MARTIN, John (1789-1854)

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0370 JM
Held at	: Queen Mary, University of London   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.library.qmul.ac.uk/ ›
Full title	: MARTIN, John (1789-1854)
Date(s)	: 1822-1976
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 1 box
Name of creator(s)	: Martin | John | 1789-1854 | painter
Detailed catalogue	: Click here to view repository detailed catalogue

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, 1789; apprenticed to a Newcastle coach-painter, 1804; ran away after a dispute over wages; apprenticed to a Newcastle china-painter, Boniface Musso; moved to London and supported himself painting on china and glass whilst studying perspective and architecture; sent the Royal Academy his first pictures, 1812; became an opponent of the Royal Academy after becoming aggrieved over the hanging of his pictures in 1814 and 1816, but continued to contribute to their exhibitions; appointed historical painter to Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold, 1817; exhibited at the British Institution, 1819-1821, including 'Belshazzar's Feast'; joined the Royal Society of British Artists on its foundation and exhibited there, 1824-1831,1837-1838; exhibited 'The Fall of Nineveh' at Brussels, 1833, bought by the Belgian government; elected a member of the Belgian Academy and awarded the order of Leopold by the King of Belgium; quarrelled with the British Institution, 1836; exhibited many works at the Royal Academy, 1837-1852, including many landscapes in water-colours; drew illustrations (with Westall) to Milton's Paradise Lost; worked on plans for improving London, including water supply and recycling of sewerage, 1827-1853; died, 1854.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of and relating to John Martin, 1822-1976, comprising his letters, 1822-1853, relating to exhibitions of his work at the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, 1822, Society of British Artists, 1833, prices of his pictures, improvement schemes for London, to various correspondents including William Bullock, Sir Henry George Grey, John Thomas Smith, Sir Charles Wheatstone, John Prescott Knight, Edward William Cooke, William Jerdon; prints of paintings and mezzotints by Martin, [1829-1844], portraits of John Martin, [1822, 1832]; review of an exhibition of his work from the Times, 1970; exhibition catalogue, 1976.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

The correspondence is arranged chronologically.

Conditions governing access:

The Archives are available for access in the Archives Reading Room located on the 2nd Floor of the Mile End Library. The Archives Reading Room is open Mondays to Fridays 9am-4pm by appointment only. Contact the Archives for more information: Archives, Main Library QMUL, 328 Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS, telephone: 020 7882 3873, email: archives@qmul.ac.uk. For more information about the Archives see the website: www.library.qmul.ac.uk/archives.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Photocopying at the discretion of the Archivist. Applications for copies for research or publication should be made to the Archivist: Main Library QMUL, 328 Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS, telephone: 020 7882 7873, email: archives@qmul.ac.uk.

Finding aids:

A draft list of the correspondence is available at the Library.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Acquired by Westfield College.

Allied Materials

Related material:

National Register of Archives: Click here to view NRA record

Publication note:

John Martin Thomas Balston (Gerald Duckworth and Co Ltd, 1947); The Art of John Martin William Feaver (Clarendon Press, 1975); John Martin, Painter Mary L Pendered (Hunt and Blackett, 1923).

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Sources: Dictionary of National Biography CD-ROM (Oxford University Press, 1995); Historical Manuscripts Commission On-line National Register of Archives; British Library Public Catalogue On-line. Compiled by Julie Tancell as part of the RSLP AIM25 project.

Rules or conventions:
National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
May 2001