Alfred Parsons (artist)
Encyclopedia
Alfred William Parsons was an English artist, illustrator
, engraver and garden designer
.
Alfred Parsons is well-known for his English rural landscape paintings and fine botanical illustration
s— he was a keen gardener— which brought him into contact with William Robinson
, for whom he provided illustrations. Parsons became President of the Society of Painters in Watercolours in 1905, and among many other works, he illustrated Ellen Willmott
's The Genus Rosa.
, Somerset
, the son of Dr Joshua Parsons, a surgeon and dedicated gardener of alpines
and correspondent of William Robinson
, and raised in London. After being educated privately, he started work as a clerk in the Post Office
in 1867. After two years, he left the unsuitable desk-job to pursue studies at the Kensington School of Art
, and went on to exhibit at various galleries including the Grosvenor Gallery
and the Royal Academy
, where he exhibited every year from 1874 to the end of his life.
Parsons, whose interest in Englishness paralleled the tastes of upper-class American émigrés, joined the notable artistic community in the village of Broadway
in the Cotswolds
(Worcestershire
). His associates included the American artists Francis Davis Millet
, who remained Parson's closest friend until he drowned aboard the RMS Titanic, and Edwin Austin Abbey
, with whom he collaborated in illustrated books. Through American contacts made while at the artists' colony he became an illustrator for Harper's Magazine
, and also provided illustrations for books – including short stories by Thomas Hardy
and travel books (see below). Henry James
noted that Parson's images of English country life mirrored the aspirations of Americans:
The three men, Parsons, Millet and Abbey, lived together and entertained sociably at 54, Bedford Gardens, London. William Robinson asked him to provide illustrations for The Wild Garden: Or, Our Groves and Shrubberies Made Beautiful by the Naturalisation of Hardy Exotic Plants (1881) led to Robinson's invitation for Parsons to lend advice at his Gravetye Manor
. Parson's first garden commission, however, came through the architect Philip Webb
, who was designing "Clouds" in Wiltshire for Mr and Mrs Percy Wyndham
, prominent figures among the esthetic-minded group called "The Souls
": Parsons provided an unostentatious planting of spring bulbs, Magnolia × soulangeana
, roses and lilies, in a framework of clipped yews, wedding new and old elements.
Parsons' long-lasting association with the Anglo-American group centered in Broadway, Worcestershire
, began in 1885, when Parsons and his London friends rented a house facing the Green, where John Singer Sargent
began painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. Parsons' first made a garden for himself and his friends at Russell House facing the Evesham road at the western entrance to Broadway, then a garden setting for Mary Anderson, Mrs Antonio de Navarro
at Court Farm (1896 onwards) and later for himself, at Luggershill (1903 onwards).
Parsons' fine illustrated book, his only published text, Notes in Japan (London, 1895, reprinted) came from his visit to that country between 1892 to 1894.
As a designer of gardens, Parsons went into partnership in 1898 with Capt. Walter Croker St-Ives Partridge (1855—1924), as Parsons and Partridge of Newbury, Berkshire. In 1884 they took into the partnership Charles Clement Tudway (1846—1926). Parson's restorations of old gardens and designs of sympathetic settings for old houses can be appreciated at 15th-century Great Chalfield Manor
and at Elizabethan Littlecote House
, both in Wiltshire. Alfred Parsons and Walter Partridge also worked on the gardens at Welbeck Abbey
, 1899—1905 and at Bryngarw, Glamorganshire. An early essay was Wightwick Manor
, a reproduction black-and-white house, for which Parsons provided the garden in 1887.
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, engraver and garden designer
Garden designer
The term garden designer can refer either to an amateur or a professional who designs the plan and features of gardens. Amateurs design their gardens for their own properties. Professionals, with experienced skills, design gardens that benefit clients...
.
Alfred Parsons is well-known for his English rural landscape paintings and fine botanical illustration
Botanical illustration
Botanical illustration is the art of depicting the form, colour, and details of plant species, frequently in watercolour paintings. These are often printed with a botanical description in book, magazines, and other media...
s— he was a keen gardener— which brought him into contact with William Robinson
William Robinson (gardener)
William Robinson was an Irish practical gardener and journalist whose ideas about wild gardening spurred the movement that evolved into the English cottage garden, a parallel to the search for honest simplicity and vernacular style of the British Arts and Crafts movement...
, for whom he provided illustrations. Parsons became President of the Society of Painters in Watercolours in 1905, and among many other works, he illustrated Ellen Willmott
Ellen Willmott
Ellen Ann Willmott was an English horticulturalist. She was an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society, and a recipient of the first Victoria Medal of Honour in 1897. She cultivated more than 100,000 species of plants, and sponsored expeditions to discover new species...
's The Genus Rosa.
Life and Works
Alfred Parsons was born in Laverton, near FromeFrome
Frome is a town and civil parish in northeast Somerset, England. Located at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, the town is built on uneven high ground, and centres around the River Frome. The town is approximately south of Bath, east of the county town, Taunton and west of London. In the 2001...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, the son of Dr Joshua Parsons, a surgeon and dedicated gardener of alpines
Alpine plant
Alpine plants are plants that grow in the alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. Alpine plants grow together as a plant community in alpine tundra.-Alpine plant diversity:...
and correspondent of William Robinson
William Robinson (gardener)
William Robinson was an Irish practical gardener and journalist whose ideas about wild gardening spurred the movement that evolved into the English cottage garden, a parallel to the search for honest simplicity and vernacular style of the British Arts and Crafts movement...
, and raised in London. After being educated privately, he started work as a clerk in the Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
in 1867. After two years, he left the unsuitable desk-job to pursue studies at the Kensington School of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, and went on to exhibit at various galleries including the Grosvenor Gallery
Grosvenor Gallery
The Grosvenor Gallery was an art gallery in London founded in 1877 by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche. Its first directors were J. Comyns Carr and Charles Hallé...
and the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, where he exhibited every year from 1874 to the end of his life.
Parsons, whose interest in Englishness paralleled the tastes of upper-class American émigrés, joined the notable artistic community in the village of Broadway
Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a village and civil parish in the Worcestershire part of the Cotswolds in England.Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment...
in the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
(Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
). His associates included the American artists Francis Davis Millet
Francis Davis Millet
Francis Davis Millet was an American painter, sculptor, and writer who died in the sinking of the on April 15, 1912.-Early life:Francis Davis Millet was born in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts...
, who remained Parson's closest friend until he drowned aboard the RMS Titanic, and Edwin Austin Abbey
Edwin Austin Abbey
Edwin Austin Abbey was an American artist, illustrator, and painter. He flourished at the beginning of what is now referred to as the "golden age" of illustration, and is best known for his drawings and paintings of Shakespearean and Victorian subjects, as well as for his painting of Edward VII's...
, with whom he collaborated in illustrated books. Through American contacts made while at the artists' colony he became an illustrator for Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
, and also provided illustrations for books – including short stories by Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
and travel books (see below). Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
noted that Parson's images of English country life mirrored the aspirations of Americans:
Was it there that Mr. Parsons learned so well how Americans would like England to appear? ...The England of his pencil... is exactly the England that the American imagination, restricted to itself, constructs from the poets, the novelists, from all the delightful testimony it inherits".
The three men, Parsons, Millet and Abbey, lived together and entertained sociably at 54, Bedford Gardens, London. William Robinson asked him to provide illustrations for The Wild Garden: Or, Our Groves and Shrubberies Made Beautiful by the Naturalisation of Hardy Exotic Plants (1881) led to Robinson's invitation for Parsons to lend advice at his Gravetye Manor
Gravetye Manor
Gravetye Manor is a manor house located in East Grinstead, West Sussex, England. The former home of William Robinson, it is now a hotel and restaurant., holding one star in the Michelin Guide.- History :The Elizabethan house was built in 1598...
. Parson's first garden commission, however, came through the architect Philip Webb
Philip Webb
Another Philip Webb — Philip Edward Webb was the architect son of leading architect Sir Aston Webb. Along with his brother, Maurice, he assisted his father towards the end of his career....
, who was designing "Clouds" in Wiltshire for Mr and Mrs Percy Wyndham
Percy Wyndham (politician)
The Honourable Percy Scawen Wyndham DL, JP , was a British soldier, Conservative politician, collector and intellectual...
, prominent figures among the esthetic-minded group called "The Souls
The Souls
The Souls were a small, loosely-knit but distinctive social group in England, from 1885 to about 1920. Their members included many of the most distinguished English politicians and intellectuals....
": Parsons provided an unostentatious planting of spring bulbs, Magnolia × soulangeana
Magnolia × soulangeana
Magnolia × soulangeana is a hybrid plant in the genus Magnolia and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple...
, roses and lilies, in a framework of clipped yews, wedding new and old elements.
Parsons' long-lasting association with the Anglo-American group centered in Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a village and civil parish in the Worcestershire part of the Cotswolds in England.Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment...
, began in 1885, when Parsons and his London friends rented a house facing the Green, where John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
began painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. Parsons' first made a garden for himself and his friends at Russell House facing the Evesham road at the western entrance to Broadway, then a garden setting for Mary Anderson, Mrs Antonio de Navarro
Mary Anderson (stage actress)
Mary Anderson was an American stage actress.-Early life:...
at Court Farm (1896 onwards) and later for himself, at Luggershill (1903 onwards).
Parsons' fine illustrated book, his only published text, Notes in Japan (London, 1895, reprinted) came from his visit to that country between 1892 to 1894.
As a designer of gardens, Parsons went into partnership in 1898 with Capt. Walter Croker St-Ives Partridge (1855—1924), as Parsons and Partridge of Newbury, Berkshire. In 1884 they took into the partnership Charles Clement Tudway (1846—1926). Parson's restorations of old gardens and designs of sympathetic settings for old houses can be appreciated at 15th-century Great Chalfield Manor
Great Chalfield Manor
Great Chalfield Manor is an English country house at Great Chalfield, near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire.The house is a moated manor house built around 1465–1480 for Thomas Tropenell, a modest member of the landed gentry who made a fortune as a clothier...
and at Elizabethan Littlecote House
Littlecote House
Littlecote House is a large Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat in the English county of Wiltshire near to Hungerford. The estate includes 34 hectares of historic parklands and gardens, including a walled garden from the 17th and 18th centuries...
, both in Wiltshire. Alfred Parsons and Walter Partridge also worked on the gardens at Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
, 1899—1905 and at Bryngarw, Glamorganshire. An early essay was Wightwick Manor
Wightwick Manor
Wightwick Manor is a Victorian manor house located on Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, and one of only a few surviving examples of a house built and furnished under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement...
, a reproduction black-and-white house, for which Parsons provided the garden in 1887.
Further reading
Illustrated by Alfred Parsons:- Robinson, William. The Wild Garden (London: John Murray, 1883).
- Abbey, Edwin Austin. Old Songs, with drawings (Harper & Bros. 1889).
- Dobson, Austin. The quiet life : certain verses by various hands (New York : Harper & Brothers, 1890)
- Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas. The Warwickshire Avon (Harper & Bros. 1892).
- Parsons, Alfred. Notes in Japan (Harper & Bros. 1895).
- Wordsworth, William. Wordsworth (Longmans, Green & Co. 1897)
External links
- Alfred Parsons (RA Collections).
- Alfred Parsons (Bridgemanart.com)