Janet Simpson & Dorothea Milde

Janet Simpson

(c. 1874 - after 1964)

British drawing and graphic artist.

Dorothea Milde

(1887-1964)

German drawing teacher and graphic artist.

To be clear: these two artists, and their life’s, have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Except I met their acquaintance about the same time, I mentioned them both in the Blog just once and I just happened to see some similarities in their art and life’s. As editor, owner, inspirator and writer of this Blog I decided a combined posting would be a nice undertaking.

Berwick upon River Tweed around 1910

Blog reader Bob Reeves recently stumbled over my youthfull posting on Janet Simpson after investigating this Berwick Bridge etching (left) on his wall. Bob as a “bakers boy” in the ‘60’s  delivered bread at Janet's house in Brenchley's Crooke Lane and has kind memories of her as an old lady occasionally inviting him in for tea and a chat. He was given 8 postcards with her work and this original signed for the occasion etching of the Bridge at Berwick on Tweed in 1964 the year Dorothea Milde passed away. (Above left)

Mid-Crooke cottage  in Brenchley

Dorothea's house in Quedlingburg

Both Janet and Dorothea (probably about the same age) lived their life’s very modestly and unobtrusively in rural and historical  surroundings. Both never were to become real “great or famous” artists. 


And both excelled in the art of drawing. Both were well trained artists, Dorothea at Breslau Kunstakademie and  Janet at Lambeth School of Art and the Royal College of Art.

Brenchley

Both didn't travel extensively and made the local scenery to the subject of their art. From both I have only seen one coloured work. 

Münzenberg

Both had to make a living out of their training, skill, art and craft. Dorothea also  teacher at drawing in historical Quedlinburg Girls School. Both had their works edited and distributed as postcards.

Blenchley Highstreet, watercolor
thanks to David Herbert.

Historical Brenchley, Kent

The old Workhouse, Brenchley

Historical Quedlinburg, Harz.

The stairs to the school in historical Münzenberg

Historical Edinburgh by Janet Simspon
thanks to David Herbert

Both becoming obscured and forgotten. Dorothea ended her life in poverty, breeding dogs at no great success. I don’t know about Janet.


Thanks to readers and fellow Bloggers:
Archimandrill (see comments) some more is now known about Janet. In 1901 Janet and her father David Goudie Simpson (b. 1839, an astonomer) and sister Mary Goudy Simpson (b. 1869, and also a painter) in 1901 lived in Camberwell, Denmark Hill, London.


and David herbert sending me the two extra examples within a days after publishing. 

Polperro Harbour by Roland Hipkins

Roland Hipkins

(1895-1951)

British-New Zealand printmaker

and art teacher .

After Lynmouth harbour (posting of sept. 17th)  by a still unknown printmaker here's now Polperro Harbour in print. This print puzzled me for some time and now I know why. It’s a mirror image of this picturesque Cornish harbour. I've "mirrored back" Hipkins original rendering (see the autograph). And used a photograph, that I've trimmed, to compare the viewing points which are now very identical . Either Hipkins stood here or the photographer that took the photograph Hipkins used in New Zealand). Pretty accurate he was. There are only a few more windows in the buildings opposite the harbour  indicating modern times. And the roof taken of the little building or shed lower left.  

Hipkins, born in Staffordshire and trained at the Royal College of Art in London,moved to New Zealand under the La Trobe Scheme, encouraging British Art teachers to come to New Zealand. From 1922 Hipkins taught art at Napier and later Wellington Technical Schools. In 1923 he married Scottish Jenny Campbell (Ayr 1887-1970) trained at Edinburgh College of Art who emigrated to New Zealand with Hipkins in 1922. I discovered Roland Hipkins Polperro print by stumbling over these éxamples by his wife Jenny Campbell. 

They were in Margaret Anna Dobson’s (1888-1981) 1930 “Block-cutting and Print-making” book that I've recently obtained. Also, in 1930, Eric Heskett Hubbard (1892-1957), named in Dobsons book, also edited his book "Simple Colour Block Print Making" at the Forest Press. Dobsons book and her 1936 published ”Lino Prints” both were edited at Pitman & Sons are illustrated by many examples by contemporary printmakers. With prints pulled from original blocks.

Besides a good and well trained painter Margaret Dobson was quite capable of producing a linoleumcut print herself. Like the one (left) “printed from 5 linoleum blocks”. It it is the only example (included in her second, 1936, book "Lino Cuts" ) I could find.

Margaret Dobson was an American painter and illustrator, trained in Pennslylvania America and studied also in Paris and stayed in London before finally returning for America in 1933. Reading the books and seeing the dozens of names and examples she must have been well acquainted with most if not all 1920-1935 grafic artists in England. Like:

E. Mackenzie (?) 

Sydney Lee (1866-1957)

and Charles Darwins artistic granddaughter Gwen Raverat (1875-1957)

and many others she used illustrating her books.

John Hall Thorpe: Free prints and Update

Thanks to reader Brian Merrony today the mystery of the 4 free poster prints ("after paintings by JHT") is now completely solved and illustrated. Thanks to Lily from the Japonism Blog after discovering the My Home Magazine November 1929 connection, of the first two prints. 

Today with finding a copy of My Home Magazine 1933 (with the two original prints still in it !) this mysterie is now completely documented.

Brian "by the way" sends his other JHT prints for sharing on the Linosaurus. And one he saw in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. To my surprise I have to admit I have never seen this Tulips in a vase, very similar in composition to the "Chines Vase". 

The other print is called "Anchusa" showing this wild plant with a butterfly. JHT must have had some good botanical knowledge because the Melitaea Cinxia or the Glanville Fritilaria he probably depicted here is often seen feeding on Anchusa Officinalis or Common Bugloss. The butterfly commonest in the South of England (region Portsmouth-Bournemouth-Isle of Wight)

Completing this update on the Flower prints by John Hall Thorpe I share with you this last find, sadly it's only of thumbnail dimensions, but I had never seen this great little "Anemones" before either. 

See for earlier Linosaurus postings on the Flower prints of John Hall Thorpe the postings of 
16-07-2011
28-06-2011
18-12-2010
18-06-2010

Davira Fisher (Updated)

This week I received another colour example of Cincinatti artist Davira Fisher (1918-) woodblock printing art from American reader Bob Lung (see posting on Davura Fisher May 17th 2011)
This artist proof print titled Skyward has been hanging on the mantle and was  enjoyed for decades by Bob's aunt. He assured me, now he recently inherited the print, it will continue being appreciated in his home. Trying to find information on the Internet (which is very scarce) he stumbled over the Linosaurus and offered this print for sharing.  
Thank you Bob.  

Karl Schmidt Wolfratshausen

Karl Schmidt-Wolfratshausen

(1891-1971)

German architect, painter, graphic artist.

This time it was myself discovering the printmaker of the Jungnickel/ Bresslern-Roth blue and yellow Ara (Speaking of parrots) (from an edition of 75). And I found another copy and another print, a cockatoo (from an edition of 100) in an old auction catalog. The Parrot the obvious winner.

After his classical high school training in München Karl Schmidt-W. son of a doctor, was destined becoming an architect and was trained as such in Nürnberg. With his artistic talent he afterwards visited the renowned München Kunst und Gewerbeschule (Arts and Crafts school) becoming a versatile artist in many mediums including mosaic decoration.

I found this contemporary linocut print by Australian printer Lesley van der Sluys (1938-2010) of the same species, Mitchll cockadoo):

As did Hiroshi Yoshida (1867-1950):

Settling after the horrors of WWI and living from 1923 with his wife in Nabburg (a small town in Bavaria, north of Munich) where he was to become a very respected artist until his death in 1971. His house, decorated by himself now a museum to all the work he's left to the city of Nabburg (6000 inh.)

These two prints were made in linocut in 1922, a medium he probably abandoned in his later career. I am curious who might have been his teachers, inspirators and fellow students in München before WWI and anxious to know if there are more prints around.

David John Payne

(by Arthur Goodwin)

David John Payne

(Birmingham 1880 -1959 Auckland New-Zealand)

British born and trained New-Zealand painter etcher, lithographer and  woodcut printmaker by occasion.

I had seen once one of these two very nice (1922) woodcut prints. Paying a virtual visit to the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, and doing some investigating I found another one in their collections. A great and to me still incredible way of travelling these days.  

When I was there and looking around I found also this great (1919) lithograph: St. Matthews by Night (Auckland): a very serene picture and what great blues.

(St. Matthews seen from the East in 1919)

West view 2010

David John Payne emigrated to New-Zealand in 1908 (aged 26) after having been trained in the Birmingham Municipal School of Art. And this (below) is how he would've known and seen St. Matthews, from the N.W. from Wellesley Street. Payne choose his view from the East. Showing the aisle and chapel too. Maybe he even lived in those quarters. The area (block) has now completely changed and build up with high rising buildings. 

1910

2010

Although the church on the hill is pretty much the same, the city (and traffic) around it has changed beyond recognition.

In Birmingham exhibited in the late 19th century David Payne R.S.A. (Annan (Sc.) 1843- 1894 Sheffield). He left Scotland and lived in Duffield and later in  Barrow up on Trent, not that far from Birmingham. He was quite succesfull and prolific, not only professional: he (and his wife) procreated 14 children. But David John being not one of them. According to the 1891 census.