John St Helier Lander
Encyclopedia
John St Helier Lander was a noted portrait painter.
Born John Helier Lander, he added the St. to acknowledge his birth place of Saint Helier
in the Channel Islands
. He was given his first paint box by Lillie Langtry
, the famous beauty, actress and mistress of the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VII of the United Kingdom
. He studied at Calderon's School.
On leaving school, he was sent to become a watchmaker at the age of fifteen, but spent so much time drawing that he was taken away and allowed to paint. On reaching the age of seventeen and having sold some of his pictures, he went to London to study in an art school. Although he remained there a year, he hated the school. He was invited to breakfast with Sir John Everett Millais
, a fellow Jerseyman, who advised him to continue his artistic career and to go to Paris. In Paris he studied at the Académie Julian
under William-Adolphe Bouguereau
and Fleury. After a year in Paris he returned to London to enter the Royal Academy
Schools where he stayed for three years, before returning to Jersey and setting up a studio, taking Millais and Walter William Ouless
, another distinguished fellow Jerseyman, as ideals in the art of portrait painting. He taught privately at the Jersey Ladies' College (now Jersey College for Girls
) and the Guernsey Ladies' College. He undertook an ambitious group portrait of the Assise d'Héritage (known as "The Sitting") which took him four years to complete. In 1897, it was purchased for £400 by Julia Westaway, of the Westaway Trust, and presented to the Royal Court in Jersey where it now hangs.
He was greatly encouraged by the Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey at the time, General Henry Richard Abadie
. When the General left Jersey, Lander followed him to London, where Abadie introduced him to society clients. Abadie was a regular visitor to Lander's studio. Between Abadie and Colonel Sir Malcolm Fox, Lander made the acquaintance of all the leading British generals before the First World War. The wartime demand for portraits provided Lander with steady work and brought his name before a wider public.
In 1923 he received a silver medal at the Paris Salon
and painted his first important Royal portrait. He had been commissioned to symbolize the "Youth of England" through the Prince of Wales
. Lander chose to portray the Prince dressed in polo
kit, and the resulting picture was acclaimed, being awarded a medal at the Paris Salon. The King and Queen commanded that it be sent to Buckingham Palace
for private viewing and consequently commissioned a copy for the Palace. The Queen then commissioned a portrait of the Duke of Kent
in tennis
kit.
T.B. Davis commissioned a portrait of King George V of the United Kingdom
for Victoria College, Jersey
with a copy for the Engineers' College, Durban
. Further copies were endowed for Canada House
, Australia House
and New Zealand House
. Lander took pride in the fact that five of these portraits of the King had been "unveiled by Royal Princes, an honour no portrait painter has ever had before".
He was a good friend of the Jersey artist Edmund Blampied
with whom he collaborated in 1937 on a portrait of King George VI.
Born John Helier Lander, he added the St. to acknowledge his birth place of Saint Helier
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. He was given his first paint box by Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...
, the famous beauty, actress and mistress of the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. He studied at Calderon's School.
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
, a fellow Jerseyman, who advised him to continue his artistic career and to go to Paris. In Paris he studied at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
under William-Adolphe Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French academic painter. William Bouguereau was a traditionalist; in his realistic genre paintings he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body.-Life and career :William-Adolphe...
and Fleury. After a year in Paris he returned to London to enter 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...
Schools where he stayed for three years, before returning to Jersey and setting up a studio, taking Millais and Walter William Ouless
Walter William Ouless
Walter William Ouless, RA was a British portrait painter from Jersey. He became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1877 and a full member in 1881....
, another distinguished fellow Jerseyman, as ideals in the art of portrait painting. He taught privately at the Jersey Ladies' College (now Jersey College for Girls
Jersey College for Girls
Jersey College for Girls is a fee paying States of Jersey-provided school for girls located in Saint Saviour, Jersey, Channel Islands. It currently has around 712 students.-History 1880-1999:...
) and the Guernsey Ladies' College. He undertook an ambitious group portrait of the Assise d'Héritage (known as "The Sitting") which took him four years to complete. In 1897, it was purchased for £400 by Julia Westaway, of the Westaway Trust, and presented to the Royal Court in Jersey where it now hangs.
He was greatly encouraged by the Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey at the time, General Henry Richard Abadie
Henry Richard Abadie
Major-General Henry Richard Abadie CB was a British Army officer.-Military career:Abadie joined the army in 1858 and served in the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia. In 1879, Abadie fought in the Second Anglo-Afghan War including the Battle of Kandahar...
. When the General left Jersey, Lander followed him to London, where Abadie introduced him to society clients. Abadie was a regular visitor to Lander's studio. Between Abadie and Colonel Sir Malcolm Fox, Lander made the acquaintance of all the leading British generals before the First World War. The wartime demand for portraits provided Lander with steady work and brought his name before a wider public.
In 1923 he received a silver medal at the Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
and painted his first important Royal portrait. He had been commissioned to symbolize the "Youth of England" through the Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
. Lander chose to portray the Prince dressed in polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
kit, and the resulting picture was acclaimed, being awarded a medal at the Paris Salon. The King and Queen commanded that it be sent to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
for private viewing and consequently commissioned a copy for the Palace. The Queen then commissioned a portrait of the Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent is a title which has been created various times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of George V.-Pre-history:...
in tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
kit.
T.B. Davis commissioned a portrait of King George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
for Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College is a fee paying States of Jersey-provided school in membership of the HMC, in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. The castellated neo-gothic architecture is a landmark overlooking the town.-History:In the 1590s, Laurens Baudains - a wealthy farmer from St...
with a copy for the Engineers' College, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. Further copies were endowed for Canada House
Canada House
The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom in London is the diplomatic mission from Canada to the United Kingdom. It is housed in two buildings in London.-History:...
, Australia House
Australia House
The High Commission of Australia in London is housed in Australia House, a building that also accommodates other Australian federal and state government agencies, including the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, part of King's College London....
and New Zealand House
New Zealand House
The High Commission of New Zealand in London is housed in a skyscraper known as New Zealand House in The Haymarket, London, off Pall Mall...
. Lander took pride in the fact that five of these portraits of the King had been "unveiled by Royal Princes, an honour no portrait painter has ever had before".
He was a good friend of the Jersey artist Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied
Edmund Blampied was one of the most eminent artists to come from the Channel Islands, yet he received no formal training in art until he was 16 years old...
with whom he collaborated in 1937 on a portrait of King George VI.
Notable Portraits Painted
- British Royal Family
- Prince of WalesEdward VIII of the United KingdomEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, future King Edward VIII - Prince George, Duke of KentPrince George, Duke of KentPrince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
- King George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
- King George VI(collaboration)
- Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of HarewoodHenry Lascelles, 6th Earl of HarewoodHenry George Charles Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood KG GCVO DSO TD , styled The Hon. Henry Lascelles before 1892 and Viscount Lascelles between 1892 and 1929, was the son of the 5th Earl of Harewood and Lady Florence Bridgeman.Lascelles was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards and commanded the...
- Gordon Hewart, 1st Viscount HewartGordon Hewart, 1st Viscount HewartGordon Hewart, 1st Viscount Hewart, PC was a politician and judge in the United Kingdom.-Background and education:...
, his brother-in-law. - Henry James, 1st Baron James of HerefordHenry James, 1st Baron James of HerefordHenry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford GCVO, PC, QC , known as Sir Henry James between 1873 and 1895, was an Anglo-Welsh lawyer and statesman. Initially a Liberal, he served under William Ewart Gladstone as Solicitor General in 1873 and as Attorney-General between 1873 and 1874 and 1880 and 1885...