The Rob Dickins Collection
Watts Gallery has acquired an extraordinary collection of over 4,000 historic photographs from one of its trustees, Professor Rob Dickins, CBE. Consisting of images acquired from the collection of the late Jeremy Maas and Dickins’s own acquisitions gives a unique picture of the world that G. F. Watts inhabited and the figures with which he rubbed shoulders. The extent and value of this rich archive has yet to be fully researched and whose importance is still in the process of being discovered. Its focus is primarily Victorian artists and includes such treasures as Holman Hunt’s family album which will be exhibited at the forthcoming large-scale exhibition of the artist which opens in November.
The exhibition at the Forbes Gallery is a selection of the highlights of the Dickins Collection and exhibits both its breadth and interest. The photographs include two stunning photographs of the great American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), where his style and character have been delightfully captured. In contrast one of the most moving images is by Frederick Hollyer of John Ruskin (1819-1900) and William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) meeting for the last time at Ruskin’s home at Brantwood in the Lake District.
The celebrity status of artists in the nineteenth century and the development of photography resulted in many photographs that assuaged the public demand for images of their heroes.
The fascination with celebrities was not limited to their visage but public curiosity extended, as it does so unashamedly today, to homes and lifestyles. Artists themselves fired this interest through the ostentation of the grand studio houses that they built. These were great extravagant buildings, which functioned simultaneously as homes, studios and palaces of entertainment as well as being a material embodiment of success that allowed artists to furnish their homes and lifestyles with fantasy, exuberance and a style that matched their art. Photographs can be seen from a host of artists’ homes including a detail from Lawrence Alma Tadema’s (1836-1912) palatial home with tiger skin chairs and the careful patina of antiquity reflecting his sensual paintings. If Tadema reflects his depiction of the ancient world the figures of illustrators reflects great character, belligerence and humour, particularly in those of Phil May (1864-1903) and George Cruikshank (1792-1878).
Dressing up models was an activity necessary for costume and history painting, dressing oneself was for fun and several photographs show the Victorian fascination for costume. Henry Henry Holiday (1839-1927) in particular can be seen dressing his models as Dante and Beatrice as well donning chain-mail himself and even a full bishop’s outfit. If some appear slightly humorous, there is a more serious side to the collection which reveal new research. In terms of Watts this means a late photograph which was used as the basis for a self-portrait and a rare image of his Little Holland House studio where Henrietta Rae is painting a portrait of Lord Dufferin and Ava.
This remarkable collection underlies a new strand to the development of the Watts Gallery’s development of a centre for exploring Victorian art, social history and craft, of which Watts was such an important part. It is thanks to the generosity of Rob Dickins.
Victorian Artists in Photographs: Catalogue
A fully illustrated catalogue for the exhibtion drawn from The Rob Dickins Collection is available from the shop priced £12.50 (special exhibition price). It is also available to order online. Click here to visit the shop
