Sir Joshua Reynolds

The paining on his profile here is called "Shading the eyes" it is believed that Joshua painted it in about 1747, while he was living in Plymouth Dock now Devonport, Devon, England.

Sir Joshua Reynolds was born on 16 July 1723 at Plympton St Maurice, also known as Plympton Earle, Plympton Earls, and Plympton Morris.The seventh child of Samuel Reynolds and Theophilia nee Potter He was born in the Rectory of what is now known as the Old Grammar School Plympton, Devon, England. He received a solid education from his father, this of course included Latin. Another student at the School was John Parker, who was to become the 1st Baron Boringdon, Joshua and John would become life long friends. He also became friends with the Mudge family and was influenced by Zachariah Mudge. . (Joshua would paint portraits of both men).

In March 1734, he got ill with smallpox, but survived. Samuel Reynolds, his major passion was buying books, and Joshua read widely from his father's library. Joshua also copied prints from one of his father's books Jacob Cats "Book of Emblems" Another book in his father's library was "An Essay on the Theory of Painting" by Jonathan Richardson, this book would be the first great introduction to the craft of painting for Joshua.

According to a family tradition of the Edgcumbe family, when Joshua was about 12 he was on a visit to the Edgcumbe family, at Mount Edgcumbe, when during the church service, it was noticed that Joshua and Richard Edgcumbe, the son of Richard Edgcumbe, the 1st Baron Edgcumbe, were misbehaving , when called to task about their bad behavior, Richard explained that Joshua had drawn a good likeness of the vicar on his thumbnail, and they both could not stop laughing. After some punishment, young Joshua otherwise spent his time well at Mount Edgcumbe, he was allowed to use the boathouse at Cremyll beach as his first "art studio", he used some paint and some sail cloth to paint his first pictures.

Joshua did not know at the time, but he had already building influential connections with the Parker, Mudge and Edgcumbe families.

By the time Joshua was 14, a family friend suggested to Samuel that Joshua should be sent to London to become a painter, but nothing came of this suggestion. As Joshua was approaching his 17th year, Samuel was in too minds about what the future may hold for Joshua, one was for Joshua to become an apothecary, and the other a painter. When Samuel asked his son, what he would prefer, Joshua is said to have replied "I would rather be an apothecary than an ordinary painter, but if i could be bound to an eminent master, I would choose the later."

On the 13 October 1740, Joshua traveled to London, five days later Joshua was placed as a pupil under Thomas Hudson. The fee was 120 Pounds, half the fee was paid by Samuel and the other half by Mary Palmer, Joshua's older married sister. So on the 18th day of October, St Luke's day, the patron saint of painters, Joshua was on his way to become a painter.

At the end of his second year with Hudson, this being halfway through his apprenticeship, Joshua according to the letters he sent home was extremely happy becoming a painter. Then something happened, or may have gone wrong, in the summer of 1743, Joshua's articles with Hudson was terminated. The exact cause for this is still unknown. Whatever the cause was, Joshua remained on good terms with Hudson.

Joshua returned to Devon, and set up a studio in Plymouth Dock, now Devonport, Joshua was charging 3 pounds and 10 shillings for a bust portrait. His style was still much in the way of the likes of Kneller, Richardson and Hudson. Joshua was however doing quite well for himself, he had done 20 portraits by the end of the year.

By the end of 1744, Joshua returned to London, according to the letters of Samuel, Hudson promised to introduce Joshua to a Club, composed of the most famous men of their profession, this was most likely the group of painters, artists and literary men who often frequented the Old Slauhgter's Coffee House. Joshua had lodgings in St. Martins's Lane, which was near the St. Martin's Lane Academy. Joshua would have been exposed to new ideas and styles in painting.

Samuel Reynolds died Christmas day 1745, Joshua returned to Devon to be with his family. His mother went to live with his married sister Mary, and Joshua set up home in Plymouth Dock with his two unmarried sisters, Elizabeth and Frances. Joshua was to stay there until the spring of 1749. Is is during this time that Joshua did a number of family portraits, the portrait of his father was most probably done after his father's death. He also painted the Edgcumbe family, unfortunately none of the Edgcumbe paintings except for one survived as they were destroyed during WW2. Joshua was now developing a style all of his own.

Early in 1749, a naval officer, Augustus Keppel, had been given a diplomatic mission, he had been appointed to the chief command of the Mediterranean Fleet , however his ship the Centurion, was damaged and he stopped at Plymouth for repairs, while waiting for repairs, he visited Lord Edgcumbe, who was one of his friends, at Mount Edgcumbe, where by chance, Joshua was also visiting. Keppel took a liking to Joshua and offered him a passage to the Mediterranean. On the 11 May 1749, the Centurion weighed anchor, Joshua was on his way to Rome.

While with the ship he visited Lisbon, Cadiz, Algiers, and Minorca, Spain. It was at Minorca that Keppel and Joshua parted ways, Keppel to continue diplomatic duties and Joshua to continue his journey to Rome. A life time friendship between the two had just began. (Joshua would paint at least 6 portraits of Keppel, the first probably done in Port Mahon 1749, and the last in 1779) It was at Port Mahon, Minorca, that Joshua had an accident, he fell off a horse after riding it down a steep slope, and had some injuries to his face. While recovering Joshua wrote to a young woman, Miss Weston, that because of the accident "my lips are spoiled for kissing" Joshua signed it "Your Slave". Joshua promised to write again when he reached Rome. From Minorca he travelled to Livorno in Italy, and to Florence and in the middle of April, 1750, Joshua arrived in Rome.

Lord Edgcumbe suggested to Joshua that he study under Pompeo Batoni. For whatever reason Joshua rejected this idea. Joshua did what most young artists did in Rome, at the time, view the great masters, take sketches and notes. (There are 9 surviving notebooks of his from this period,, as of 2003, 4 are in private hands, the others are in museums in England, and the USA. ) It was during one of the Roman winters, that Joshua would catch a cold, that would impair his hearing for the rest of his life.

He received a letter from Miss Weston in early 1751, Joshua wrote back saying that he would be leaving Rome soon and would go to Florence and other parts of Italy. (It seems that this was the last correspondence he had with Miss Weston) However Joshua stayed another year in Rome, then slowly made his way back to England, on the 3rd May 1752, he left Rome, visiting Venice, Florence and Paris, he arrive back in London the 16th October 1752. Joshua while in Rome, had learnt to speak , and to read and write Italian. Joshua headed home to Devon, to catch up with family and friends.

By the early weeks of 1753, Joshua, went back to London and he was once more moved into St. Martin, Lane, bringing his younger unmarried sister Frances as his housekeeper. He soon moved to Great Newport Street and achieved rapid success , Lord Edgcumbe recommended Joshua to some of his fellow peers, others were soon lining up to get their portraits painted. In 1755, it would have cost you 12 guineas for a head portrait, or 48 Guineas for a full portrait done by Joshua.

It was probably in 1756, that he first met Samuel Johnson, this was going to be the beginning of another life time friendship. Reynolds would paint Johnson 5 times. In 1760 , Joshua moved into a large house, Wick House,on the west side of Leicester Fields (now Leicester Square). By 1761 Joshua could charge 80 Guineas for a full portrait, he worked long hours in his studio, rarely taking a break. Joshua had many friends from London's literary community , Dr Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, Edmund Burke, Giuseppe Baretti, Henry Thrale, David Garrick, and artist Angelica Kauffman, to name a few.

In the summer of 1762, Joshua took a rare holiday, he traveled with Samuel Johnson to Devon, returning for the first time in nearly 10 years, where he caught up with his two married sisters, Mary Palmer and Elisabeth Johnson in Great Torrington, it was here that we learn that Samuel Johnson had a fondness for pancakes he managed to eat 13 of them in one sitting. Joshua and Samuel arrived back in London on the 26 September 1762.

Joshua, and Samuel Johnson was instrumental in the founding of "The" Club". It was founded in 1764 and met in a suite of rooms in the Turks Head at 9 Gerrard Street. Original members included Burke, Bennet Langton, Topham Beauclerk, Goldsmith, Anthony Chamier, Thomas Hawkins, and Nugent, to be joined by Garrick, Boswell, and Sheridan. The Club met every Monday evening for supper and conversation. In later years, it met fortnightly during Parliamentary sessions. In 1783 "The Club" moved to Sackville Street

Reynolds was a members of the Royal Society of Arts, and helped found the Society of Artists of Great Britain, and in 1768 became the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, and he would be until his death. In 1769, he was knighted by George III. The foundation by the King of The Royal Academy dates from the 10th of December, 1768. The Schools were opened on the 2nd January of 1769. Joshua Reynolds, gave the Inaugural Speech,which formed the first of his Seven Discourses on Art. The other six were given by him, at the next six annual meetings, the last being on the 10th December 1776.

In 1784 , the position for the Principle Painter in Ordinary to the King, became vacant, both Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua wanted it, Joshua threatened to resign from the presidency of the Royal Academy if he did not get it. Gainsborough gave in. After fighting so hard to attain the position, he soon found out he did not actually like the position, grumbling to several friends, and to the Bishop of St Asaph,"it is a a most miserable office, it is reduced from two hundred to thirty-eight pounds per annum, the Kings Rat catcher I believe is a better place"

In late September 1791, Joshua lost the sight in his left eye, from then on, Joshua's health slowly deteriorated until he died, the 23 February 1792, between the hours of 8 and 9 in the evening at age 68 at Wick House Richmond London, England

Joshua was know to experiment with the pigments he used in his paintings, unfortunately quite a number of his portraits have suffered for this over the years. Some of his portraits have faded, odd coloured faces or bubbly crusts., paint flaking off. There is a story about a young artist John Powell, whom Joshua allowed him to borrow a portrait, the portrait got accidentally knocked, and the paint on parts of the face and hands just dropped off the canvas.

Family

Parents: He was the son of Reverend Samuel Reynolds and Theophilia Potter.[1]. Never married, no children.

So much is not known about Joshua's affairs of the heart, we know that he was enamored with Miss Weston, when he was in his twenties. Speculation would swirl around him for years, and still does. According to some second hand stories, Joshua is said to have proposed to at least one woman and got a refusal. Some researchers including Ian McIntyre believe that Joshua had affairs with some of the woman he painted. Elizabeth Montagu, tried matchmaking him up to Frances Burney. While Dan Cruickshank believes that Joshua visited ladies of ill repute to put it politely. Joshua said himself that any woman he did like had grown indifferent to him.

Of his siblings that survived well into adulthood Francis was his housekeeper for many years, until they had a falling out, which occurred sometime in 1779, and Joshua sent her packing. His sister Elizabeth married William Johnson, and the relationship with her were cordial until William borrowed a large sum of money from Joshua and never paid it back, and then William deserted his family and went to live with another woman. Elizabeth did not approve of Joshua painting on a Sunday and when Joshua was willing to accept his nephew Samuel Johnson as a student, Elizabeth refused, as she did not want Samuel painting on a Sunday. The closest relationship he had was Mary Palmer, wife of John Palmer, the sister that had helped pay for his tuition with Thomas Hudson. Two of her daughter's would be invited by Joshua to live with him, Theophiia and Mary. he would paint them both. Joshua would make Mary his main beneficiary in his will.

"Reynolds' own sister, Frances, who lived with him as housekeeper, took her own negative opinion further still, thinking him "a gloomy tyrant". ( I am not sure when she said that but I assume it was after the falling out between them) The presence of family compensated Reynolds for the absence of a wife; he wrote on one occasion to his friend Bennet Langton, that both his sister and niece were away from home "so that I am quite a bachelor".

From The Evening Mail, Feb 24 1792,  London, Middlesex, United Kingdom:

" ... Sir Joshua has made Miss Palmer, his niece, residuary legatee; to James Boswell, Esq., he has left 200; to Mr. Burke, 2000; and to seventeen of his particular friends, a painting each."

Summary

• from the Dictionary of National Biography, Joshua Reynolds, by William Cosmo Monkhouse:

Reynolds was the greatest portrait-painter that England has produced, and one of the greatest painters of the world. Mr. Ruskin ranks him among the ‘seven supreme colourists,’ the others being Titian, Giorgione, Correggio, Tintoretto, Veronese, and Turner, and says:

‘Considered as a painter of individuality in the human form and mind, I think him, even as it is, the prince of portrait-painters. Titian paints nobler pictures and Vandyck had nobler subjects, but neither of them entered so subtly as Sir Joshua did into the minor varieties of human heart and temper’ (The Two Paths, Lect. 2).

Without any physical advantages—for he was neither tall nor handsome, and had the great social drawback of deafness—he secured without seeking, and maintained without effort, a position in society which is almost unrivalled. Treating all men on the plain level of common human nature and unactuated by any prejudice, he mixed, as by natural charter, with all classes. His principal passports were kindliness, sincerity, and tolerance; but these were aided by a ready sympathy, a well-informed mind, gentle manners, and invariable tact and common-sense. The charm of his presence and conversation was all the more irresistible because it was unforced and unfeigned.

The keynote of his whole life was his art—whether consciously or not he acted up to the ideal of a perfect portrait-painter—whose business was not to criticise but to observe, not to direct but to reflect the currents of society.

'I go,’ he said, ‘with the great stream of life.’

RESEARCH NOTES on the various "wives" of Sir Joshua Reynolds on other websites.

Sarah Warne see https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKGD-RTB

this marriage between Sarah Warne and Joshua Reynolds was in 1735 in London making the future Sir Joshua Reynolds just 12 years old then and living in Devon with his parents at the time. Obviously it is a different Joshua Reynolds

Sarah Marytn, this marriage to Joshua Reynolds occurred in St Agnes near Truro, Cornwall in 1757, but this Joshua Reynolds was born in 1730, married in 1757 and died in 1806 all in St Agnes see

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLK-RSS6

and https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLK-WJJR

again a different Joshua Reynolds and see
Joshua Reynolds

Anne Zackville, apart from being mentioned on other various websites as a wife of Sir Joshua Reynolds, there are no records of her existence. Change the name to Anne Sackville and there is a lot more Anne Sackvilles, but none of them marry a Joshua Reynolds.

Jane Cardell, not even sure why some websites have her as a wife for Sir Joshua Reynolds, she married a Stephen Reynolds on the 11 October 1730 St Mary, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England

RESEARCH NOTES

for all of you that believe that Thomas Reynolds was the son of Sir Joshua Reynolds

1/ There are no sources or evidence that prove this. All the sources listed on the internet are all very bad or do not exist sources listed making the mother of Thomas being 12 when she gave birth to Thomas. Joshua being married off when he was 12, Joshua been married off in London when it was known he was still living with his parents in Devon. And the list can go on and on with wrong sources listed, or none at all.

2/ Sir Joshua Reynolds stated himself that he never married, he was over 65 years old when he stated this.

3/ Edward Reynolds, the son of Thomas Reynolds and his notebook. Edward Reynolds, the son of Thomas Reynolds kept a notebook, in it he wrote a short, family history, then three biographies Sir Joshua Reynolds, David Garrick (A friend of Joshua Reynolds) and Martin Luther. Why he choose these three men is anyone's guess. Edward Reynolds made no claim of descent from any of these three men, but what obviously happened was that as the notebook ended up with one of the descendants of Thomas Reynolds, one or more of them misread the notebook, and because they had the same surname as Reynolds, they believed that it meant that they were descended from Sir Joshua Reynolds. Fast forward to the 1980's the note book was presumably stolen, however one of the Gosper descendants had it photocopied and this photocopy now resides in the Hawkesbury library see Home - Hawkesbury Library Service (nsw.gov.au)

put in Edward Reynolds under search catalogue and it will come up as notebook, it will cost about $12 Australian for a scan. Fast forward again to the internet, some one or someones, added the misinformation to the internet, and with everyone ticking those leaves and matches, this misinformation spread across the internet

4/ Circumstantial evidence

Sir Joshua Reynolds was firmly in the middle class when such things mattered in England in the 1700's. Thomas Reynolds was a millwright, a skilled trade, but it was still a trade. If Thomas was truly his son, you would think he would do more for a son than just a trade, Why not University like his nephews, a commission in the Army or Navy. No a trade. Joshua's unmarried sister acted as his housekeeper, not a wife. Joshua painted many of his family, but no painting of a wife or children exist. Joshua wrote many letters and so did his literary friends, and many of them survive, not a single one mentions a wife or children. The will of Sir Joshua Reynolds, he left the bulk of his estate to one of his nieces Mary Palmer, not to any grandchildren he would have had if Thomas Reynolds (Thomas Reynolds predeceased Joshua) was his son. No descendant of Thomas Reynolds for at least 4 generations, (that's as far as I have looked) had the first name of Joshua or had Joshua even as a middle name. Contrast that with the collateral descendants of Joshua Reynolds, who often were given Joshua as a first or middle name, for those who surnames were not Reynolds, they were often given Reynolds as a first name or a middle name. The Chief mourner at the funeral of Sir Joshua Reynolds was one of his nephews, no any supposedly son or a grandson, see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvz3pIOLL8s 

this is a lecture by Ricahrd Wendorf see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wendorf

5/ Sites like Wikitree, Geni, The Peerage, Famiiy Search and Sir Joshua Reynolds Wikipedia entry do not have any marriage or children listed for Sir Joshua Reynolds.. Anyone can alter a Wikipedia entry, you just need an account. Why have none of the managers that have Thomas Reynolds as the son of Sir Joshua Reynolds, changed the Wikipedia entry to include a wife and Thomas Reynolds as Joshua's son.

6/ Ian McIntyre in his over 600 page bio of Sir Joshua Reynolds. found no wife or son for him "Joshua Reynolds The Life and Times of the First President of the Royal Academy" Published in 2003. It is very detailed and full of sources.

7/ Frederic Thomas Colby writing in the late 1800,s had sp o.b. after Sir Joshua Reynolds name this is a short form of Latin meaning died with no children.

see Pedigrees of five Devonshire families, Colby, Coplestone, Reynolds, Palmer and Johnson [microform] : Colby, Frederic Thomas, 1827-1899 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

8/ In conclusion, the original misreading of Edward Reynolds note book by person or persons unknown, has now turned into cherished family history.

Links

• Sir Joshua Reynolds Works Online
• Royal Academy of Arts - Works of Art, Books & Archives for Sir Joshua Reynolds
• Olga's Gallery
• Sir Joshua Reynolds
• Search results for ebooks
• Reynolds,_Joshua_(DNB00) Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 48 Reynolds, Joshua by William Cosmo Monkhouse
• the peerage
• findagrave
• I have relied heavily for information about Sir Joshua Reynolds from a book: Joshua Reynolds. “The Life and Times of the First President of the Royal Academy.” Product details. Hardcover : 624 pages ISBN-10 : 0713993294 ISBN-13 : 978-0713993295 Item Weight : 2.38 pounds Product Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.57 x 9.57 inches Publisher : Gardners Books; 0th Edition (April 30, 2003) Language: : English :
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Reynolds
• https://archive.org/stream/pedigreesfivede01colbgoog#page/n36/mode/2up
• http://ead-pdfs.library.yale.edu/18.pdf
• http://reynolds.com.es/Los%20primeros%20Reynolds.htm
• http://www.thepeerage.com/p13927.htm#i139262
• https://www.parishmouse.co.uk/devon/plympton-st-maurice-devon-famil...
• http://www.plympton.info/HISTEARL.HTM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aueCZJDIB-Q
• https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=eLaRb5ku&id=C...
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Richardson
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Parker,_1st_Baron_Boringdon
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hudson_(painter)_
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_Kneller
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Richardson
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Slaughter%27s_Coffee_House
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martin%27s_Lane_Academy
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Keppel,_1st_Viscount_Keppel
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Edgcumbe,_1st_Baron_Edgcumbe
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeo_Baton
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Reynolds
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Johnson_(pamphleteer)_
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Palmer ==NOTE== This entry for Mary Palmer is not entirely correct, John Palmer was not knighted, and his family had no official arms.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wick_House,_Richmond_Hill
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Club_(dining_club)_
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Academy_of_Arts
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gainsborough
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Montagu
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Burney
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reynolds-2179

Citations

1. [S1221] Michael Ashworth, "re: Palmer Family," e-mail message to Darryl Lundy, 18 December 2004 - 3 November 2005. Hereinafter cited as "re: Palmer Family." A note about Michael Ashworth, he was a descendant of John Palmer. The son of Mary Palmer nee Reynolds
2. [S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia.
3. [S3409] Caroline Maubois, "re: Penancoet Family," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 2 December 2008. Hereinafter cited as "re: Penancoet Family."

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