Biography of Valentine Cameron Prinsep 1838-1904

Paternal Family Tree: Prinsep

Valentine Cameron Prinsep is in Painters.

On 14th May 1835 [his father] Henry Thoby Prinsep (age 42) and [his mother] Sarah Monckton Pattle (age 18) were married at Calcutta, India. The difference in their ages was 24 years.

On 14th February 1838 Valentine Cameron Prinsep was born to [his father] Henry Thoby Prinsep (age 45) and [his mother] Sarah Monckton Pattle (age 21) in Calcutta, India.

In 1856 John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope (age 26) accompanied George Frederick Watts (age 38) and Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 17) on an expedition to Asia Minor to observe the excavations of the ruins of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus at Budrum led by Charles Newton, the Keeper of Greek Antiquities at the British Museum. Newton was a friend of Stanhope's father.

Life of William Morris. In the early part of the Long Vacation of 1857, Rossetti (age 28) went down to Oxford to see his friend Benjamin Woodward, the architect. Morris, always delighted to take a day at Oxford, went with him. The long battle between the Palladian and Gothic styles for the new University Museum had been at last decided by the Oxford authorities in favour of the latter. Woodward's plans, in a style of mixed Rhenish and Venetian Gothic, had been accepted, and the museum was now in progress. Besides his principal work at the museum, he was engaged in building a debating hall for the Union Society. That hall, now the principal library, was just roofed in. In formi, the hall was a long building with apsidal ends. A narrow gallery fitted with bookshelves ran completely round it, and above the shelves was a broad belt of wall divided into ten bays, pierced by twenty six-foil circular windows, and surmounted by an open timber roof. Rossetti was at once fired with the idea of painting the space thus given. In his notions of the application of painting to architedural surfaces, Woodward, an ardent admirer and a skilled imitator of the Venetian builders, cordially concurred ; and it was at once settled that the ten bays and the whole of the ceiling should be covered with painting in tempera. The Building Committee of the Union, who had a general discretion as regards the work to be done during the Long Vacation, were induced to authorize the work without waiting to refer the matter to a general meeting of the Society. It was arranged that the paintings should forthwith be designed and carried out under Rossetti's superintendence. He himself, and other artists whom he should invite to join him, were to be the executants. The Union was to defray the expense of scaffolding and materials, and the travelling and lodging expenses of the artists, who, beyond this, were to give their services for nothing. No sooner was this settled, than Rossetti went straight back to London and issued his orders: Burne-Jones (age 23) and Morris (age 22) were to lay aside all other work and start on the new scheme at once. He had it all planned in his mind. The ten paintings on the walls were to be a series of scenes from the "Morte d' Arthur," and the roof above them was to be covered with a floriated design. For the pidures, ten men had to be found, each of whom should execute one bay, and the work, in the first enthusiasm, was estimated as a matter of six weeks or so. Arthur Hughes (age 24), Spencer Stanhope (age 27), Val Prinsep (age 18), and Hungerford Pollen (age 36), were drawn into the scheme and agreed to take a picture each; Madox Brown (age 35) was also asked to execute one, but declined. Rossetti undertook to do two, or if possible three, himself, and Morris and Burne-Jones were each to do one under his eye and with his guidance : eight or nine of the ten bays were thus accounted for, and the remainder of the space was for the moment left to chance.

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1860. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 21). "The Queen was in the Parlour, Eating Bread and Honey".

1864. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 25). "My Lady Betty". See The Athenæum 1864.

The Athenaeum 1864. 14th May 1864. Mr. V. Prinsep's (age 26) contributions mark a great advance in his powers of design, and, what his former pictures mostly lacked, increased care in drawing, greater clearness and cleanness of bandling and colour, and progress in perception of what properly makes a picture. The last is one of the rarest gifts to a young painter, and often the latest he obtains by practice and thought. To all who give attention to this subject in a broad or philosophical manner, it is wonderful to find how few are the painters who perccive that it is not everything that is fit for the exercise of Art. At least half the pictures in every Exhibition evince no thought on the part of their producers for this matter, and—such is. the painful conclusion we cannot avoid—afford direct proof that their painters have not the primary qualification of an artist. All true artists are born with perception of this kind—some have it as their chief source of power, none have it thrust upon them—although scores get reputations on the strength of mere tricks, which the critic knows to be disdained by legions of unknown but self-respecting wen. Some achieve power of perception, as Mr. V. Prinsep soems to be doing; his Berenice — a mighty woman — is eminently pictorial in subject, and not less so in treatment. It might bave been less unrefined in form of drawing without being less strong than it is My Lady Betty (455), a courtly woman wearing a dress of white, gold-embroidered brocade, and! holding a fan before her as she walks, is inferior in subject to the last, but surpasses it in pictorial power displayed. It is very solid and good in execution. Benedick and Beatrice. (560) has perhaps. more subject, in the ordinary sense of the word, which implies something the ordinary spectator finds tangible, but it is Iess valuable as a picture than 'My Lady Betty,' and has parts that are very badly drawn,

On 11th February 1878 [his father] Henry Thoby Prinsep (age 85) died.

1882. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 43). "At the Golden Gate".

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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Around 1883. Joseph Parkin Mayall (age 44). Portrait of Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 44).

On 28th July 1884 Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 46) and Florence Leyland (age 24) were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. The difference in their ages was 21 years.

1885. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 46). "Unprofessional Beauty"

On 15th December 1887 [his mother] Sarah Monckton Pattle (age 71) died.

1892. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 53). Portrait of Ann Fitzgerald Mackay Lady Simpson (age 35) wife of Walter Grindlay Simpson 2nd Baronet (age 48). The painting was donated to Glasgow Museums in 1953 by her daughter Ethel Lucy Florence McKay Simpson (age 16).

Ann Fitzgerald Mackay Lady Simpson: In 1857 she was born to Alexander Mackay and Isabella Catherine Thomson at Ness Caithness. On 13th January 1881 Walter Grindlay Simpson 2nd Baronet and she were married at Banchory-Devenick. On 22nd October 1941 she died at Oxford, Oxfordshire [Map].

Walter Grindlay Simpson 2nd Baronet: On 1st September 1843 he was born to James Young Simpson 1st Baronet. He was baptised on 14th October 1843. On 6th May 1870 James Young Simpson 1st Baronet died at 52 Queen Street Edinburgh. His son Walter succeeded 2nd Baronet Simpson of Strathavon and the City of Edinburgh. On 29th May 1898 he died at Balabraes Ayton. His son James succeeded 2nd Baronet Simpson of Strathavon and the City of Edinburgh.

Ethel Lucy Florence McKay Simpson: On 2nd November 1875 she was born to Walter Grindlay Simpson 2nd Baronet and Ann Fitzgerald Mackay Lady Simpson. On 25th January 1908 Arthur Willert and she were married. On 3rd April 1955 she died.

1899. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 60). "Cinderella".

Around 1900. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 61). Portrait of Francis Layland-Barratt 1st Baronet (age 40).

Around 1900. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 61). Portrait of Frances Layland Lady Layland-Barratt (age 35).

Frances Layland Lady Layland-Barratt: In 1865 she was born. In 1884 Francis Layland-Barratt 1st Baronet and she were married. On 23rd July 1908 Francis Layland-Barratt 1st Baronet was created 1st Baronet Layland Barratt of the Manor House and of Trefgarne Lodge. She by marriage Lady Layland Barratt of the Manor House and of Trefgarne Lodge. In 1953 she died.

Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall

The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.

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Before 11th November 1904. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 66). Portrait of Theresa Susey Helen Chetwynd-Talbot Marchioness Londonderry (age 48).

Before 11th November 1904. Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 66). "Gamekeeper's Daughter".

On 11th November 1904 Valentine Cameron Prinsep (age 66) died. He was buried at Brompton Cemetery, Kensington.

                    New York Times 13 Nov 1904. 13th November 1904. VAL PRINSEP (deceased), R. A., DEAD. Well-Known English Artist Was Born in India in 1838. 
                
                    LONDON, Nov. 12.—Valantine Cameron Prinsep, R. A., better known as Val Prinsep, Professor of Painting to the Royal Academy, died yesterday from the effects of an operation. 
                
                    It was thought in 1896 that Val Prinsep would be elected President of the Royal Academy, but Sir Edward Poynter was (age 68) the successful candidate. 
                
                    Mr. Prinsep was born in India in 1838. but was educated in England, returning to the land of his birth in 1876 to paint what is perhaps his best-known work, the "Declaration of the Queen as Empress" at the famous Delhi Durbar. A pupil of Watts and Gleyre, Prinsep exhibited his first picture at the Academy in 1862, when he was twenty-four years old. He achieved rapid success and became an A. R. A. in and an R. A. in 1894. He was an author and playwright as well as a painter. 
                
                    Mr. Prinsep married a daughter [[his former wife] Florence Leyland (age 45)] of the late [his former father-in-law] F. R. Leyland, the patron of Whistler and Rossetti. When Mr. Leyland died there was a good deal of criticism of the Prinseps because the "Peacock Room" in his London house was not preserved where the public could see it. This work of Whistler, who was a fellow-pupil of Prinsep under Gleyre, has recently been bought by an American.

On 22nd July 1921 [his former wife] Florence Leyland (age 61) died. She was buried with her husband Valentine Cameron Prinsep, who had died seventeen years before, at Brompton Cemetery, Kensington.

Frederick Luke Val Fildes was born to Luke Fildes. His godfather was Valentine Cameron Prinsep. He married 1915 Muriel John, daughter of William Goscombe John and Marthe Weiss.

Biography of Valentine Cameron Prinsep 1838-1904

Ancestors of Valentine Cameron Prinsep 1838-1904