Robert Elwes (painter)
Robert Elwes (1819–1878) was an English Victorian traveller and painter, and the author of A Sketcher's Tour Round the World illustrated by engravings from his own works which he published from his home at Congham, Norfolk, in 1853.
Family background
Elwes was the second son of Henry Elwes of Colesbourne in Gloucestershire. His mother, Susan Hamond of Westacre, Norfolk, brought as her dowry the estate of Congham, eight miles from King's Lynn. It was here that Robert Elwes and his wife settled, building Congham House in the late 1850s. Today only one wing remains following the disastrous fire of November 1939. The fire has meant the loss of much valuable material relating to the Elwes family, but the surviving work of Robert Elwes, in the form of paintings and journals, provides an insight into the life of this Victorian country gentleman, exceptional not only for the extent of his travels, but also for the meticulousness of his artistic and literary records.
First world tour
Robert Elwes travelled extensively in his twenties and thirties, but in 1848 he embarked on a journey that was to take him round the world. Robert Elwes, aged 28, left England on 20 March 1848 on board the
He continued his voyage, visiting and painting in
Family life
Soon after his return he married Mary Lucas, daughter of the rector of
, Indonesia, all recorded in her sketch books and her diaries.Second world tour
On the second major tour of which a published account survives, Robert Elwes was accompanied by his wife in 1865 to the West Indies, visiting Panama, Jamaica, Dominica and Trinidad. His journal "W.S.W.: A Voyage in that Direction to the West Indies" was published the following year.
Art career
Robert Elwes belongs to an inveterate band of 19th-century travellers and explorers. He was to reach many of the places on the South American continent which, just sixteen years earlier, Charles Darwin had visited on his inland journeys from HMS Beagle. Sketching vigorously as he went, he would note with care the different varieties of flora and fauna to be found. It was an interest that was to produce a more renowned family representative in the person of Henry John Elwes of Colesbourne, FRS, who led many expeditions to Turkey, India, Asia Minor, Tibet and Nepal in addition to writing with Augustine Henry the multi-volumed Trees of Great Britain and Ireland.
The painter's journeys were conducted at an easy pace, dependent on the frequency of trading ships, coastal cruisers, the availability of pack horses and the hospitality of the local people. His contacts and acquaintanceships were extensive: letters of introduction ensured that he frequently lodged with distinguished company. However, his desire to see for himself the sights of which he had heard and read so much, contributed to some uncomfortable nights and dangerous encounters with bandits and unscrupulous guides.
In his books Robert Elwes sought to record his experiences and observations for the future traveller. In the preface of his West Indies volume he explains his intention as informative, "for...unless a traveler [sic?] studies and reads up a country before he goes there he must often be liable to pass by objects worthy of notice without knowing it till afterwards... The lithographs have been done entirely by myself and I hope they will give some idea of the beauty of the scenery."
Briefly captured illustrations though these lithographs may be, their accuracy and detail, together with the strength of tonal observation, give them a satisfying quality. From his sketches also came the larger
Robert Elwes seldom signed his pictures; however, he used his cipher "RE" with the R inverted as his signature on sketches and china and "R E" is how he was affectionately referred to by his family.
Notes and references
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Bibliography
- Elwes, Robert: "A Sketcher's Tour Round the World", 1853
- 29th King's Lynn Festival: "A Sketcher's Tour", 1979
- Barclay, Sir Roderick: "Travelling at Leisure - A world tour in 1848-1850". Country Life, 22 September 1983
- Elwes, Robert: "WSW - A Voyage in that Direction". Kerby: London, 1866
- Wood, Christopher: "The Dictionary of British Art Vol. IV Victorian Painters 1 The Text", 1971
- Graves, Algernon: "Dictionary of Artists Principal London Exhibitions 1760 - 1893". Kingsmead, 1969
- Birkbeck, H: "The Birkbecks of Norfolk", 1993