Archibald Webb

John Archibald Webb RBA (1866–1947) was a British painter and illustrator who illustrated over 150 books.

Archibald Webb
Born(1866-02-19)19 February 1866
Died23 January 1947(1947-01-23) (aged 80)
Hackney, London
NationalityBritish
Other namesSigned his works as arch webb
OccupationPainter and illustrator
Years active1884-1935
Known forIllustrating boys' adventure books
Notable work
Drawing of a Viking Long-ship

Three artists called Archibald Webb

There were three artists named Archibald Webb, which sometimes creates confusion:

  • Archibald Webb (1792–1883), a painter, largely of maritime scenes, with two works in national collections in the UK[1] and father to painter James Webb (1825-1895).[2]
  • John Archibald Webb RBA (1866–1947), about whom this article is about. He was the grandson of Archibald Webb (1792–1883) and the nephew of James Webb (1835-1895). He signed his work arch webb, or aw enclosed by a rectangular border in small drawings surrounded by with text. Some of his paintings (landscapes mainly) are signed arch webb rba.
  • Archibald Bertram Webb (1887–1944), a wood engraver, poster and landscape painter who emigrated to Australia in 1915, but briefly returned to the UK in 1934. He signed his work A. B. Webb, and can be seen in his famous poster advertising Wales for the Great Western Railway.[3] A.B. Webb was known for his pictures of the Australian landscape and his use of woodcuts.[4]

Unfortunately, John Archibald Webb and Archibald Bertram Webb are sometimes confused and the former's work is often attributed to the latter, even in reference books on illustrators, even though illustrations by arch webb were published in 1895, when A. B. Webb as only 8. Unfortunately the confusion even extends to such sources as Peppin and Micklethwait who not only ascribed Webb's book illustrations to W. B. Webb, but also illustrate the section with a drawing by Webb (clearly signed arch webb).[5]

Early life

Webb was born in Kensington on 19 February 1866 in Kensington, to John Warburton Webb (1792–1869) and Eliza née Mitchell who had married less than a year earlier on 20 May 1865. Webb's grandfather, Archibald Webb (1792–1883), was an artist who specialised in marine scenes, his uncles Byron and James were also artists. His father died when Webb was three and his uncle James Webb adopted him, as shown in the 1871 Census. His grandfather also lives with James.

It is not clear what training Webb had, but as both his uncle and grandfather were distinguished artists Kirkpatrick says that it was highly likely that they taught him.[6] He may gave spent some time in Holland given that so many of his earliest paintings had Dutch themes including: Evening in Dordrecht, Holland;[7] Dutch Coasters;[8] and Dordrecht.[9]

Marriage and family

He married Florence Charlotte Daniels, born on 11 February 1866, at Holy Trinity Church in South Hampstead, London on 21 February 1889. Both bride and groom were 23 years of age. The wedding announcement named him as Arch Webb and said that he was James Webb's adopted son.[10] The 1891 census found the new couple living with the bride's parents. They had five children, one girl, Florence Mary Ellen (1891), and three boys: Henry James Frederick (1894); Robert John (1900); and Archibald David (1905). All of the children survived their parents.[6]

Work

Webb was exhibiting in London in at age 18 in 1884. He was sometimes distinguished from his grandfather (who only died in 1883 at 91 years) with the suffix Junior[8] He was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1890,[11] entitling him to use RBA after his name. He signed some of his paintings Arch Webb RBA. Webb seems to have stopped exhibiting in the mid 1890s.

Kirkpatrick states his first book illustration for The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Defoe. This reissue of the work was from publisher Ernest Nister of London.[12] Webb, together with J Finnemore, and D. Thompson illustrated this very beautifully printed and in every way luxurious edition - Bristol Mercury.[13] While Kirkpatrick give 1896 as the year of publication, it was already on the desk of the Bristol Mercury in 1895.

Nister also brought out My Robinson Crusoe Story Book: retold for the little ones by L. L. Weedon with colour plates by an unidentified artist, and black and white drawings by Webb. This book is in the digital archive of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature in the University of Florida, here it has been dated as c. 1890.[14] The book was reissued several times. Kirkpatrick lists the 1910 reissue,[15] and The English Catalogue of Books for 1912 lists another reissue in September 1912.[16]

Sample illustrations by Webb

The following illustrations were prepared by Webb for the 1910 New Edition of Roger Willoughby: a Story of the Times of Benbow by William Henry Giles Kingston, published by Henry Frowde, Hodder and Stoughton.

Authors illustrated by Webb

Webb was popular as an illustrator for boys' adventure stories Webb illustrated around 150 books for a range of authors, either in first editions or reissues, including:[17]

Webb also illustrated annuals, part books, and serials including for Chums, the Boy's Own Paper, Young England, and The Strand Magazine.

Death

On 29 September 1939, when the 1939 register was taken, Webb was at home in Hackney without his wife. She was registered in Brookwood Hospital at Woking in Surrey. This must have been recent as she was still on the Register of Electors for 1939. Brookwood was a mental hospital, although part of the hospital was turned into a war hospital during the Second World War. Webb died at home of a heart attack on 23 January 1947, at 80 years of age. It is not clear when his wife died.

Notes

  1. Kirkpatrick gives the name as E. L. Byron in his list of works illustrated by Webb, but the only work with that title was written by E. L. Bryson

References

  1. Art UK. "Archibald Webb: active 1825–c.1886: British". Art UK. Archived from the original on 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  2. Art UK. "James Webb: 1835-1895: British, English". Art UK. Archived from the original on 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  3. Webb, A. B. (2009). "Wales: GWR poster, 1935. Artwork by A B Webb". Getty Images. Archived from the original on 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  4. Carrigan, Belinda (2002). "Webb, Archibald Bertram (1887–1944)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  5. Peppin, Bridget; Micklethwait, Lucy (1993). "Archibald Bertram Webb (b. 1887)". Dictionary of British book illustrators : the twentieth century. London: Murray. p. 317. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  6. Kirkpatrick, Robert J. (1905-07-11). "Archibald Webb". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1971. Robert J. Kirtkpatrick. p. 500.
  7. "The Dudley Gallery Art Society". The Queen: 53. 1895-02-23.
  8. "St James Gallery". Morning Post: 2. 1884-05-05.
  9. "The Dudley Gallery". St James's Gazette: 5. 1889-06-28.
  10. "Marriage". Hampstead & Highgate Express. London: 5. 1889-02-21.
  11. "Untitled". Bridgnorth Journal and South Shropshire Advertiser. Bridgnorth. 1890-01-18. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  12. Kirkpatrick, Robert J. (1905-07-11). "Archibald Webb". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1972. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. p. 501.
  13. "Our Library Table". Bristol Mercury. Bristol: 6. 1895-12-19.
  14. Weedon, L. L. (c. 1890). My Robinson Crusoe Story Book: retold for the little ones. London: Ernest Nister. Archived from the original on 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  15. Kirkpatrick, Robert J. (1905-07-11). "Checklist of Books illustrated by Archibald Webb". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1972. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. p. 503.
  16. Stewart, James Douglas (ed.). The English Catalogue of Books for 1912. London: Sampson Low. p. 313.
  17. Kirkpatrick, Robert J. (1905-07-11). "Checklist of Books illustrated by Archibald Webb". The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books: 1844-1972. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. pp. 501–6.
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