William Walker Morris
William Walker Morris (March 11, 1832 – circa 1881) was an British nineteenth-century painter of the Victorian period who worked in Greenwich and Deptford England and was known particularly for his bucolic genre oil paintings depicting sporting and homestead life, with an emphasis on hunting dogs. His works draw upon the imagery of life in the Scottish Highlands.[1]
Life
W. W. Morris was born in Weaverham, Cheshire, England to John C. Morris and Jane Morris, the first of seven children.[2] His siblings were Alfred (1834), Harriet (1839), Ann (1841), Sarah (1843), Robert (1845), John (1847), and James (1849). W. W. Morris grew up in a household that was consumed by art. His father was a noted painter himself, allowing W. W. Morris the opportunity to learn his craft at a very young age directly from the hand of his father. In the Census of England of 1851, both John C. Morris and W. W. Morris have as occupation listed "Painter." In the Census of England of 1861, W. W. Morris's father's occupation is further clarified as "Sheep painter." In the Census of England of 1871, W. W. Morris's sibling, John William Morris, has as occupation listed "Artist," who was then already married and a father of a one-year-old child, and by 1881 John William has listed as occupation "Animal artist." Similarly, W. W. Morris's sibling Alfred was a painter, listed in The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary, along with W. W. Morris and John C. Morris.[3]
While little is known of his W. W. Morris's life, by just eighteen years of age he was demonstrating high artistic skill, with one such work, "The Task" (1850), being put on display by The Royal Academy of Arts. W.W. Morris's acclaim grew during his twenties and thirties, with additional works being exhibited by The Royal Academy of Arts, including "The Match Seller" (1851), "The Pets" (1854), "Left in Charge" (1855), "The Shepard's Devotion" (1855), "The Gamekeeper's Son" (1856), and "Sketches from Life" (1867). Not surprisingly, W. W. Morris's works were often exhibited alongside his father's, who himself between 1851 and 1862 had nine total works exhibited by The Royal Academy of Arts, numerous of those coinciding by date and location with W. W. Morris's own works.[4] As stated prior, W. W. Morris's sibling, Alfred Morris, also exhibited works at The Royal Academy of Arts, and many of his works have survived in private collections and sold at auction in both Europe and the United States.[5]
The National Trust has in its permanent collection one of W. W. Morris’s works, housed at Anglesey Abbey, “The Milk Stall,”[6] and the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum houses “Bidston Heath.”[7]
Several of William Walker Morris's works have survived in private collections as well, dating between 1850 through his death. W. W. Morris's oil paintings have been offered at premier auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s. One such work, "Stalking on the Highlands," suggests that he lived until 1871, challenging the common understanding that he had died in 1867. Another work, “Terriers,” shows a date of 1874 by the artist’s signature.[8] Yet another work, *“Scotties on a Summit” [9] reports a date of 1881.
In the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915, William Walker Morris is reported to have died in the January-March period of 1867 in Wandsworth, London, England.[10] Further research is required to confirm or determine W. W. Morris's date of death.
Selected Surviving Works
- “The Milk Stall” (1852)[11]
- “The Gamekeeper’s Son” (1856)[12]
- A Cottage Interior with Child, Dog, and Baby" (1856)[13]
- “Bidston Heath” (1857)[14]
- “The Young Gamekeeper” (1861)[15]
- “A Chat with the Young Gamekeeper” (1861)[16]
- “A Rest on the Way” (1861)[17]
- “Highlanders with Their Dogs” (1863)[18]
- “The Day’s Bag,” no. 1 (1865)[19]
- “The Day’s Bag,” no. 2 (1865)[20]
- “Stalking on the Highlands” (1871)[21]
- “Terriers” (1874)[22]
- “Scotties on a Summit” (1881)[23]
- “Waiting for the Master”[24]
- “Waiting for Master”[25]
- “The Guardian”[26]
- “Boy with Terriers Rabbiting”[27]
- "Boys Fishing while Girl Collects Flowers"[28]
References
- ↑ Wood, Christopher. Dictionary of Victorian Painters. London: Antique Collectors Club, 1971, p. 366.
- ↑ English, Cheshire Bishop’s Transcripts, 1576-1933. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.
- ↑ Alfred is confirmed as W. W. Morris's sibling by the same physical address 20 Albert Road, Peckham, listed for each of the three in Algernon Graves, F.S.A.'s The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and their work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904, Vol. 5, London: Henry Graves and Co., Ltd and George Bell and Sons, 1906.
- ↑ Algernon Graves, F.S.A., The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and their work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904, Vol. 5, London: Henry Graves and Co., Ltd and George Bell and Sons, 1906.
- ↑ As documented on Invaluable.com, https://www.invaluable.com/artist/morris-alfred-jypo60czc7/sold-at-auction-prices/
- ↑ As documented February 11, 2022 on ARTUK.org, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/a-milk-stall-in-st-jamess-park-london-169894
- ↑ As documented February 11, 2022 on ARTUK.org, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/a-milk-stall-in-st-jamess-park-london-169894
- ↑ Lot 212, The Potomac Company, October 6, 2013, https://auctions.potomackcompany.com/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=45+++++++212+&refno=+++35024
- ↑ Lot 250, Christie’s Sporting Art, Wildlife, and Dogs auction, May 14, 2007, https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4908354
- ↑ General Register Office. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915, Vol. 1d, p. 330
- ↑ Permanent collection, Anglesey Abbey, The National Trust, United Kingdom, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/a-milk-stall-in-st-jamess-park-london-169894
- ↑ Lot 47, Christie’s Sporting Art and Dogs auction, November 25, 1999, https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1625967
- ↑ Lot 41, Bonham's European Furniture, Decorative, and Fine Arts, September 19, 2017, https://www.askart.com/art_auction_details/Bonhams_California/50465/107661/Bonhams_California.aspx
- ↑ Permanent collection, Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, The National Trust, United Kingdom, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/bidston-heath-wallasey-in-the-distance-wirral-67345
- ↑ Lot 35, Sotheby’s Scottish & Sporting Pictures auction, August 26, 2008, https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2008/scottish-sporting-pictures-l08621/lot.35.html
- ↑ Lot 67, Skinner’s American & European Paintings, May 15, 2009, https://issuu.com/skinnerinc/docs/2459/38
- ↑ Lot 216, Skinner’s American & European Works of Art auction, September 21, 2018, https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/3140B/lots/216
- ↑ Lot 42, Waddington’s British & Continental Art auction, September 7-12, 2019, https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/british-continental-art-sep-12-2019/gallery/lot/42/
- ↑ Lot 126, Bonhams’s The Dog Sale auction, February 16, 2010, https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/17623/lot/126/?category=list
- ↑ Lot 114, Christie’s Sporting Art auction, December 2, 1998, https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1398834
- ↑ Lot 39, Christie’s The Scottish Sale auction, May 24, 2007, https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4906943?ldp_breadcrumb=back&intObjectID=4906943&from=salessummary&lid=1
- ↑ Lot 212, The Potomac Company, October 6, 2013, https://auctions.potomackcompany.com/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=45+++++++212+&refno=+++35024
- ↑ Lot 250, Christie’s Sporting Art, Wildlife, and Dogs auction, May 14, 2007, https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4908354
- ↑ Lot 84, Garth’s, January 12, 2019, https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/waiting-for-the-master-by-william-walker-morris-f-84-c-3564ea5a05
- ↑ Lot 515, McTear’s, The British & International Pictures auction, August 21, 2019, https://www.mctears.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-515---waiting-for-master-an-oil-by-william-walker-morris/?lot=144646&so=0&st=William%20Walker&sto=0&au=764&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=1&g=1
- ↑ Lot 185, Doyle’s Dogs in Art auction, February 2, 2002, https://doyle.com/auctions/0202121-dogs-art/catalogue/185-william-walker-morris
- ↑ Lot 56, Sworder’s, Sporting Art, Wildlife, and Dogs auction, April 30, 2019, https://sworders.blob.core.windows.net/cataloguepdf/38447%20Sworders%20Sporting%20Art%2030%20April%20Catalogue.pdf
- ↑ Lot 128, Echoes Antiques & Auction Gallery, August 29, 2017, https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/william-walker-morris-british-act-1850-1871-128-c-f3047e4874
External links
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