Francis ("Frank") Owen Salisbury (1874-1962) was a Methodist artist from Harpenden in Hertfordshire who specialised in portraits, large canvases of historical and ceremonial events, stained glass and book illustration. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Harpenden is a town in the City and District of St Albans of Hertfordshire in the South East of England. Hertfordshire (ˈhɑːtfədʃə(r, abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of For the Blackford Oakes novel see Stained Glass (novel The term stained glass refers either to the material of coloured Glass or to the art In his heyday he made a fortune on both sides of the Atlantic and was known as “Britain’s Painter Laureate”. His art was steadfastly conservative and he was a vitriolic critic of Modern Art – particularly of his contemporaries Picasso, Chagall and Mondrian. History of Modern art Roots in the 19th century Although modern Sculpture and Architecture are reckoned to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973 Marc Chagall (מאַרק שאַגאַל&lrm Belarusian: Мойша Захаравіч Шагалаў Mojša Zaharavič Šagałaŭ; Russian: Марк His father, Henry Salisbury, described himself as a “plumber, decorator and ironmonger”, yet his son Frank would become one of the greatest society artists of his generation.
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Beginnings
The ninth of twelve children, Salisbury was such a delicate child that he was educated at home, in the main by his student teacher sister, Emilie. He had only a few weeks formal schooling and began work by repairing bicycles at his father’s Cycle Depot in Harpenden. Uncertain as to his ability to find and maintain a job, the family determined that he be apprenticed to Henry James Salisbury, his eldest brother, who managed a major stained glass company in Alma Road, St Albans. St Albans is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London. He rapidly acquired all the practical skills of a stained glass artist and exhibited exceptional skills in the painterly detail that was applied to glass before its final firing. This led to his brother sponsoring him to attend Heatherley’s School of Art to further a career in painting. He then won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools where he won two silver medals and two scholarships. This article refers to an art institution in London For other meanings of Royal Academy see Royal Academy (disambiguation. In due course he would have seventy exhibits accepted for the annual Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions. The Summer Exhibition is an open Art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London
Portraits
It is for portraiture that he is best known. His speed in producing portraits stemmed from his painting his own twin daughters every morning for an hour and his career began with child portraiture and his painting the Hertfordshire gentry and members of the Harpenden Methodist Church. A providential meeting with Lord Wakefield, founder of Castrol Oils and a Methodist philanthropist, saw his introduction to society portraiture. The title of Baron Wakefield was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom on 20 January 1930 for Charles Cheers Wakefield, (1859 Castrol is a Brand of industrial and Automotive Lubricants which is applied to a large range of Oils Greases and similar Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Salisbury’s being selected to paint the Boy Cornwell in the Battle of Jutland then brought him to the notice of Royalty. fix various bugs per WikipediaHow to fix bunched-up edit links --> Lord Wakefield then arranged for him to paint President Woodrow Wilson whilst he was in London, but Wilson departed for Paris and the opportunity was lost. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. It was to be John W. Davis, American Ambassador to London, who encouraged Salisbury to go to the USA; Davis had met Salisbury at art receptions and had admired his child portraits. John William Davis ( April 13 1873 &ndash March 24 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer Twenty-five members of the Royal House of Windsor sat for Salisbury and he was the first artist to paint HM Queen Elizabeth II. The House of Windsor is the current Royal House of the United Kingdom and each of the other Commonwealth realms The older part is a branch of the Saxe-Coburg For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II He painted Winston S. Churchill on more occasions than any other artist; the two iconic images of Churchill – The Siren Suit and Blood, Sweat and Tears are both Salisbury images. Winston S Churchill may refer to Winston Churchill, or his grandson Winston Churchill (1940- See The famous phrase Blood toil tears and sweat was originally used by Theodore Roosevelt in an address to the Naval War College on June 2 1897 following his appointment as Mayoral regalia was a ready made requisite for the Salisbury style with Councillor Sam Ryder (of Ryder Cup fame) as Mayor of St Albans being the most famous of his civic images. Samuel Ryder ( 24 March 1858 - 2 January 1936) was an English Entrepreneur and Golf enthusiast The Ryder Cup is a Golf trophy donated by Samuel Ryder, which is awarded Biennially in an event called the "Ryder Cup Matches" between teams from Other significant portraits include those of Richard Burton, Andrew Carnegie (posthumous), Sir Alan Cobham, Sir Robert Ludwig Mond, Maria Montessori, Montgomery of Alamein, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Benito Mussolini, John Player, Lord Rank, Jan-Christiaan Smuts and Sir Henry Wood. Richard Burton, CBE (10 November 1925 &ndash 5 August 1984 was a Welsh multiple award-winning Actor. Andrew Carnegie (properly kɑrˈneɪgi but commonly /ˈkɑrnɨgi/ or /kɑrˈnɛgi/ (25 November 1835 – 11 August 1919 was a Scottish -born American Industrialist Sir Alan John Cobham, KBE, AFC (6 May 1894- 21 October 1973 was an English aviation pioneer Sir Robert Ludwig Mond ( 9 September 1867 &mdash 22 October 1938) was a British Chemist and archeaeologist. Maria Montessori ( August 31 1870 &ndash May 6 1952) was an Italian physician educator philosopher humanitarian and devout Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC, (məntˈgʌmərɪ əv ˈæləmeɪn The title Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 for Louis Mountbatten 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a Tobacco and Cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. Joseph Arthur Rank 1st Baron Rank ( December 22 1888 &ndash March 29 1972) was a British industrialist and Film producer Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, PC, ED, KC, FRS (24 May 1870 &ndash 11 September 1950 was a prominent Henry Wood is the name of Henry Wood (writer (1834–1908 New Thought writer and novelist Evelyn Wood (British Army officer (1838–1919 Salisbury was remarkably successful in the USA where he was deemed to have fulfilled the American Dream. The American Dream is Belief in the Freedom that allows all citizens and residents of the United States to achieve their goals He made thirteen visits, basing himself in Washington DC, Chicago and New York where his portraiture would be a roll call of American wealth. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous He painted six Presidents with his Franklin D. Roosevelt remaining as the official White House portrait to this day. Industrial and financial giants who sat for him included Henry Clay Folger, Elbert Henry Gary, Edward Stephen Harkness, Will Keith Kellogg, Andrew William Mellon, John Pierpont Morgan, George Mortimer Pullman, John Davison Rockefeller Jr. Henry Clay Folger (1857-1930 was president and later chairman of Standard Oil of New York, a collector of Shakespeareana, and founder of the Folger Shakespeare Elbert Henry Gary ( October 8, 1846 – August 15, 1927) was an American lawyer and corporate officer Edward Stephen Harkness ( January 22, 1874 – January 29, 1940) was an American Philanthropist. Will Keith Kellogg, usually referred to as W K Kellogg ( April 7, 1860 &ndash October 6, 1951) was a U Andrew William Mellon ( March 24 1855 &mdash August 27 1937) was an American banker industrialist philanthropist art collector John Pierpont Morgan ( April 17, 1837 &ndash March 31, 1913) was an American financier banker and art collector who George Mortimer Pullman ( March 3, 1831 – October 19, 1897) was an American inventor and industrialist John Davison Rockefeller Jr (January 29 1874 &ndash May 11 1960 was a major Philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. , and Myron C. Taylor. Myron Charles Taylor (1874 - 1959 was an American businessman and diplomat Salisbury produced several self portraits including depicting himself whilst painting the 1937 Coronation and his being Master Glazier in 1934.
Pageant
Salisbury’s great forte was in his painting of over forty large canvases of historical and national events, a field in which he was virtually unchallenged until 1951. The two most significant of these are The Heart of Empire – the Jubilee Thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral 1935 and The Coronation of their Royal Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth 1937. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite 4 August 1900 &ndash 30 March 2002 was the Queen Consort of King George One of the great ironies of his art is that, although he was to all intents and purposes a pacifist, his introduction to Royalty, the aristocracy and overseas politicians came as a result of his war art, particularly his posthumous portraits of the fallen in the First World War. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The large canvas of the Boy Cornwell was followed by The King and Queen visiting the Battle Districts of France. It was Salisbury who was required, by Royal Command, to paint two large images of The Burial of the Unknown Warrior for the first Remembrance Day. The British tomb of The Unknown Warrior holds an unidentified British soldier killed on a European battlefield during World War I. Remembrance Day also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates or Veterans Day is a day to commemorate the War memorials followed on from this. A war memorial is a building monument statue or other edifice to celebrate a War or victory or (predominating in modern times to commemorate those who died or were injured During the Second World War he was required to paint The Signing of the Anglo-Soviet Treaty and one of his most endearing images is The Briefing of an Air Squadron. The Paris Peace Conference ( July 29 to October 15, 1946) resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947
Faith
Salisbury was a Methodist who took his faith seriously and always considered his gifts to be God given. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations He manifested the Protestant work ethic and the Non-Conformist conscience. The Protestant work ethic, sometimes called the Puritan work ethic, is a sociological theoretical concept Nonconformism is the refusal to conform to common standards conventions rules customs traditions norms or laws He produced much work for the mainstream denominations, in particular Methodism and the Salvation Army. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations The Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that is internally organised like a military service. He painted posthumous portraits of historical Methodist figures with perhaps his best known image being that of John Wesley in John Wesley's House in London. John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Wesley's Chapel is a chapel in London which was built by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. Salisbury arranged and paid for the restoration of Wesley’s House in 1934 which restoration stood the test of time for sixty years. He lived an alcohol free lifestyle and was firmly in favour of Prohibition in the USA. Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol He refused to work on Sundays. Many of his associates including Pierpont Morgan, Lord Wakefield, Will Kellogg and Andrew Mellon were both rich industrialists and Christian philanthropists. His greatest gift to the British churches was his leaving Sarum Chase, his fabulous mansion studio in West Heath Road in West Hampstead, in trust to the British Council of Churches. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland ( CTBI) is an Ecumenical organisation However, the BCC sold the mansion and auctioned its contents. His range of portraits stretched from Billy Graham, to four Salvation Army Generals, to Pope Pius XII. William Franklin Graham Jr KBE (born November 7 1918 better known as Billy Graham, is an evangelist and an Evangelical Christian Pope
Stained glass
But it was stained glass that remained his favourite, though not his most profitable, art form. Thirty-four windows have been confirmed as being designed by him with the largest collections being at Wesley's Chapel in London, the former National Children’s Home chapel in Harpenden, and the Forest Hill Methodist Church in London. Wesley's Chapel is a chapel in London which was built by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. All of his glass was installed in England with three notable exceptions in Medak Cathedral in India. The Church of South India ( Abbreviation: CSI) is a union of many Protestant Denominations spread throughout South India. He was elected Master of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass in 1933. The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London.
Images
The copyright of all of his paintings bar two is held by the Estate of Frank O. Salisbury. Authorised images appear in the books in the listing below. Significant collections of his work are held at the Chicago Historical Society, National Portrait Gallery in London, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Royal Air Force Museum in London, Wesley’s Chapel in London and the World Methodist Headquarters in North Carolina. Chicago History Museum (formerly known as the Chicago Historical Society) was founded in 1856 The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYGBS is a Non-profit educational institution formerly located at 122 East 58th Street in New York City. The Royal Air Force Museum ( RAF Museum) is a Museum dedicated to the history of Aviation, and the British Royal Air Force in particular The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations
References
- Salisbury, Frank O. "Sarum Chase. " 1953. John Murray.
- Barber, Benjamin Aquila. "The Art of Frank O. Salisbury. " [1936. ] F. Lewis.
- "The Studio of Frank O. Salisbury. SALISBURY 3210. " Christie’s, London. 1985.
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