Wheeler, Thomas (SCC Newsletter January 2012)

Thomas Wheeler fl. ? 1783—? 1811

Some new information on the career and style of this artist.

Is it possible that there were two artists Named T. Wheeler?

The two silhouettes above were recently acquired by a Member of the S. C. C. On the left is Major General Richard Vyse, who had a distinguished military career, including service in the 29th. Light Dragoons. On his backing board is written that he was born in 1747 and that the silhouette was taken in 1794—but more importantly is a label inscription on his reverse which reads "T. Wheeler, Windsor / Sept. 1811".

On the right is his daughter Miss Georgina A. Vyse—the name is written on her backing board, but she has nothing written on her reverse. However her silhouette has been recorded by Mrs. McK. in the Book in Section Four on page 645 (her main Section on Wheeler's work) Mrs. McK. had not seen the silhouette but knew it existed from the entry on the artist in Mrs. N. Jackson's "Dictionary" on page 152. Unfortunately Mrs. Jackson gave no information about the silhouette except to record that it had an inscription which read - T. Wheeler fecit August 1st 1810" - this now has become detached from the work. Mrs. McK. guessed that Miss Vyse might have been painted on glass—as Wheeler mentioned painting on this surface on his recorded label. In fact both the Major General and his daughter are painted on thin card. Other details of Miss Vyse's life are known—she was born in 1782 and for a time was a Maid of Honour to Queen Charlotte.

On first looking at these two important silhouettes I did not immediately think of Thomas Wheeler as the artist. I had never associated Wheeler with gold highlights and these have been used quite extensively on both works. All recorded silhouettes attributed to Wheeler have been painted in a black base colour with a thinned pigment of the same colour to show detail. Therefore I decided that it was an appropriate time to look at Wheeler's career and style in more detail—hence this article. Also during the course of writing I discovered other 'new' facts which I will share with you later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas Wheeler Page 2

His Background.

What we know about Wheeler is largely from the main entry in Mrs. McK's Book (i.e. Section Four on pages 644-645). Also she has shorter entries in Sections Two & Three. Other authors such as John Woodiwiss, Desmond Coke and Peggy Hickman do not mention him at all. Mrs. Jackson's entry is short and not very informative.

Nothing is known of Wheeler's origins or his personal history—in spite of much effort by both Mrs. McK and Percy Higgs for the Book. We know that he worked in Windsor and that he may have worked there for the whole of his career, which could have been as long as thirty years. A number of silhouettes by him are recorded with dates—some of which I will mention under "His Career" later. He appears in the Windsor electoral roll list on 31st. January 1794, when he is described as a "miniature painter". On this date his right to vote had been contested, as he had apparently refused to pay his rates! Later the name "T. Wheeler" is recorded on the voter's list for 30th October 1806, when he is described as a labourer. Mrs. McK. thinks that it is unlikely that this is our artist unless he had fallen on bad times. However, if he had, the date does not tie-up with the Vyse inscriptions, which give dates later (1810 & 1811) when he was still painting silhouettes. D. Foskett records a miniature painter called "T. Wheeler, who was born in 1790—this could not possibly be our artist as he would only have been 20 or 21 years old in 1810. On the other hand he could have been a son or other relative.

Above I have illustrated two silhouettes from my Collection. I have owned both for sometime—they were sold as a pair and attributed to Wheeler on stylistic grounds. Neither had any writing or information on backing board or reverse.

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His Career.

Mrs. McK. records that Wheeler started painting silhouettes on paper about 1783. How she came to this date is not certain—although there are a number of attributed silhouettes with dates that help to 'fix' the dates when he was painting. Although Desmond Coke did not mention Wheeler in his book "The Art of Silhouette" he is recorded as owning a silhouette labelled "J (?T) Wheeler 1793". Mrs. Jackson records a silhouette by Wheeler inscribed "Dear Lady Francis taken in Windsor in 1794" A work on plaster is recorded by Mrs. McK. on page 645, which is incised on the reverse of the plaster slab "T. Wheeler 1790". As mentioned the Vyse silhouettes are recorded with dates for 1810 and 1811.– the town of Windsor is also mentioned in connection with the latter date.

It has been suggested that the length of Wheeler's career might have been as long as thirty years. This seems a long time especially when measured with his attributed output.—unless we are failing to attribute works by him due to lack of labels and signatures. Clearly, most, if not all, his career was spent in Windsor, where one supposes he would have had opportunities to paint royal personages as well as their friends and servants. In the Book Mrs. McK. only illustrates Mrs. Delany, a friend of Queen Charlotte, in this connection. However, since the publication of the Book a labelled full-length silhouette of George III has appeared as well as a bust-length work of the King. I will illustrate both these later. Also, there is Miss Vyse now, who was one of the Queen's servants. No doubt there are other silhouettes by Wheeler with royal connections although labels and inscriptions may have been lost.

Below on the left I have illustrated Mrs. Delany, who was well-known in her own right for her flower collages and other works. She is illustrated in several articles and publications as well as in the Book (page 310 illus. 968). This version is taken from an article by Mrs. Jackson published by "The Connoisseur" in July 1932. On the right is a modest silhouette, with no inscription, but clearly by Wheeler. It is possible that she has been reframed in her pearwood frame—she may have started life in a pressed brass frame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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His Style. Men and Women.

I associate Wheeler's style with a certain 'neatness' and compactness, with no flourishes or loose ends—yet combined with careful clothing detail and an obvious artistic skill. A style which is easily recognisable in my view.

Illustrated above are a pair that show this well. They form part of the Derek Lidstone Collection and are illustrated in Mrs. McK's Book on pages 510-511 illus. 970 & 971. At one time they formed part of the Martin Willcocks Collection and prior to that they were in the Gutteridge Collection—so they have a good provenance. Both are painted on paper in a black base colour—all clothing detail is painted in a thinned pigment. Gum arabic has been used to emphasise the gent's coat lapels, his arm demarcation and the edge of his curled wig. In the case of the lady it has been used on her buffon, arm and hair. Transparency has been achieved by lines of thinned pigment for the gent's frill and the lady's bonnet. Note the shaping of her bonnet frill—which is a special technique of Wheeler. Also, Wheeler always showed the protrusion at the back of a lady's buffon—not shown by other artists, so a good attribution point. Hair is generally painted in a rather stiff style. The bust-lines are nearly flat with a small peak to show the arm. Sometimes this has a shallow convexity/concavity line. Also to be noted is the space Wheeler leaves around his sitters—noticeable when these have remained housed in his usual pressed brass frames as this pair have. Unfortunately some examples of his work are to be found cut-down to fit later frames, which is a pity in my view.

Below are two enlarged illustration to show details of a typical Wheeler bonnet and the protrusion of the buffon at the back of a lady.

 

 

 

 

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On this page I have illustrated some more examples of Wheeler's recognisable style. Above is a couple—illustrated in the costume section of the Book. The man is on page 77 (illus. 110) and the woman is on page 130 (illus. 177). The pair now form part of the Darrell Dale Collection. Mrs. McK. thought the couple were likely to be servants or country folk, as they were clearly not dressed in a fashionable way. Little gum arabic has apparently been used on both, but some of this may have rubbed off over the years. They are dated about 1789.

Below are three further examples. On the left is an unknown young woman—possibly Princess Mary c. 1790–92. Her sophistication and stylishness is certainly in contrast to the pair above. She is illustrated in colour in the Book on page 356 (illus. 3) as well as in black & white on page 511 (illus. 972). She was sold at Mrs. McK's Sale on 30th July 1979 and is now owned by a member of the S. C. C.

On her right are Mr. & Mrs. William Sparks. They were sold at Sotheby's on 14th December 1981. (lot 13) Mr Sparks has some writing on his obverse that states “Wm Sparks. Born at Pinner in Middlesex January 8th 1771 now in the twenty-first yeare (sic) of his age March 2nd 1791". He certainly looks older than his years. Both are nice examples of Wheeler's work.

 

 

 

 

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Children.

I think Wheeler's style suited the depiction of children. On this page I have illustrated four examples.

Above are a boy and a girl that belonged to the Pollak Collection and were sold at his Sale at Bonhams on 21st February 1996 (lots 61 & 62). They were not illustrated in the catalogue—so the illustrations are from Mrs. McK's Archives. I do not know their present owner. A verre eglomise inset has been added to both pressed brass frames—I assume to compensate for the smallness of the sitters. Both are painted in the same style as Wheeler's adults with gum arabic to show the demarcation of their arms and clothing detail. Their hair is well depicted.

Below are illustrated two much younger little girls. They form part of the Fox Smith Collection and are reproduced from photographs provided by Bill Fox Smith for an earlier article in the June 1994 Newsletter. They are of Wm. (?Willamina) Lamb 1798 and Eliz Lamb 1798. Painted in the same style as the earlier pair and also with no signature or label. The names of these two girls are written on the obverse just under the bust-line - arm demarcation is not shown on this line. Frames in this case are rectangular pressed brass, which suit the subjects well and help to give more 'importance' to them. White paint has been used for some clothing detail. It is to be noted that Wheeler's thinned pigment has over the years often produced a brownish effect—this is evident here. Both have strong similarities to the silhouette of Miss Vyse on page 1, but without the gold highlights.

 

 

 

 

 

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Full-length Figures.

As mentioned earlier Mrs. McK, supposed that Wheeler living in Windsor must have had opportunities to paint members of the Royal Family and their associates. Clearly he did from the above full-length silhouette of King George III dated 1794. The silhouette with his lady companion was sold at Phillips, London on 19th September 1978 (lot 67) The lady at the time was called Mrs Bell and dated 1795. The pair then became part of the Collection of a member of the S.C.C. and were last sold at Bonhams on 27th February 2007 (lot 69) as King George III and Queen Charlotte! I rather fear she is not the Queen! The lady was signed somewhat indistinctly by Wheeler on her reverse. On the other hand the King was backed with a full trade label, but unfortunately this label had been lost between the two Sales. It had been removed with the backing board and sent in the post to me for photographing for an earlier article in the Newsletter, but it never arrived.

Below I have illustrated this label, when it was part of the frame and I will look at the wording of the label later—that had been recorded before the loss. The pair are interesting – it would be good to know if any of you possess examples of Wheeler's full length work. They are painted on a rather small scale but still in Wheeler's precise and somewhat quaint style that is easily recognisable.

Also below and on the right of the lost label I have illustrated a photocopy from a sale catalogue of a bust-length of George III. Unfortunately I cannot trace the catalogue reference at the moment, but it is without doubt by Wheeler even if it is not full-length!

 

 

 

 

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Works on Plaster.

So far I have only illustrated works painted on paper in spite of the fact that Mrs. McK. put her main article on Wheeler in Section Four (Artists who painted silhouettes on Plaster) The reason for her decision was that the silhouette on plaster illustrated above had an inscribed signature on the reverse of the plaster slab—so she knew it was definitely by Wheeler. Effectively it 'nailed' Wheeler's style for her! The works she had seen painted on paper were more problematical with fragmented labels or none at all. The silhouette is reproduced in an enlarged size to show detail on page 676 (illus. 1419) in the Book. It shows well the characteristics of Wheeler's work as known at the time of publication. It used to form part of the Christie Collection and was sold at the Sale of the Collection at Bonhams on 9th November 1995 (lot 40) it is inscribed "T. Wheeler Windsor 1790". It is housed in a pressed brass frame and for interest when sold in 1995 it made £600 on the hammer.

Since the publication of the Book two further works on plaster have been recorded.—both are illustrated below from their catalogues. On the right is lot 40 that was sold at Bonhams on 22nd February 2005. A verre eglomise border has been added to presumably reduce the space around the silhouette or to make it more decorative, which is a pity as it appears to 'crowd' it. On the left is lot 224, which was sold at the Morgan May Sale at Sotheby's on 22nd February 1985. All three are in the same style as works on paper by Wheeler. This style would appear to be very consistent over a number of years—so it is difficult to accept change of style after such apparent consistency. Changes may have been made to adapt to fashion at the time or perhaps business was not so good.

 

 

 

 

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Works attributred to T. Wheeler in the Salerooms.

In this section I want to look at some works that have been attributed to Wheeler in the Salerooms in recent years. It would he good to have your views—particularly if you disagree with me.

Firstly I have illustrated above on the right a lady called Dorothy Huxtable—she was sold with her husband and two children (not illustrated) at Bonhams. Knightsbridge on 20th September, 1994 (lot 26). No attempt was made to justify the attribution. She is certainly wearing a bonnet and a buffon, but in my view she has no characteristics that would link her to Wheeler. In the centre is Capt. John Bellains dated 1780. He was attributed to Wheeler when he was sold at Bonhams, Knightsbridge on 2nd February 2000 (lot 13). He is a nice silhouette but dated far too early to be by Wheeler. He is housed in a papier mache frame, which is almost too small for him. He could have been reframed, but if so it does not alter my view. On the left is lot 12 sold at Bonhams & Brookes on 5th July 2001. In his case justification was given in the catalogue notes—namely the strong outline of the cravat, plenty of space around the silhouette, slightly stiff rendering of the hair, prominence of the small waistcoat buttons and finally the fan-like strokes for his frill. A brave attempt, but I still do not agree he is by Wheeler!

Below on the left is lot 24 sold at Bonhams on 12th March 2002— of a young gentleman and in this case described in the catalogue as "Circle of Thomas Wheeler fl. 1783-1810" Clearly the attribution was a little more tentative and no justification was made. Again a pleasant silhouette, but more likely to be by Wellings than Wheeler. Finally on the right a silhouette – a super silhouette but she was catalogued as being attributed to Wheeler (lot 10) at Bonhams, New Bond Street on 28th September 2004. I do not know who she is by and no other collector has made a suggestion. I hope I am not accused of 'picking 'on Bonhams , but it is inevitable as the Auction House is brave enough to have a ‘go’ !

 

 

 

 

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The Ex. Wellings Set—attributed to Wheeler in the Book.

I have illustrated on this page the four ex-Wellings silhouettes that Mrs. McK. attributed to Wheeler in the Book on pages 509-510. In the centre above is Lieut. Dugdale (illus. 965), on the left is an unknown lady (illus. 967) and on the right is her army officer companion (illus. 967) Below is a silhouette with a history –over the years the lady has been named Queen Charlotte, Fanny Burney and Madam de Genlis. She has been attributed to Charles, Mrs. Beetham as well as Wellings and Wheeler! I have used the illustration of her from the Wellesley Collection book where she is attributed to Charles and named Madam de Genlis.

Mrs. McK's attribution to Wheeler is based on the label fragment behind Lieut. Dugdale. I have illustrated this label on the right below—it was the subject of an article in the June, 1994 Newsletter, when I attempted to show that the label had several flaws. The main flaw being that it did not match up with the wording of the printed label behind the full-length silhouette by Wheeler of George III. Although this label is not now available for reference I had taken a copy of the wording before it was 'lost'. The few words on which Mrs. McK. relied do not match up with the same words on the full label. Also most of the words have been used regularly by many other artists. Finally Mrs. McK. did acknowledge that all four silhouettes were painted in "a slightly different style" to Wheeler's known and accepted style. I am confident that these four silhouettes are not by Wheeler unless other more convincing information comes to light which proves otherwise.

 

 

 

 

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His Labels.

In the Book Mrs. McK. records three labels. The full wording and lay-out of Label No. 1 is same as Lable 2 reproduced above, except for the last paragraph, which is handwritten. Unfortunately it is not possible to show the size of the lettering used for the different words. It is this label that Mrs. McK. assumed backed the silhouette of Lieut. Dugdale. A full copy of this label is in the British Museum as part of the Ambrose Heal Collection—so no doubt Mrs. McK referred to this when considering the Lieut. Dugdale attribution.

Label No. 2 has exactly the same wording as No. 1 except that the last paragraph is printed. This is the label that was backing the full-length George III. It is thought likely that both these labels were used by Wheeler in the 1780's & 90's. On the right above is the inscription behind Major General Vyse (see page one)- is this a label by the artist?

Label No.3 is the scratched inscription on the back of the lady painted on plaster—i.e "T. Wheeler 1790". There is no illustration of this as far as I know. We know from above that there are works by Wheeler that just have signatures and may be dates, which could also be called 'labels' If any of you have examples I would be glad to know—with an illustration if possible.

Other labels can now be added—firstly a simple printed label of which we have a part example. This is illustrated below together with the very nice hatted gentleman that it backs. The full wording is "T* WHEELER, WINDSOR 1790" Clearly the gentleman is a work of Wheeler's but the question is whether the label is printed by Wheeler or possibly by an earlier owner. I am inclined to favour the former and propose to label it Label No. 4.

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas Wheeler Page 12

Finally there is a handwritten inscription on a silhouette that has recently been shown to me. The wording of this is "Painted by T Wheeler, 184 Fleet Street March 1810" I have illustrated this above together with the silhouette that it backs. This label raises several questions—firstly did Thomas Wheeler work in London at the end of his career? Secondly is this silhouette recognisable as a work by Wheeler? Thirdly was there another artist called T. Wheeler, who may or may not have been related to the earlier artist ?

I have to admit that the silhouette does not immediately strike me as a work by Wheeler—it is painted on a different scale from those definitely attributed to him—for example the "sitters" head is much larger. On the other hand it has been cut down to fit the frame so it is not possible to see the bust-line termination. Also, it seems to relate to a different period—much more to works produced in 1810-1820. On the positive side the clothing detail is well painted in thinned pigment in the style of Wheeler—so for the time being the label will be Label No 5. It may be possible from records to 'discover' if Wheeler ever worked in London—but it is likely to be a 'job' in itself!

Conclusion.

In spite of the fact that much of Wheeler's work is easily recognisable—he still presents a problem of attribution both for us and the auction houses! There is no doubt that Major General Vyse and his daughter are somewhat different in style to the likes of Mrs. Delany, but there seems little doubt that these are by the same artist. However, I cannot accept the attribution of Lieut. Dugdale and his like as being by 'our' Wheeler. However, it is still possible that there was more than one silhouette artist called T. Wheeler—in this connection I would be glad to have your views. A photograph illustrating any point you are making would be much appreciated.