xt7qjq0stw34_5342 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7qjq0stw34/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7qjq0stw34/data/1997ms474.dao.xml unknown archival material 1997ms474 English University of Kentucky The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. W. Hugh Peal manuscript collection William Charles Thomas Dobson letters, with clipping text 43.94 Cubic Feet 86 boxes, 4 oversize boxes, 22 items Poor-Good Peal accession no. 11453. William Charles Thomas Dobson letters, with clipping 2017 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7qjq0stw34/data/1997ms474/Box_62/Folder_9/Multipage28324.pdf 1876, undated 1876 1876, undated section false xt7qjq0stw34_5342 xt7qjq0stw34  

  

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 NEW ROYAL ACADEMICIANS.

“'ILLIAM CHARLES THOMAS DODSON, RA.

Mr. Dobson was born at Hamburg in 1817, and is of English
parentage on the male side only. This will account for an
occasional German title to his pictures, and probably also for
the somewhat German type of face which so frequently re-
appears in his works. His education, except in its earliest
stage, was, however, received in England, he having been
brought over when nine years of age to this country. He
commenced his art-studies as a boy at the British Museum, and
was admitted a student of the Royal Academy in 1836. His
early instruction in painting was received from Mr. E. Opie,

 

 

nephew of the celebrated John Opie, who interested himself
much in the young student, but would receive no remunera-
tion. Early in his career, also, the young artist was intro-
duced to Sir Charles Eastlake, from whom for many years,
though not exactly in the position of pupil, he received con-
stant advice and instruction in art. The friendly connection
between the late president of the Academy and the subject of
this notice was honourable to both—disinterested on the one
side, grateful and respectful on the other. Mr. Dobson, doubt-
less, benefited much from the cultivated mind and pure taste of
Sir Charles, whose exampleprobably led his young friend into the
difficult walk of religious painting. But for this one might
have supposed that Mr. Dobson was mainly influenced by the
German revival of religious art. Mr. Dobson’s treatment of
scriptural themes has. however, despite much that is abstract,
negative, or “puristic,” a simple naturalness—a kind of
homely piety—which has little in common with either the
asceticism of Overbeck or the more grandiose Raphaelesque or
Michael-Angelesque mannerism of Cornelius and other German
masters. Besides this our artist has a true painter's relish for
the more attractive qualities of the medium in which he has
chiefly worked, which scarcely one of the German revivers of
sacred art possessed; and his principal works have some un-
common technical excellences. In 1843 Mr. Dobson was ap-
pointed Ilead Master of the Government School of Design in
Birmingham, an office which he was induced to resign in 181k;
for the purpose of pursuing his studies in Italy. In 1860 the
artist was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, and he
was voted to the full membership near the close of the last
year. In rrcent years Mr. Dobson has cultivated painting in
water colours, and in 1870 he accepted an offer of the Old
Water-Colour Society to enter their ranks. The following are
among the artist’s most important oil paintings, most of which
have been engraved and become highly popular. “ Tobias and
the Angel” (1853), “The Charity of Dorcas” (18:34); “The
Alms Deeds of Dorcas” (1855), the property of the Queen;
“The Prosperous Days of Job” and “The Children in the
Market Place” (1856); “Reading the Psalms” and “The
Child Jesus going down with his Parents to Nazareth " (1857),
both in the collection of Baroness Burdett-Coutts; “Fairy
Tales," “ Hagar and Ishmael sent Away," and the “Holy
Innocents ” (1858), “ Nazareth,” “The Good Shepherd ” ‘
“Christ in the Temple,” "Peace be to this House,” and
"' Alms.” ‘