WATSON, Harry

1871 - 1936

Harry Watson was born at Victoria Street, Scarborough, Yorkshire on 13 June 1871, son of Arthur Watson (1846-1923), a butcher, and his wife Ellen Hart (1847-1886), youngest daughter of Thomas Hart, a wine & spirit merchant, who married at St Mary's Church, Scarborough on 24 May 1870. In 1881, Harry was a 9-year-old, living at 102 Castle Road, Scarborough with his parents, 33-year-old Arthur and 32-year-old Ellen and siblings May 10 and Maria 7. Arthur was educated at Scarborough and at Winnipeg, Canada late 1881-1883 returning to study at the Scarborough School of Art 1884–1888, at Lambeth School of Art and the Royal College of Art 1889–1894, winning numerous gold, silver and bronze medals and was awarded a travelling scholarship to Italy. In 1911, a 39-year-old unmarried 'painter artist', living at 40 Guildford Road, Lambeth, London, the home of his uncle Robson Beilby Hart, a newspaper proprietor, and his family and he taught at Regent Street Polytechnic from 1913. Initially Harry painted in a conventional late Victorian style, but he later developed into a 'plein air' painter, whose works exhibited great freshness and spontaneity, reminiscent of George Clausen and Jules Bastien-Lepage (1848-1884). He typically used bright colours and his loose style gives a strong impressionist effect. His paintings 'Sunlight Reflected Upon a Wide Riverscape' and 'Reflected Light' are examples which demonstrate this use of natural light. Watson was a landscape and portrait artist in oil and watercolour and exhibited at the Royal Academy and was a member of the Royal Watercolour Society from 1915 and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters from 1932. Watson also exhibited at the Ipswich Art Club from 18 Kensington Court Place, London W.8 in 1932, a watercolour 'Model Resting'. He married at Lambeth in 1926, Barbara Campbell Christian (born 1893). Harry Watson was of 108 Upper Tulse Hill, Surrey when he died at Westminster Hospital Annex, Haverstock Hill on 17 September 1936, being survived by his wife, and a memorial exhibition was held at Leamington Spa Art Gallery in 1938. He signed his works 'Harry Watson'.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 37 Guildford Street, South Lambert Road, London
1896 310 In Sweet September
         756 Wanderers
         772 By the Site of the Old Dyke
1897 34 The Sawdon Road, Brompston, Yorkshire
         810 Willows by the side of the Derwent, Yorkshire
from 18 Kensington Court Place, Kensington
1899 869 A Silvery Morning
         968 Miss Ethel Meen
1900 571 A Hot Summer's Day
         801 The Smuggler's Daughter
         825 A Dreamer
         1066 Across the Straits from Mone's Isle
1901 158 Ducks and Drakes
         447 The Apple Orchard, Springtime
         452 Blossoms
         454 Prospero and Miranda
1902 386 The Dead and the Living and Life to Redeem
1904 360 Wending Homewards
         443 Twilight and the Dawn

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Works by This Artist