Joseph Farington
Joseph Farington RA (21 November 1747 – 30 December 1821) was an 18th-century English landscape painter and diarist.
Family
Born in
Association with the Royal Academy and its exhibitions
After his early education in
Farington resided for a time in the Lake District and between 1776 and 1780 he made numerous drawings of the landscapes of the region and maintained a list describing what he believed should be their intended order. He took two trips in Europe, one to the
According to Evelyn Newby's biographical article in the
Published works
In 1785, he published Views of the Lakes of Cumberland and Westmorland and in 1794 he published a two-volume History of the River Thames with 76
Marriage
Farington and Susan Mary Hamond, a relative of the
Diary
Farington kept a daily diary from 13 July 1793 until his death, missing only a few days.[1] This diary has proved invaluable to historians, particularly its references to the London art world. As Newby explains, "[w]ith its emphasis on biography and anecdote it is an invaluable source of information on artists of the period and of the internal workings of the Royal Academy."[1]
Farington knew the new industrialists in the Midlands, he understood the internal workings of the East India Company, his wife's family gave him access to information on government policy, he attended the major political trials of the day, such as Warren Hastings's failed impeachment, and he followed William Wilberforce's anti-slavery campaign.[1]
The diary eventually constituted 16 volumes which were kept as a family heirloom until they were auctioned off in 1921 to the
Accidental death
Farington died on a visit to his brother Robert in Lancashire on 30 December 1821, after falling down a flight of stairs in a church.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Newby, "Joseph Farington".
- ^ "Farington, Robert (1783–1802) (CCEd Person ID 27509)". The Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540–1835. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ "Parish (Church): St George In The East (CCEd Location ID 11815)". The Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540–1835. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ "No. 13530". The London Gazette. 21 May 1793. p. 420.
- ^ The fourth edition (1724) bears the descriptive title Britannia Depicta; or, Ogilby Improv'd; Being a Correct Copy of Mr. Ogilby's Actual Survey of all ye Direct and Principal Crossroads in England and Wales: Wherein are exactly Delineated & Engraven, All ye Cities, Towns, Villages, Churches, Seats &c. scituate on or near the Roads, with their respective Distances in Measured and Computed Miles... John Ogilby (1600–1676) had produced the original, in two folio volumes, in 1675.
- ^ "Etched on Devon's memory : source listing, 1710–1819". Archived from the original on 22 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
References
- Newby, Evelyn. ‘Farington, Joseph (1747–1821)’ (subscription required). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. 2004. Retrieved on 31 January 2008.
Further reading
- J. Farington, The Diary of Joseph Farington, ed. K. Garlick, A. Mackintyre, K. Cave, E. Newby (17 vols., 1978–1998, Yale University Press)
- J. Farington, The Farington Diary, ed. James Greig (8 vols., 1922–1928, Hutchinson)
- John R. Murray, A Tour of the English Lakes: with Thomas Gray and Joseph Farington, R.A. (2011, Frances Lincoln)
External links
- 12 artworks by or after Joseph Farington at the Art UK site
- The Farington Diary at the Internet Archive
- Joseph Farington online (ArtCyclopedia)