Part 1 (1/2)

Little Mee Paston

PREFACE

_For these sketches of minor celebrities of the nineteenth century, it has been my aim to choose subjects whose experiences seem to illustrate the life--more especially the literary and artistic life--of the first half of the century; and who of late years, at any rate, have not been overwhel soners is equivalent to that of conteroup A visitor to our shores, whether he be a Gerilded democrat like N P Willis, may be expected to observe and comment upon many traits of national life and manners that would escape the notice of a native chronicler

Whereas certain readers of a forhteenth Century'--seem to have been distressed by the fact that the majority of the characters died in the nineteenth century, it is perhaps y of this present volume, in which all the heroes and heroines, save one, were born in the last quarter of the eighteenth century But I would venture to submit that a man is not, necessarily, the child of the century in which he is born, or of that in which he dies; rather is he the child of the century which sees the finest flower of his achievement_

BENJAMIN ROBERT HAYDON

PART I

If it be true that the rapher is a spirit of childlike vanity, with a blend of unconscious egoism, few men have ever been better equipped than Haydon for the production of a successful autobiography In nave simplicity of temperament he has only been surpassed by Pepys, in fulness of self-revelation by Rousseau, and his _Meory as the _Diary_ and the _Confessions_ Froer public, the work has hardly attracted the attention it deserves; it is too long, too hted with technical details and statements of financial embarrassments, to be widely or permanently popular But as a human document, and as the portrait of a temperaedy it is none the less tragic because it contains elerotesque Haydon set out with the laudable intention of writing the exact truth about hi that every man who has suffered for a principle, and who has been unjustly persecuted and oppressed, should write his own history, and set his own case before his countrymen It is a fortunate accident for his readers that he should have been gifted with the faculty of picturesque expression and an exceptionally keen power of observation If not a scholar, he was a , and a good critic where the work of others was concerned He seeht in malice; if he fell into mistakes and misrepresentations, these were the result of unconscious prejudice, and the exaggerative tendency of a brain that, if not actually warped, trembled on the border-line of sanity He hoped that histo others, his successes a stiles and aspirations would clear his memory from the aspersions that his enemies had cast upon it

Haydon was born at Plymouth on January 26, 1786 He was the lineal descendant of an ancient Devonshi+re family, the Haydons of Cadbay, who had been ruined by a Chancery suit a couple of generations earlier, and had consequently taken a step doards in the social scale His grandfather, who married Mary Baskerville, a descendant of the fa in 1773, bequeathed his business to his son Benjamin, the father of our hero

This Benjayman named Cobley, was a man of the old-fashi+oned, John Bull type, who loved his Church and king, believed that England was the only great country in the world, swore that Napoleon won all his battles by bribery, and would have knocked down any ree with him The childhood of the future historical painter was a picturesque and stirring period, filled with the echoes of revolution and the ru shi+ps preparing for sea, or returning battered and blackened, ounded soldiers on board and captured vessels in tow Plymouth itself was full of French prisoners, who uillotines out of their meat-bones, and sold them to the children for the then fashi+onable a off Louis XVI's head'

Benjarammar-school, whose headh not a deep classic He wrote poetry, encouraged his pupils to draw, and took the their love of nature Mr Haydon, though he was proud of Benja, had no desire that he should be turned into an artist, and beco alarmed at Dr Bidlake's dilettante methods, he transferred his son to the Plympton Grammar-school, where Sir Joshua Reynolds had been educated, with strict injunctions to the head-lessons On leaving school at sixteen, Benjamin, after, a few months with a firm of accountants at Exeter, was bound apprentice to his father for seven years, and it was then that his troubles began

'I hated day-books, ledgers, bill-books, and cashbooks,' he tells us

'I hated standing behind the counter, and insulted the customers; I hated the town and all the people in it' At last, after a quarrel with a custoain, this proud spirit refused to enter the shop again In vain his father pointed out to hi a coument was vain An illness, which resulted in inflammation of the eyes, put a stop to the controversy for the tiht permanently injured, the boy still refused to work out his articles, but wandered about the town in search of casts and books on art He bought a fine copy of Albinus at his father's expense, and in a fortnight, with his sister to aid, learnt all the muscles of the body, their rise and insertion, by heart He stumbled accidentally on Reynold's _Discourses_, and the first that he read placed soa conviction that all men are equal in talent, and that application makes all the difference, that the would-be artist, who hitherto had been held back by some distrust of his natural powers, felt that at last his destiny was irrevocably fixed He announced his intention of adopting an art-career with a deterument, and, in spite of re froo to London, and the promise of support for the next two years

On May 14, 1804, at the age of eighteen, young Haydon took his place in theat the lodgings that had been taken for hi, he had no sooner breakfasted than he set off for So round for historical pictures, he discovered that Opie's 'Gil Bias' was the centre of attraction in one room, and Westall's 'shi+pwrecked Boy' in another

'I don't fear you,' he said to himself as he strode away His next step was to inquire for a plaster-shop, where he bought the Laocoon and other casts, and then, having unpacked his Albinus, he was hard at work before nine nextaspirations for High Art, and defiance to all opposition 'For threebut s My enthusiasm was immense, my devotion for study that of a martyr I rose when I woke, at three or four, drew at anatoht, in chalks from casts from nine till one, and from half-past two till five--then walked, dined, and to anatoain froreat painter, to honour ma of incapacity that was impressed upon it

After soht hiiven hi hied the youth in his aave him introductions to Northcote, Opie, and Fuseli

To Northcote, as a Plyives a curious account of his intervieith his distinguished fellow-countryh art Northcote, a little wizened oldthat his young visitor intended to be a historical painter: 'Heestorical painter! why, ye'll starve with a bundle of straw under yeer head' As for anatomy, he declared that it was no use 'Sir Joshua didn't know it; why should you want to knohat he didn't? Michael Angelo! What's he to do here? YouHaydon, clenching his teeth, and he , intellectualthe introductory letter, said quietly, 'You are studying anatoe, I would do the sareat reputation for the terrible, both as artist and as allery into which the visitor was ushered was so full of devils, witches, ghosts, blood and thunder, that it was a palpable relief when nothingappeared than a little old and lion-faced oith the bottom of Mrs Fuseli's work-basket on his head! Fuseli, who had just been appointed Keeper of Acades, and expressed a hope that he would see him at the Academy School

After the Christan to attend the Academy classes, where he struck up a close friendshi+p with John Jackson, afterwards a popular portrait-painter and Royal Academician, but then a student like hie tailor in Yorkshi+re, and the _protege_ of Lord Mulgrave and Sir George Beaumont The two friends told each other their plans for the future, drew together in the evenings, and made their first life-studies from a friendly coalheaver whom they persuaded to sit to them After a few months of hard work, Haydon was summoned ho The invalid recovered, and then followed another period of torture for the young student--aunts, uncles, and cousins all trying to drive the stray sheep back into the cole, Haydon at last consented to relinquish his career, and enter the business

Great was his delight and surprise when his father refused to accept the sacrifice--which wasbut a cheerful spirit--and promised to contribute to his support until he was able to provide for himself

In the midst of all these do the announcement that there was 'a raw, tall, pale, queer Scotch in hi the fellow!' said Haydon to hi to be a historical painter' On his return to town, our heroScotchman, and was soon ade Politicians' was the sensation of the Exhibition of 1806, and brought hirave for the 'Blind Fiddler,' and the other froe Beaumont for the 'Rent-Day' It was now considered that Wilkie's fortune was made, his fame secure, and if his two chief friends--Haydon and Jackson--could not help regarding his of envy, it is evident that his early success encouraged them, and stimulated the fresh secrets in his art, partly froeon, and partly froood offices of Jackson, to the works of titian at Stafford House, and in other private collections, there being as yet no National Gallery where the student could study the old in his first picture, his natural self-confidence having been strengthened by a letter frorave, ho, was much interested in what he had heard of Haydon's aested a heroic subject--the Death of Dentatus--which he would like to see painted, and he wished to know if this comreat historical picture--for so he understood the suggestion--was a triuloriously rewarded for two years of labour and opposition He had, however, already decided on the subject of his first atteypt On October 1,1806, after setting his palette, and taking his brush in hand, he knelt down, in accordance with his invariable custohout his career, and prayed fervently that God would bless his work, grant hiy to create a new era in art, and rouse the people to a just esti

Then followed a happy time The difficulties of a first atte, but Haydon believed, with Sir Joshua, that application made the artist, and he certainly spared no pains to achieve success He painted and repainted his heads a dozen times, and used to mix tints on a piece of paper, and carry them down to Stafford House once a week in order to co of the titians While this as in progress, Sir George and Lady Beaumont called to see the picture, which they declared was very poetical, and 'quite large enough for anything' (the canvas was six feet by four), and invited the artist to dinner This first dinner-party, in what he regarded as 'high life,' was an alarious preparations, drove to the house in a state of abject terror, and in fiveto Lady Beaumont, and more at ease than he had ever been in his life In truth, bashfulness was never one of Haydon's foibles

The Joseph and Mary took six months to paint, and was exhibited in 1807 It was considered a reht the following year by Mr Hope of Deepdene During the season, Haydon was introduced to Lord Mulgrave, and with his friends Wilkie and Jackson frequently dined at the Adrave had recently been appointed First Lord of the Adreat ladies and enius, and rose daily in hope and proan the picture of the 'Death of Siccius Dentatus' that his patron had suggested, but he found the difficulties so overwhelo down to Ply At fifteen guineas a head, he got plenty of eh he owns that his portraits were execrable; but as soon as he had obtained so heads, he was anxious to return to town to finish his large picture Mrs Haydon was now in declining health, and desiring to consult a faeon in London, she decided to travel thither with her son and daughter Unfortunately her disease, angina pectoris, was aggravated by the agitation of the journey, and on the road, at Salt Hill, she was seized with an attack that proved fatal Haydon was obliged to return to Devonshi+re with his sister, but as soon as the funeral was over he set off again for tohere his prospects seearret in the Strand for a first floor in Great Marlborough Street

He found the practice gained in portrait-painting a substantial advantage, but he still felt hiure for Dentatus 'If I copied nature my as mean,' he complains; 'and if I left her it was mannered Hoas I to build a heroic form like life, yet above life?' He was puzzled to find, in painting fros of the skin varied with the action of the limbs, variations that did not appear in the few specimens of the antique that had co, he asked hi this period of indecision and confusion caether to inspect the Elgin Marbles then newly arrived in England, and deposited at Lord Elgin's house in Park Lane Haydon carelessly agreed, knowing nothing of the wonders he was to see, and the two friends proceeded to Park Lane, where they were ushered through a yard to a dirty shed, in which lay the world-fa I fixed my eyes on,' to quote Haydon's oords, 'was the wrist of a figure in one of the feroups, in which were visible the radius and ulna I was astonished, for I had never seen them hinted at in any wrist in the antique I darted my eye to the elbow, and saw the outer condyle visibly affecting the shape, as in nature That combination of nature and repose which I had felt was so h art was here displayed toelse, I had beheld sufficient to help me to nature for the rest of my life But when I turned to the Theseus, and saw that every form was altered by action or repose-when I saw that the two sides of his back varied as he rested on his elbow; and again, when in the figure of the fighting metope, I saw the muscle shown under one ar out, and left out in the other armpits; when I saw, in short, the most heroic style of art, combined with all the essential detail of everyday life, the thing was done at once and for ever Here were the principles which the great Greeks in their finest time established, and here was I, the most prominent historical student, perfectly qualified to appreciate all this byto his painting-roousted with his attempt at the heroic in the form and action of Dentatus, obliterated what he calls 'the abominable h Lord Mulgrave he obtained an order to draw fro their secrets, and bringing his hand and mind into subjection to the principles that they displayed 'I rose with the sun,' he writes, with the glow of his first enthusiasht only to be conscious offrom my bed, dressed like one possessed, and passed the day, noon, and the night, in the same dreaardless of its feelings, inable to disease, insensible to conteures, and draperies over and over again, feeling that to obliterate was the only way to improve

His studio soon filled with fashi+onable folk, who ca n travel' Haydon believed, with the silory and fained that the Acade a student, one, moreover, who had been trained in its own school He redoubled his efforts, and in March 1809, 'Dentatus' was finished

'The production of this picture,' he naively explains, 'lish art The drawing in it was correct and elevated, and the perfect for, united with the fleshy look of everyday life The colour, light and shadow, the co of the story were co an esti, a fate to which many an artist of three-and-twenty has had to submit, before and since; but Haydon writes as if no such injustice had been coan, and was persuaded that the whole body of Acadeainst hiuineas in addition to the hundred he had first promised, which seems a fair price for the second work of an obscure artist, but poor Haydon fancied that his professional prospects had suffered from the treatment of the Acadereat store) were neglecting him, and that he was a hts a new and ether, the friends visited Sir Joshua's birthplace, and roamed over theto town, they spent a delightful fortnight with Sir George Beaumont at Coleorton, where, says Haydon, 'we dined with the Claude and Rembrandt before us, and breakfasted with the Rubens landscape, and did nothing, , talk of painting, and wake to paint again'