophical Society, Library Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, New-York Historical Society Library, Frick Art Reference Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art Print Room and Library, Yale Center for British Art Print Room and Library, the Pierpont Morgan Museum and Library, the New York Public Library, Hirsch Library, Winterthur Library, and the Library of Congress. My sincere thanks go to certain scholars, colleagues, fellow students, and friends who have also provided support and encouragement in a variety of ways including: Leslie Scattone, Christine Gervais, Marisa Hudson-Arney, Janice Sacher, Joanna Cobb, Robyne Calvert-Miles, Michael Michael, Ailsa Boyd, Richard Bapty, Andrew Greg, Peter Black, Leonard Folgarait, Leo Costello, Desmond Shawe-Taylor, David Steel, Mark Aronson, Meredith Gamer, Matthew Fiske, Chris Riopelle, Lucy Whitaker, Martin Postle, Donato Esposito, Roberto Ferrari, Anne Woodhouse, Edgar Peters Bowron, Cindi Strauss, Sarah Cash, Jon Evans, Lynn Wexler, the late Peter C. Marzio, and Lindy McGee. I also wish to thank Mark Hallett, Martina Droth, Matthew Hargraves, and Sarah Turner for inviting me to participate in the insightful graduate seminar at Yale, ‘Making Art, Picturing Practice: The Artist’s Studio in Britain, 1700–1900’, in 2011. I appreciate the generous funding for this purpose by the Andrew Mellon Foundation. My immediate and extended family have always supported me in this endeavour, especially Linda English, Gary and Nancy Haverstock, and Susan and Richard Weber. I will be eternally thankful to Caroline, Charlotte, and above all Chris for allowing me to follow this dream and for being my biggest supporters. It is hard to imagine my having completed this thesis without their sacrifice and encouragement. iii List of Illustrations Figure 1 Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe, 1770, oil on canvas, 151 x 213.5 cm (59 ½ x 84 inches), National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, no. 8007. Figure 2 Issac Tyson, after David J. Kennedy, West’s House, Swarthmore, 19th century, albumen print, 9.5 x 5.7 cm (3 ¾ x 2 ¼ inches), The Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Figure 3 Matthew Pratt, The American School, 1765, oil on canvas, 91.4 x 127.6 cm (36 x 50 ¼ inches), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 97.29.3. Figure 4 Thomas Hosmer Shepherd, View in Panton Square, Coventry Street, c. 1840, watercolour, 17.4 x 24 cm (6 ¾ x 9 ¾ inches), The British Museum, London, 1880,113.2994. Figure 5 Benjamin West, The Artist and His Family, c. 1772, oil on canvas, 52.1 x 66.7 cm (20 ½ x 26 ¼ inches), Paul Mellon Collection, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut, B1981.25.674. Figure 6 Richard Horwood, Detail from Map of Cities of London and Westminster, and the Borough of Southwark, 1799, sheet B2, 54.2 x 50.2 cm (21 ½ x 19 ¾ inches), The London Metropolitan Archives, London. Figure 7 Fred Adcock, Benjamin West’s House, an illustration in Arthur St. John Adcock, Famous Houses and Literary Shrines of London (London and Toronto: Dent and Sons, and New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1912), 61. Figure 8 Thomas Rowlandson, A Private View (The Portrait Painter’s Ante-Room) pen and watercolour on paper, c. 1802, 12 x 20 cm (4 ¾ x 8 inches), Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, WA1863.1179. Figure 9 Benjamin West, Benjamin West’s Visiting Card, card stock, 3.8 x 7.6 cm (1 ½ x 3 inches), Early American History Auctions (Rancho Santa Fe, California), 17 December 2011, lot 141. Figure 10 Anon., Portrait of Thomas Stothard, c.