THE ARTISTIC AND ARCHITECTURAL PATRONAGE OF ANGELA BURDETT COUTTS

285 Pages·2012·1.02 MB·English

1

THE ARTISTIC AND ARCHITECTURAL

PATRONAGE OF ANGELA BURDETT COUTTS

2 VOLUMES

VOLUME 1

Susan S. Lewis

Thesis presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Royal Holloway, University of London, January 2012
2

I declare that the work presented in this thesis is my own:

Susan Lewis………………………………
3

ABSTRACT

This thesis focuses on the life and artistic patronage of the Victorian philanthropist, Angela
Burdett Coutts. As the daughter of both an aristocrat and a member of the nouveau riche
Burdett Coutts was a product of both the new and old world of Victorian society and this thesis
seeks to explore the ways in which Burdett Coutts fashioned an identity for herself through her
patronage of art and architecture. It explores the ways in which taste, gender and class are
reflected in Burdett Coutts’s collecting practice and examines her role as a patron through three
case studies; as a collector of paintings, as a philanthropist and as a patron of architecture.

Chapter One of the thesis examines Burdett Coutts’s collecting practice in relation to recent
work on the cultures of collecting and the fashioning of identities with particular reference to
aristocratic Victorian society. It contrasts Burdett Coutts with other notable female collectors of
the period, and considers acquisition and display in relation to ideas of class identity. It also
examines Burdett Coutts as ‘other’ within male dominated collecting practice and also examines
the contrasting sites of acquisition, including auction, private sale and art dealer. Chapter Two
looks at Burdett Coutts as patron and collector of art and Chapter Three uses biographical data
to examine Burdett Coutts’s role as heiress and philanthropist in the fashioning of class identity.
Chapter Four examines Burdett Coutts as a patron of architectural projects and considers the
construction of St Stephens Church, Westminster and her contrasting domestic architectural
projects in social housing and housing on her private estate. It concludes with her ambitious
public architectural scheme at Columbia Market.
4

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements.

List of illustrations.

Introduction.

Chapter 1: Angela Burdett Coutts: Taste, Gender, and Class, p. 23.

Chapter 2: Angela Burdett Coutts: Art Patron and Collector, p. 56.
Collecting Practice.
Collector of Old Masters
Portraiture
Patron
Copyright and Possession.
Greyfriars Bobby

Chapter 3: Angela Burdett Coutts: Heiress and Philanthropist, p. 137.
Heiress
Philanthropist
Education and Class Control

Chapter 4: Angela Burdett Coutts: Patron of Architecture, p. 197.
St Stephen’s Church
Colombia Square
Holly Village
Columbia Market

Conclusion p. 278.

Appendix 1 Pictures in the possession of Angela Burdett Coutts.
Appendix II Pictures Given or Bequeathed to Angela Burdett Coutts.
Appendix III Pictures purchased by Angela Burdett Coutts at the Samuel Rogers’
sale of 1856 with prices (where known).
Appendix IV Pictures commissioned by Angela Burdett Coutts. with prices paid
(where known).
Appendix V Pictures Purchased Privately or at Exhibition by Angel Burdett Coutts,
with date and price (where known).
Appendix VI Pictures purchased directly from the Artist by Angela Burdett Coutts
with date and price (where known).
Appendix VII Pictures Bought at Auction.

Bibliography.
5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the many people who have provided help and information during the
preparation of this thesis. In particular I wish to thank my supervisor, Dr Mary Cowling, for her
patience, support, advice and encouragement over the years.

The thesis benefited greatly from the access given to me by the Hon. William Burdett Coutts
who allowed me to visit his home in Barnes, London to see the unpublished notes on the
picture collection of Angela Burdett Coutts compiled by her secretary, Charles Osborne. This
was an invaluable source of information on a subject for which comparatively little remains.

Ms Tracey Earle, archivist at Coutts & Co, London gave access to the archive and helpful
information on the correspondence of Thomas Coutts. The Earl of Harrowby kindly gave me
access to the Harrowby archive at Sandon Hall, Staffordshire, and Michael Bosson, the manager
of Sandon Hall, provided archive assistance and information in biographical matters relating to
the family.

Ms Christine Wagg of the Peabody Trust was happy to exchange biographical information, on
which there is strangely little, on Henry Darbishire, provide sources for additional research and
send me a substantial amount of literature on the first Peabody Estates.

Special thanks must also go to Helen Smailes, Senior Curator of British Art at the National
Gallery of Scotland for encouragement and very useful information on the life and work of
Thomas Faed. Thanks to her I also received assistance and information from Paul McAuliffe,
Assistant Keeper of Conservation for Edinburgh City Museum and Art Galleries, in the form of
extracts from the Edinburgh City Council Minute Book, newspaper cuttings etc,. particularly in
relation to Greyfriar’s Bobby. Ian MacCiver of the Manuscripts Division of the National Library
of Scotland also provided extremely useful extracts from the Brodie Papers in Edinburgh City
Archives. Similarly Dr Christiana Payne of Oxford Brookes University sent me useful
information and advice on the work of James Collinson.
6

Dr Erin Blake of the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington kindly provided me with
information on the Shakespearean portraits and pictures formerly in the Burdett Coutts
collection; John Richard, F.S.A, kindly gave me information on the pictures attributed to
Holbein which had belonged to Burdett Coutts and David Mannings of King’s College,
University of Aberdeen, answered my queries relating to paintings attributed to Reynolds in the
collection. Mark Bills was most helpful regarding the work of Edwin Long and Simon Stokes
clarified the law relating to copyright. The Rev. Phillip Walsh, vicar of St. Stephen’s Church,
kindly provided information on the interior of St. Stephen’s Church, Westminster.

My thanks also to the previous incumbent at St Stephens, the Rev. Ralph Godsall; Patrick
Crawford, Church Architect at Caroe & Partners; Paul Barlow, the Keeper of Fine Art, Royal
Pavilion Library and Museum, Brighton; Leslie Carlyle; Dr. Richard Dennis of University
College, London; the late Lady Edna Healey and Ms A. Martinez-Guitarrez of the Archive
Department at Christies’ Auction House, all of whom kindly answered queries or provided
information for me.

I would also like to thank the staff of the following archives and libraries who provided me with
assistance during my visits and research at their institutions: The British Library; Lambeth Palace
Library; the City and Metropolitan Archive, Clerkenwell; The Church Building Council,
Westminster; Hove Public Library, East Sussex; the London Borough of Camden Local History
Library and Archive, staff here were particularly helpful with information relating to census
returns for Holly Village and the Art Students Home in Brunswick Square; The Heinz Archive,
National Portrait Gallery, London; the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum;
the Paul Mellon Centre, Bloomsbury; the Royal Institute of British Architects, London; the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, London; the Witt Library, the Courtauld Institute; the
Public Record Office, London; the Watts Gallery, Compton, Surrey; Westminster City Library,
West Sussex County Record Office, Chichester and finally to Worthing Library, West Sussex
whose staff patiently and good naturedly extracted obscure publications from their reserve
collection. Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Mark, for his considerable patience and
help (especially with computer problems) over the years, and latterly my children, Nicholas and
Simon, for their tolerance.
7

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1 Thomas Coutts by William Beechey, c. 1815.
2 Harriot Mellon as Volante, after William Beechey.
3. Holly Lodge, from a watercolour by Alfred J. Warne-Browne.
4. Interiors of Holly Lodge, from watercolours by Alfred J. Warne Browne.
5. 1 Stratton Street/78 Piccadilly, contemporary illustration.
6. William Pitt, by John Hoppner, c. 1804-1805.
7. Sir Walter Scott by Henry Raeburn, 1822.
8. Sophia Coutts, Lady Burdett , by Thomas Lawrence, 1793.
9. Sir Francis Burdett, by Thomas Lawrence, 1793.
10. A Private View at the Royal Academy, 1881 by W. P. Frith, 1883.
11. At a Picture Sale, Punch, 1885.
12. The Agony in the Garden, by Raphael c. 1504-1505.
13. Cupid & Psyche, by Joshua Reynolds, before 1788.
14. The Mob Cap, by Joshua Reynolds, date unknown.
15. Girl Sketching by Joshua Reynolds, c. 1780-1782.
16. Madonna of the Sparrow, by Guercino, 1615.
17. Portrait of a Gentleman by Thomas Gainsborough, date unknown.
18. Duc D’Anjou and His Governess by Nicolas De Largilliere now Duchesse de Ventador
and t he Duc de Bretagne by Francois de Troy c. 1710.

19. Ariel by Henry Fuseli, c. 1800-1810.
20. Puck by Moses Haughton, after Henry Fuseli, c. 1810-20.
21. Queen Mab by Henry Fuseli, 1815-1820.
22. Milton Being taught to Read by His Mother by Henry Fuseli, 1790-1795.
23. Mrs Otway Cave by Henry Fuseli, 1820-1825.
24. Falstaff in the Laundry Basket by Henry Fuseli, 1792.
25. Mrs Page, The Merry Wives of Windsor by Henry Fuseli, c. 1790-1795.
26. Eurphrosyne by Henry Fuseli, c. 1799-1800.
27. Dr John Armstrong by Joshua Reynolds, 1767.
28. John ‘Fyshe‘ Crauford by Joshua Reynolds, 1789.
8

29. James Coutts by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
30. Three Children of Thomas Coutts, (The Three Graces) by Angelica Kauffman, 1791.
31. Mrs Coutts (later Duchess of St Albans) by William Beechey, c. 1815.
32. Lord Byron by Richard Westall, 1813.
33. Oliver Cromwell by Robert Walker, c. 1649.
34. Admiral Horatio Nelson by Lemuel F. Abbott.
35. Duke of Wellington & Lady Douro by C. R. Leslie, 1854
36. Duke of Wellington & His Grandchildren by Robert Thorburn, 1853.
37. Sir Francis Burdett by Thomas Phillips, 1834.
38. Sir Francis Burdett aged about 70, by W. C. Ross, c. 1840
39. Angela Burdett Coutts by W. C. Ross, c. 1847.
40. The Duchess of Teck and Her Children by J. S. W. Hodges, 1870.
41. Frederick, Duke of York by Thomas Lawrence, c. 1822.
42. Duke of Clarence by Thomas Lawrence, 1793.
43. Queen Charlotte & Her Two Eldest Children by Allan Ramsay, 1764.
44. Charles Dickens as a Young Man by Samuel Drummond, 1830s.
45. Catherine Dickens by Daniel Maclise, 1847.
46. Lumley Shakespeare, Anon, 18th Century.
Zuccarro Shakespeare, Anon. 17th Century
Felton Shakespeare Anon. Late 18th Century.
Burdett Coutts Shakespeare Anon, date unknown.

47. Sir Kenelm Digby by Peter Oliver, 1627.
48. Lady Venetia Digby aged Nineteen by Peter Oliver, c. 1619.
49. Lady Venetia Digby by Peter Oliver, 1620s.
50. The Digby Family by Peter Oliver, 1620s.
51. Charles I, Charles II, James II and Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans by Jean Petitot.
52. Behind the Curtain by Rebecca Solomon, 1858.
53. Eastern Offering by Edwin Long.
54. Samuel Cousins by Edwin Long, 1882.
55. Campbell Tait, Archibishop of Canterbury by J. S. W. Hodges, 1866.
56. Angela Burdett Coutts and Mrs. Brown overlooking Princes Street, Edinburgh by James Drummond
9

57. The Writing Lesson by James Collinson, 1855.
58. Home and The Homeless (1), by Thomas Faed, 1856.
59. Home and the Homeless (2), by Thomas Faed, 1856.
60. Greyfriars Bobby by William Brodie, 1872.
61. Angela Burdett Coutts as a Girl, by J. J. Masquerier, date unknown.
62. The Marriage of Angela Burdett Coutts and William Ashmead Bartlett, contemporary illustration.
63. The Marriage of Angela Burdett Coutts, contemporary illustration.
64. William Ashmead Lehman Bartlett Burdett Coutts by ‘Spy’, Vanity Fair 1881
65. The Awakening Conscience, by Holman Hunt, 1858.
66. Found, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, begun 1854.
67. Past and Present, by Augustus Egg.
68. Angela Burdett Coutts as a Young Woman by Unknown Artist Julius Jacob ?, c. 1840.
69. Angela Burdett Coutts: Cartes de visite, c. 1880.

70. Angela Burdett Coutts Laying the Foundation Stone to St Stephen’s Church,
Westminster, from The Illustrated London News, 1847.

71. Window by William Wailes, St Stephen’ Church.
72. Original Heads on Capitals in St Stephen’s Church.
73. Chancel Ceiling of St Stephen’s Church, Westminster.
74. Minton Floor tiles in the nave of St Stephen’s Church, Westminster.
75. St Stephen’s Church, Westminster, contemporary illustration, 1847.
76. Bust of Angela Burdett Coutts/stained glass windows depicting coats of arms.
77. Original Interior of St Stephen’s Church, Westminster . F Dollman, c. 1851
78. Altar of St Stephen’s Church, Westminster.
79. Nova Scotia Gardens, contemporary illustration, The Builder, 1857.
80. Nova Scotia Gardens…And What Grows There, contemporary illustration, 1857
81 Courtyard at Columbia Square, adjoining the market, Country Life, 1958.
82. Exterior of Columbia Square.
83 Plan of Model Housing, Streatham Street, by Henry Roberts, 1849.
84. Waterlow Buildings, c. 1865.
85. Peabody Buildings, Islington, by Henry Darbishire, 1864.
10

86. Reception for Belgian Volunteers, contemporary illustration.
87. A Garden Party at Holly Lodge, 1881 by A. P. Tilt, 1882.
88. Blaise Hamlet by John Nash, c.1810.
89. Holly Village, 1869, architect Henry Darbishire.
90. Gate figures at Holly Village.
91. Woodwork, House at Holly Village, Highgate, photograph Angelo Hornak.
92. House at Holly Village, Highgate, photograph by Angelo Hornak.
93. Window details at Holly Village, Highgate, plans by Henry Darbishire, 1869.
94. Quadrangle at Columbia Market, Bethnal Green, contemporary illustration, The
Illustrated London News, 1869.

95. Gothic Texts over Market Hall, Columbia Market, Country Life, 1958.
96. Cartoon of Angela Burdett Coutts, The Hornet, 1872.
97. Interior of Columbia Market, contemporary illustration, The Builder, 1869.
98. Smithfield Market by Horace Jones, contemporary illustration, The Builder, 1866.
99. Fountain, Victoria Park, 1867, Henry Darbishire, architect.