User:Jayfkay/Robinson info
== HENRY ROBINSON IS NOT THE MAN THE WORLD THINKS HE IS ==
[If someone could format this better it would be appreciated, - as I can seem to get the format into paragraphs, the whole text is appearing as one block of text, and not so desirable to read as such].
Within the academic art world - and in many published reference books and dictionary lists of known artists and engravers etc., including sources such as Wikipedia/source; you’ll find they have long and unwittingly helped perpetuate the 'Henry Robinson Myth', - for it’s been long-believed and taken as a matter of fact, that the prolific portrait engraver Henry Robinson [1827-1872], is not the same person as that of the “more famous” artist, John Henry Robinson [1796-1871]. And with these two distinct birth and death dates being well and truly established and printed in millions of books or other forms of media in general, - then it’s quite understandable as to why no one has really questioned it before, or have they?
Well; “Yes”, is the answer, as it certainly has been questioned quite a few times over the decades, - an whole array of publications have covered this subject, and called into question the identiity of Henry Robinson with that of John Henry Robinson, and whether it was possible they are the 'same' artist/man, - though they all, - and understanbly we can see why, - as they all seem to have arrived with the same kind of conclusion, including author Basil Hunnisett, who argue; “…that as several publications include stylistically different plates signed by 'H. Robinson' and 'J. H. Robinson', they are clearly separate artists…” [A Dictionary of British Steel Engravers, p. 108, by B. Hunnisett].
However, on the evidence recenlty discovered by David McCann [on the 31st of October 2011, Hallowen, when it's said the souls of lost men and women rise from their graves and seek justice or revenge, - or in this case, just to make it known to the world who they really are], and what's being presented here on Wikisource for the first time in 140+ years. It is hoped that David McCann, is correct in his findings and to able to perhaps prove, or at the very least, offer-up the best argument to date, which is in fact; Henry Robinson, is that of the very same person and engraver as John Henry Robinson, they are one man, not two.
McCann is in possession and the owner of John Henry Robinson’s portfolio. Over the years he has dealt with various works of art by Henry Robinson, Edward W. Robinson and even “John H. Robinson”.
Though he has never yet broken-up the main section of their ‘artist proofs-before-proofs, and other proofs in general. As it is here you can see many forms of communication, between either the artists, engravers and printers. Henry Robinson has pencil written various instructions, and then signed them, he's even made and shaded-in whole sections of work in-progress proofs-before-proofs. So it ‘s by having this advantage, and the time [years] to have examined these works more closely, that he was convinced they are of the same person.
It’s said that Henry was born in 1827, and died 1872. John died, October 1871, - hence no more works from either of “them” post these dates. Three years prior to “Henry” being born; John Henry Robinson had a son, Edward William Robinson [1824-1883], only a three year difference from that of the phatom "Henry", though it's not being suggested that there is any connection between Edward and Henry, it just shows there was another pair of skilled hands working alongside John Henry Robinson, the same kind of periods as Henry Robinson, whom history has incorrectly recorded, as being born in Shropshire, and becoming a prolific engraver throught the mid 19th century.
It can be said, Edward W. Robinson, soon joined his father’s business, and he too became a skilled engraver in his own right, - it appears that after his father’s death, he seemed to have left engraving and moved onto oils and other mediums instead. Today his work often come up for auction. - In the Dictionary of Watercolour Artists Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 14 (1877): 118–19 (See the bibliography for full references to sources), also Correspondence, volume(s): 10,11, it reads; “London -based entomological artist , steel engraver and landscape painter . Exhibited, 1859–76. Worked in Britain, France, Switzerland, and northern Italy. Illustrated the Entomologists Annual, 1857–74, and many of the papers in the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, the >rf>Journal of the Linnean Society, the Journal of Entomology, and the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Illustrated some of the plates for Henry Walter Bates's The naturalist on the River Amazons (1863)". Sources: Dictionary of Watercolour Artists.
Within the collection of John Henry Robinson, there are also artist's proofs-before-proofs of the same butterflies and beetles Edward had engraved and completed himself, and which appeared in the above ‘rare’ publication, - some of the plates have been coloured with watercolours, - it contains 16 intricate single-sided plates, each containing varieties of butterflies and beetles. In addition, the book has 11 wood engravings also by Edward W. Robinson.
As of to date, all sources of biographical reference to Henry Robinson [1827-1872] has recorded and states; “Engraver Artist associated with 105 portraits. - An early advocate of Pictorialist photography and a founder of produced photographic work that evolved from fine, standard portraits to composite prints, for which he is best known, - to picturesque landscapes. ‘Born in Shropshire‘, Robinson studied drawing and painting while employed in a bookshop in Leamington Spa. He opened a photographic portrait studio in Leamington in 1857, and soon had a successful business producing portraits. Robinson's pictures were widely exhibited and he won awards for his work. His most influential books were; Pictorial Effect in Photography (1869) and Picture-Making by Photography (1884). [Yet what historians have seemed to overlooked, is the fact the name and acclaimed author of these just mentioned publications, were in fact produced by By H. P. Robinson.] His work is held in major private and public collections. This link proves H. P. Robinson is in fact the author of the above books, and not the Henry Robinson they accredited to in the present biographies about him; http://openlibrary.org/works/OL6928327W/Pictorial_effect_in_photography
Historians have clearly mixed-up these 'two' Henry's:- Henry Peach Robinson [1830-1901] 'Born in Shropshire', Royal Tunbridge Wells, was an English pictorialist photographer best known for his pioneering Linked Ring, and combination printing - joining multiple negatives to form a single image, the precursor to photomontage. [This technique was first established in 1857 by Oscar Gustave Rejlander of Wolverhampton.] Source; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Peach_Robinson
The "Henry Robinson" from Shropshire, is "Henry Peach Robinson", - and not Henry Robinson, who actually is "John Henry Robinson", whom obviously preferred using the name Henry, as opposed to John. So even though on occasions he had used the name ‘John’ before, as he was after all born with it, and was no doubt called John by his mother and school friends at the time, - he must have prefered the name Henry more than John, perhaps he felt the name "Henry", had a more sophiscated tone, than just "John". It could be said many a person, including members of thier own families, are not called or addressed by their first Christian name, and neither do they use it, but prefer using their middle or alternative name instead.
Other evidence to consider, is that Henry Robinson, is much more prolific than John, - for example you’ll see in excess of a 104 portraits and works of his at the National Portrait Gallery [NPG], whereas there’s only have 11 works accredited to John Henry Robinson, born in Bolton, Petworth, W. Sussex.
In 1823, he was engraving for the Artists' Benevolent Fund of William Mulready's The Wolf and the Lamb (1820; British Royal Col.). In the late 1820s and early 1830s Robinson produced many engravings for periodicals such as The Keepsake, The Amulet and Forget-me-not, and in 1830 he produced three plates after the illustrations of Thomas Stothard for Samuel Rogers's Italy (London, 1830). His work on a larger scale includes the engraving of 1848 of David Wilkie's Napoleon and Pope Pius VII (1835-6; Dublin, N.G.). [Also among John Henry Robinson's collection in the possession of David McCann, are the proofs connected to Samuel Rogers's Italy, and the Napoleon and Pope Pius VII engravings]. His work also features other prominent contemporaries such as Thomas Lawrence and Edwin Landseer, and of that of earlier artists such as van Dyck and Murillo. Robinson campaigned for the full recognition of his profession by the Royal Academy and was one of nine petitioners of this cause to the House of Commons in 1836. In 1856 he became an Associate Engraver of the Royal Academy. In the following year he was a disappointed runner-up to George Thomas Doo for full membership, for which he had to wait until 1867.
In the NPG, [see link], there’s a portrait of Francis Russell Nixon, where they state; “…probably by John Henry Robinson“, published by Joseph Hogarth, after George Richmond stipple engraving, published 1850 - 22 1/4 in. x 14 3/4 in. (564 mm x 374 mm) paper size acquired; Unknown source, 1955 - Reference Collection - NPG D38974 - See link for image of portrait of Nixon; http://www.freebase.com/view/en/francis_russell_nixon Among others, within John Henry Robinson's collecton in possession of D. McCann, there is waht aan original pencil drawing of the ‘same’ portrait of Francis Russell Nixon. On the verso, it is written in pencil; “To be well Damped, not to let run off the plate” - signed; ‘HR’, which is [John] Henry Robinson’s monogram, in which he’s also signed many others like this. Another puzzle is this; what is Henry, if he isn't "John", doing with the same portrait [within the collection] that’s been accredited to “John” Henry Robinson for nay on 160 years?
When the evidence is in front of you, like now, it makes sense, - and we can see why perhaps so many mistakes have been made, - which is mainly due to the confusion between; Henry Peach Robinson and Henry Robinson, [Henry Peach Robinson, was obviously known by 'all', as being plain old 'Henry Robinson', and that he too made a name for himself in his field of portrait photography, as was the Robinson's - for their portrait engravings, - that led on to the misunderstanding between Henry and John Henry Robinson. Coincidently, at the same time as Henry Peach Robinson was practicing with daguerreotype photographs, so was John/Henry Robinson, as I also have some of these, as they were used by engravers to obtain a portrait picture of the subject they were engraving. This saved hours in time, and from the client having to just sit around waiting. Compared to photgraphy, engraving is a slow, long process.
Mr D. McCann, is absolutely convinced, the very ‘same’ person known as Henry Robinson, - and all works accredited to him, should in fact be accredited to; John Henry Robinson; known as Henry Robinson, - and that it should now be recorded as so.
One more thing,- you won’t be able to find the death record or gravestone for Henry Robinson, though you will for; John Henry Robinson, in fact his wife had a bust of him erected as a memorial. http://www.publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk/object?id=256 © David McCann 30th October 2011.