Part 389: Clarkston Frederick Stanfield
In 1889 W. J. Lawrence listed some prominent English scene painting families – the Greenwoods, Grieves, Stanfields, Callcotts, Dansons, Fentons, Gordons, and Telbins. This installment looks at the Stanfields (The Theatre Magazine, July 13, 1889).
Clarkston Frederick Stanfield was the youngest of five children born to James Stanfield and Mary Hoad. He is sometimes erroneously referred to as William Clarkston Stanfield. Like other scenic artists, he came from a theatrical family. Stanfield was born in Sunderland, County Durham, above a shop that was located at the intersection of Playhouse Lane (later known as Drury Lane) and Sunderland High Street. Behind their building was the local theatre.
His father was a merchant seaman who later became a provincial actor, traveling and playing in a variety of performance venues that included theatres, barns, and at race meetings. His appeared on stages from Edinburgh to Scarborough. Some suggest that that Clarkston was encouraged to try his hand at scene painting for his father’s shows, others suggested that it was his mother who encouraged his earliest artworks for the stage. While on the road with his father, he also performed in minor children’s roles. W. J Lawrence included an interesting tidbit in his 1889 article: “Very few people nowadays seem to have any knowledge of the fact that Clarkston Stanfield’s father was not only a capital scenic artist, but a man with some pretensions to literary fame. From his fluent pen came the popular Freemason’s song, “Friendship and Love.” That will be a tidbit tucked away for a future post!
Stanfield’s mother was both an actress and artist. She not only taught painting, but also published a children’s book. She passed away in 1801, when Clarkston was only eight years old. Soon after her death, his father remarried a much younger woman – one who had been his ward. The subsequent arrival of several additional children from the union are often attributed to the “farming out” of the older children for various trade apprenticeships. In 1806, Clarkston became apprenticed to a heraldic painter in Edinburgh. His mentor specialized in the decorative painting of coaches. This apprenticeship lasted approximately two years, until the living and working situation became unbearable for Clarkston. He ran away at the age of fifteen and left for sea on a merchant ship, later becoming pressed into service for the navy by the age of 19. Even on the seas, Stanfield continued to paint. Whether he worked on a small projects assigned by his captain or backings for amateur theatrics on board ship, he continued to hone his artistic skills while at sea. At one point he was even sent ashore to do some painting for an admiral’s ballroom.
Stanfield was discharged from the navy after an accident left him unfit to remain in service; this provided him with the opportunity to re-enter the theatre profession. From his father, he possessed many of the necessary contacts to obtain his first work at the East London Theatre (formerly the Royalty Theatre) in Wellclose Square. Although he did not have the benefit of a scenic art apprenticeship, his career soon flourished in both London and Edinburgh after he proved his worth.
It was rough in the beginning, as his colleagues often forced him to work apart – even banning access to the Scene Painting room where he could warm his size-kettle. However, Stanfield’s talent was recognized and he gradually earned the acceptance of his fellow artists. By 1817 he was earning a salary of £3 a week as a principal artist and had acquired an apprentice of his own – Robert Jones. Stanfield was well respected for the speed at which he painted, his endurance, and the quality of his work. To gain additional funds during this time, he continued to work as a decorative painter in the area.
His specialty was maritime scenes and soon met who would become his lifelong friend and fellow artist, David Roberts, R. A. (1796-1864). By 1822, both were both working as scenic artists for the Drury Lane theatre, a venue lit with the new medium of gas lighting.
An article in “The Times” (Dec. 28, 1828) commented on the stunning transformation of the painted settings and Stanfield’s contribution to Drury Lane. The article also mentioned that the prior to Stanfield’s arrival depicted “water as opaque as the surrounding rocks, and clouds;” it was “not a bit transparent.” Stanfield was credited with bringing “a knowledge of light and shade which enabled him to give his scenes great transparency.” In other words, Stanfield was employing the glazing technique as introduced by John Henderson Grieve during the first decade of the eighteenth century. Stanfield had figured out how to replicate the Grieve technique.
Stanfield married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Hutchinson in 1818, producing two children. Sadly, the marriage only lasted until 1821, when Mary died only a month after the birth of their second child. He remarried three years later, taking Rebecca Adcock as his second wife in 1824 and the couple had ten children; his second son, George Stanfield, followed in his father’s footsteps as an artist.
It was reported that the loss of his good friend Roberts in 1864 greatly affected the remainder of Stanfield’s life and his ten years were spent in poor health with rheumatism and a bad leg. He was housebound for long periods of time and unable to work. Stanfield passed away on May 18, 1867, at the age of 73.
To be continued…
There is an extremely well-written article on Stanfield by Dr. Peter van der Merwe, MBE, DL, General Editor and Greenwich Curator, Royal Museums Greenwich. Here is the link to his article: http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/stanfield/biography.html#5
