PALMER, John Lewis

1903 - 1977

John Lewis Palmer was born at Rougham, near Bury St Edmund's in Suffolk on 23 November 1903, son of Joseph Leonard Palmer (1866-17 February 1930), an estate steward, and his wife Jessie Lewis (1864-1926), daughter of Benjamin Carpenter Lewis, who married at Chelmsford, Essex on 1 November 1893. In 1911, John was a 7-year-old, living at Clap Bridge Farm, Rayne Road, Braintree, Essex with his parents, 44-year-old Joseph, who was born at Snetterton, Norfolk and 46-year-old Jessie, who was born at Braintree, Essex with two siblings, Leonard 11 and Mary 9, both born at Rougham and by 1921 they had moved to Wakerings, Great Leighs, Essex. John was educated at Braintree High School and then joined the staff of the Westminster Bank at Braintree before transferring to the Ipswich branch. He married at St Matthew's Church, Ipswich on 12 September 1932, Alice May Cottam and in 1939 they were living at 6 Middlefields, Colchester Road, Halstead, Essex. A watercolour painter and etcher of landscapes, figures and animals and a member of Ipswich Art Club 1932-1963, exhibiting from Thistledell, London Road, Ipswich in 1932, two dry point works 'The Plough Inn' and 'The Ferret' and, after his marriage, exhibited from Vine Cottage, 20 Crabbe Street, Ipswich in 1933 five works, 'East Hill, Hastings', 'Old Hastings from East Hill', 'The Old Inn Yard', 'The Path at Tamerlane' and 'Suffolk Lane'. In 1935 he exhibited two etchings 'Farmyard' and 'Evening' and was a regular exhibitor showing at least thirty works between 1931 and 1950 including from Halstead in 1941, two works 'The Old Cart Shed' and 'Morston, Norfolk' and from 3 Hubert Road, Colchester, Essex in 1949 two watercolours, 'Fordham Church, near Colchchester' and 'The Beach, Whitstable'. John Lewis Palmer and his wife later moved to 8 Rhodesia Drive, Stafford Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire where he died in 1977. His works are often conflated with others named John Palmer's.

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Works by This Artist