Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Jackson, Samuel Phillips
JACKSON, SAMUEL PHILLIPS (1830–1904), water-colour artist, born at Bristol on 4 Sept. 1830, was only son of four children of Samuel Jackson [q. v.], landscape-painter, by his wife Jane Phillips. One sister married Mr. Roeckel, musical composer; another is Mrs. Ada Villiers, a musician. He received early instruction in art from his father at Bristol, and studied figure drawing at the life school of the academy there. Among his early Bristol friends were James Francis Danby [q. v.] and Charles Branwhite [q. V.]. He soon directed his attention mainly to land- and sea-scape, and first exhibited in London at the age of twenty. In 1851 his 'Dismasted Ship off the Welsh Coast' was shown at the British Institution, where between that year and 1857 he exhibited nine pictures. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1852, and from that year to 1881 sent eight paintings and eight drawings. On 14 Feb. 1853 he was made associate of the Royal Water Colour Society, and henceforth confined himself to water colours, sending the maximum number of pictures — eight a year — to each summer exhibition of the society until 1876, when he was elected full member. By 1881 he had sent some 500 works to the winter and summer exhibitions. His earlier works, mainly in oils, showed a preference for Devon and Cornish coast scenes, and many of them won the praise of Ruskin. His 'Coast of North Devon' (Brit. Instit.) was bought by Mr. Bicknell. The more important were 'A Roadstead after a Gale, Twilight' (R.A 1852), 'Towing a Disabled Vessel' (R.A. 1852), 'Hazy Morning on the Coast of Devon' (1853), (the two latter now in Vict. and Alb. Museum, South Kensington), 'A Summer Day on the Coast' (1855), 'The Breakwater and Chapel Rock, Bude,' and 'The Sands at Bude' (1856), 'Dartmouth Harbour' (1858), 'On the Hamoaze, Plymouth' (1858, now at South Kensington), 'Styhead Tarn, Cumberland' (1858), and 'A Dead Calm far at sea' (1858). A tour in Switzerland in 1858 with his father produced his 'Lake of Thun — Evening,' exhibited in 1859. Other sea-scapes followed, viz. 'Bam- borough' in 1850, 'Whitby Pier in a Gale' in 1863, and 'St. Ives' Pier' in 1864. In 1856 he removed to Streatley-on-Thames. Reading, and subsequently to Henley-on-Thames. Thenceforward he chiefly devoted himself to views of the Thames. 'The Thames at Wargrave, Mid-day' (now at South Kensington) is dated 1866, and 'The Thames from Streatley Bridge ' 1868. Jackson's strength lay in firm and careful execution, and in restrained harmonies of tone and colour. In such early work as his 'Hazy Morning on the Coast of Devon' he favoured restful sunlight effects. His handling of grey mist and clouds always skilfully interpreted the placid west country atmosphere. Jackson had other than artistic interests. He was keenly interested in photography, and invented an instantaneous shutter for which he gained a medal from the Royal Photographic Society. He moved in later life to Bristol and died unmarried at his residence there, 62 Clifton Park Road, on 27 Jan. 1904.
[The Times, 2 Feb. 1904; Athenæum, 6 Feb. 1904; J. L. Roget, Hist. of the Old Water Colour Society, 1891, ii. 379-81; Victoria and Albert Mus. Cat. of Water Colour Paintings, 1908; Graves's Royal Acad. Exhibitors and British Institution Exhibitors; The 'Old' Water Colour Society in Studio, Spring number, 1905; Ruskin Acad. Notes, ed. Cook and Wedderburn, 1904, pp. 80, 198, 249.]