Beaumont, W. H.

Introduction:

W.H Beaumont and W.D (Dyce) Beaumont are thought to be one and the same artist, as mentioned by Diane Joll (SCC January 2005). There are many examples of his work, signed in various ways. However, much of his work is unsigned and therefore stylistic evidence is relied upon to determine Beaumont as the artist.

Relatively little is known about Beaumont, his background or his professional career. He is often referred to as “Beaumont of Cheltenham” where he is known to have worked. We know from the only recorded trade label that he also worked in Bath and Brighton, but this is the extent we have learnt of his travels. Unfortunately, there is also no information on the types of frames favoured by Beaumont.

Beaumont’s plain black silhouettes of the 1830s are considered to be rather mediocre. One technical feature which is unusual is that Beaumont always cut the head of a male sitter separately, and then stuck it on! Beaumont is distinguished by the work of his later years. In the 1840s and 50s he used lighter coloured papers, particularly sepia paper, and painted details with colour. These are considered amongst the best of the period. He used colour to depict the props of the sitters perfectly but only used it sparsely on the actual sitter, instead illustrating clothes with a darker sepia watercolour on a sepia base. Much of his work now sits in private collections.

Gallery Silhouettes