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BIOGRAPHY - Henry John Boddington (1811 - 1865)

Henry John Boddington

Born Henry John Williams, he was the second of six sons of Edward Williams, all of whom were artists.  Boddington showed an early talent for painting and received his only formal training from his father.  He quickly developed an individual style ? characterized by his manipulation of blocked light as it filtered through an archway of trees. Jan Reynolds, in her book The Williams Family of Painters, notes that one of Boddington's:

...most characteristic effect is the appearance of a warm day, with the sun just out of the picture, giving a filmy, hazy atmosphere to the landscape, with deep blue shadows adding greater value to the opposing tone of yellow.  The distant mountains are melting in vapory sunlight.  The artist is a master of this effect...

Boddington enjoyed working on a large-scale ? allowing him to capture the majestic beauty of the English countryside.  The Fine Arts Quarterly Review (Vol.3, 1865) noted that Boddington was:


...an artist who, if he fell into manneri­sm, had yet during a hard working life, painted pictures not only large, but some­times grand. His landscapes of mountains, lake and river had scenic breadth and power...

It was these aspects of his work that made him so popular during his lifetime.

In 1832, he married Clarissa Eliza Boddington and decided to adopt her maiden name ? thereby giving him and his paintings more in­dividual identification.  By 1840, he already established his reputation as a painter of woodland and village scenes and in 1842, at the age of 31, he became a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. Although a great number of artists exhibited with the Society, membership was very limited and H.J. Boddington was the only member of his family to achieve this honor which carried with it definite status and responsibility.

It is interesting to note that Boddington, at times, collaborated with the sporting artist John Frederick Herring, Sr., a fellow Member of the Royal Society of British Artists.  Herring contribu­ted by painting horses and animals into a Boddington's prepared landscape.

Boddington exhibited extensively throughout his lifetime ? showing works at the Royal Academy (RA), Royal Society of British Artists (RBA), The British Institution and elsewhere. Among the works he exhibited were: On the Thames near Weybridge (RA, 1837); The Gyspy Camp (RA, 1843); A Quiet Morning – North Wales (RA, 1851); The Lake of Tal-y-llyn, North Wales (RBA, 1853); Tintern Abbey – Evening (RBA, 1859).

Today examples of Boddington's work can be seen in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; National Museum of Wales, Cardiff; City Art Gallery, Blackburn; Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow; Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston; City Art Gallery, York; Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass.

Sold Works
Boys Fishing - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
Boys Fishing
Oil on canvas
24 x 20 inches
Signed
A Summers Rest - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
A Summers Rest
Oil on canvas
24 x 36 inches
Signed and indistinctly dated 1843
The Way to the Mill, North Wales - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
The Way to the Mill, North Wales
Oil on canvas
24 x 36 inches
Signed; also titled on a label on the reverse
Devonshire - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
Devonshire
Oil on canvas
29 x 42 inches
Signed
Camped by the Roadside - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
Camped by the Roadside
Oil on canvas
12 x 16 inches
Signed and dated 1841
Stopping at the Inn - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
Stopping at the Inn
Oil on canvas
26 x 34 inches
Signed
A Lane at Knockholt, Kent - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
A Lane at Knockholt, Kent
Oil on canvas
17 x 15 inches
Signed and dated 1841
Outside the Cottage - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
Outside the Cottage
Oil on canvas
25 x 40 inches
Signed and dated 1856
Early Morning on the Thames - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
Early Morning on the Thames
Oil on canvas
28 x 36 inches
Signed
A Wooded Lane, Otford, Kent - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
A Wooded Lane, Otford, Kent
Oil on canvas
20 x 30 inches
Signed
The Edge of the Lake - Evening - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
The Edge of the Lake - Evening
Oil on canvas
44 x 36 inches
Signed and dated 1859
A Trout Stream, North Wales - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
A Trout Stream, North Wales
Oil on canvas
35 x 45 inches
Signed
Near Barmouth, North Wales - Henry John Boddington
Henry John Boddington
(1811 - 1865)
Near Barmouth, North Wales
Oil on canvas
51 x 72 inches
Signed and dated 1858