STANNARD, Henry John Sylvester

1870 - 1951

Henry John Stannard's birth was registered at St Pancras, London on 12 July 1870, eldest child of artist Henry Stannard (15 January 1844-15 November 1920) and grandson of John Stannard (1794-1882), both well-known Bedfordshire artists, his mother was Ruth née Willshire (1845-1936), who married Henry earlier in 1870. Henry was educated at Bedford Modern School and the National Training School, South Kensington. Henry Stannard was of Harpur Place, Bedford when he married at St Paul's Church, Bedford on 6 November 1894, Annie Sylvester Clark, of Beckenham, Kent and, adding Sylvester into his name, they moved to Flitwick, Bedfordshire, they had an only daughter Theresa Sylvester Stannard [Dyer] (1898-1947), who was also an artist. It was an unhappy marriage and Henry and Annie, a professional musician, were divorced in November 1911, owing to Annie's adultery. Henry went on to achieve a reputation for painting Bedfordshire scenes after which as well as his reputation as an artist, Stannard also became well known as a lecturer, teacher, and judge at art exhibitions. In 1896 elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists and, after he received interest and patronage from the British Royal family and painting many pictures of their Sandringham estates, his international career began. Stannard continued to support local exhibitions including the Bedford Society of Artists and his father's exhibitions in Harpur Street and was also a member and exhibitor at the Norfolk & Norwich Art Circle 1906-1909 and, at the Ipswich Fine Art Club 1913-1914, when he exhibited from Harpur Place, Bedford in 1913, four watercolours 'Bringing Home the Flock', 'A Setter finding a Grouse', 'The Cricket Field, Marlborough College Gardens' and 'The Weed Burner'. He made sketching tours to Southwold, Suffolk and at least a dozen Sylvester scenes of the Blyth Valley were produced by the Southwold local printer Frederick Jenkins, sometimes Stannard was accompanied by his artist sister Lilian Stannard (1877-1944), who also contributed at least seven works to the Jenkins 'Studio Series' and the Tuck 'Oilette' series. In 1939, he founded the Midland Sketch Club, and it was at the 1950 annual exhibition of this club, held in the Bunyan Room of Bedford Public Library, that Stannard exhibited his last works. In 1939, an unemployed artist, living at 68 Spenser Road, Bedford with married Wilhelmina Josephine L. née Fordyce (born 10 May 1909), who had married John L. Stannard at Lambeth in 1933, and a son William H. L. Stannard (born 27 February 1934). Henry John Stannard was of 66 Dunstable Road, Flitwick when he died at Bedford Hospital on 21 January 1951. His work has been exhibited and held by the Royal Society of British Artists, London; Royal Academy, London; Walker Art Gallery; Manchester City Art Gallery, Royal Society of British Artists; Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, London.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from Flitwick, Bedfordshire
1897 1269 Dusk - watercolour
1898 1214 The Old Homestead - watercolour
1899 1062 Still Evening - watercolour
         1178 February - watercolour
         1199 The Cottage Homes of England - watercolour
         1206 'Wuzzell-time' in Bedford - watercolour
1900 1097 'The trees being to whisper...' - watercolour
         1119 The Trysting Lane - watercolour
1901 940 Solitude
         1036 Passing Shadows
1902 846 'Now the evening shadows falling' - watercolour
         955 By Pasture and Ploughing - watercolour
1903 942 When the Birds go North again - watercolour
1904 980 Spring is Come - watercolour
         1003 1003 A March Morning - watercolour
1905 848 The Back of the Farm - watercolour
         973 The First Breath of Spring - watercolour
1906 A Wild March Morning - watercolour
1907 924 The Way to the Farm - watercolour
         991 Spring's First Note - watercolour
         1005 The Home Farm - watercolour
1908 1087 The Old Bridle Way - watercolour
1909 825 By the Wood Side - watercolour
1910 885 The Land of the Thrushes - watercolour
         926 'On the slope of the hill... - watercolour
1911 839 The Brook - watercolour
         876 Sunny Moments - watercolour
1914 1284 The Potato Pit - watercolour
         1429 The Boat Race - watercolour
         1433 The Twenty-first of March - watercolour
1915 1042 'April brings the primrose sweet...' - watercolour
         1133 The Shepherd's Cot in the Green Lane - watercolour
from The Gables, Buckden, Hunts
1919 673 By the Woodside - watercolour
1920 837 The Young Pedlar - watercolour

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Works by This Artist