Biography of George Frederick Watts 1817-1904

On 23rd February 1817 George Frederick Watts was born.

1843-44. George Frederick Watts (age 25). Portrait of Mary Augusta Coventry (age 31). Painted in the autumn of 1843 at the Casa Feroni, Florence, the British legation where Watts was staying with the Hollands. Watts had been given a letter of introduction to Lord Holland the British Minister at the Court of Tuscany. He was invited to lunch on 3 October 1843 and by 23 October he had moved into the Casa Feroni as a permanent guest. He stayed for three years. The portrait was mentioned in a letter written by Edward Ellice to the Dowager Lady Holland, in early December that year. He described it as being painted 'in the manner of the "Chapeau de Paillle"', making reference to the famous painting by Rubens

Mary Augusta Coventry Baroness Fox: In 1812 she was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry. On 9th May 1833 Henry Fox 4th Baron Holland and she were married. She the daughter of George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry. They were fifth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. In 1889 Mary Augusta Coventry Baroness Fox died.

1844. George Frederick Watts (age 26). Portrait of Mary Augusta Coventry Baroness Fox (age 32) on a Daybed.

Around 1849. George Frederick Watts (age 31). "Found Drowned". The scene is set under Waterloo Bridge where the body of a young woman in a flame-coloured dress has been washed up on the foreshore of the Thames.

Around 1850. George Frederick Watts (age 32). Portrait of Mary Lowther (age 65).

Mary Lowther: In 1785 she was born to William Lowther 1st Earl Lonsdale and Augusta Fane Countess Lonsdale. On 16th September 1820 Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck and she were married. She the daughter of William Lowther 1st Earl Lonsdale and Augusta Fane Countess Lonsdale. He the son of William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke Portland and Dorothy Cavendish 3rd Duchess Portland. On 21st October 1863 Mary Lowther died.

1850 to 1852. George Frederick Watts (age 32). Portrait of Julia Margaret Cameron nee Pattle (age 34).

Around 1851. George Frederick Watts (age 33). Portrait of John Russell 1st Earl Russell (age 58).

1851 to 1853. George Frederick Watts (age 33). Portrait of Sophia Ricketts Dalrymple nee Pattle (age 21).

Sophia Ricketts Dalrymple nee Pattle: On 19th March 1829 she was born to James Peter Pattle at Garden Reach, Calcutta and Adeline Marie de l'Etang. Before 28th December 1888 John Warrender Dalrymple 7th Baronet and she were married. On 16th June 1911 Sophia Ricketts Dalrymple nee Pattle died.

Around 1852. George Frederick Watts (age 34). Portrait of Sarah Prinsep nee Pattle (age 35).

Sarah Monckton Pattle: On 16th August 1816 she was born to James Peter Pattle and Adeline Marie de l'Etang. On 14th May 1835 Henry Thoby Prinsep and she were married at Calcutta, India. The difference in their ages was 24 years. On 15th December 1887 Sarah Monckton Pattle died.

1856 to 1857. George Frederick Watts (age 38). Portrait of Edmund Lyons 1st Baron Lyons (age 65).

Edmund Lyons 1st Baron Lyons: On 21st November 1790 he was born. On 23rd November 1858 he died.

1857 to 1858. George Frederick Watts (age 39). Portrait of Jane "Jeanie" Elizabeth Hughes (age 28).

Jane "Jeanie" Elizabeth Hughes: On 10th December 1828 she was born to John Hughes at Uffington, Oxfordshire. On 10th August 1848 Nassau John Senior and she were married. On 24th March 1877 she died.

1857 to 1859. George Frederick Watts (age 39). Portrait of Prudence Penelope Leslie (age 30).

Prudence Penelope Leslie: On 8th November 1826 she was born to Charles Powell Leslie and Christiana Fosbery. On 14th August 1850 or 16th September 1850 George Cavendish-Bentinck and she were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. On 22nd June 1896 Prudence Penelope Leslie died at Spanish Place, Manchester Square.

1858. George Frederick Watts (age 40). Portrait of Helen Huth nee Ogilvy (age 20).

Helen Huth nee Ogilvy: In September 1837 she was born to Thomas Ogilvy of Corrimony in Inverness-shire. On 11th April 1855 Louis Huth and she were married.

1859. George Frederick Watts (age 41). Portrait of William Ewart Gladstone (age 49).

Around 1860. George Frederick Watts (age 42). Portrait of George Douglas Campbell 8th Duke Argyll (age 36).

1862. George Frederick Watts (age 44). Portrait of Emily Sellwood Baroness Tennyson (age 48).

Emily Sellwood Baroness Tennyson: On 9th July 1813 she was born to Henry Sellwood at Market Place, Horncastle. On 13th June 1850 Alfred Tennyson 1st Baron Tennyson and she were married. She the elder sister of his brother Charle's wife Louisa Sellwood. An example of the marriage of two sets of siblings. The London Gazette 25308. Whitehall, January 11, 1884. The Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, granting the dignity of a Baron of the said United Kingdom unto Alfred Tennyson, Esq., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of Baron Tennyson, of Aldworth, in the county of Sussex, and of Freshwater, in the Isle of Wight. [she by marriage Baroness Tennyson of Aldworth in Sussex and of Freshwater in the Isle of Wight.] On 10th August 1896 she died.

1862. George Frederick Watts (age 44). Portrait of Edith Villiers Countess Lytton (age 20).

Edith Villiers Countess Lytton: On 15th September 1841 she was born to Edward Ernest Villiers and Elizabeth Charlotte Liddell. On 4th October 1864 Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton 1st Earl and she were married. In 1880 Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton 1st Earl was created 1st Earl of Lytton in Derbyshire. She by marriage Countess of Lytton in Derbyshire. On 17th September 1936 Edith Villiers Countess Lytton died.

1863. George Frederick Watts (age 45). Portrait of Ophelia. Model [his future wife] Ellen Terry (age 15). Re-worked in 1877.

The painting itself presents the moment just before Ophelia meets her watery death in Hamlet, Act IV, scene vii, a moment which is reported but not enacted on stage:

There is a willow grows aslant a brook

That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream,

Therewith fantastic garlands did she come,

Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples…

1864. George Frederick Watts (age 46). Self-Portrait.

1864. Julia Margaret Cameron nee Pattle (age 48). Photograph of George Frederick Watts (age 46).

Around 1864. George Frederick Watts (age 46). Portrait of [his future wife] Ellen Terry (age 16) entitled "Choosing" around the time she and Watts were married.

On 20th February 1864 George Frederick Watts (age 46) and Ellen Terry (age 17) were married. The difference in their ages was 29 years.

Around 1865. George Frederick Watts (age 47). Portrait of Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot 3rd Earl Talbot 18th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 61).

1867. George Frederick Watts (age 49). Portrait of May Prinsep Baroness Tennyson (age 13).

Between 1867 and 1871. George Frederick Watts (age 49). Portrait of Madeline Caroline Frances Eden Campbell.

Madeline Caroline Frances Eden Campbell: she was born to Guy Campbell 1st Baronet and Pamela Fitzgerald Lady Campbell. Before 3rd August 1862 Percy Scawen Wyndham and she were married. In 1906 Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Anne King-Noel 15th Baroness Wentworth were legally separated as a consequence of the numerous mistresses he had taken which included Jane Morris nee Burden, Catherine Walters aka "Skittles", his cousin Mary Wyndham and, possibly, her mother Madeline Caroline Frances Eden Campbell. In March 1920 she died.

In or after 1867 Arthur James Lewis (age 43) and [his sister-in-law] Kate Terry (age 22) were married. The difference in their ages was 20 years.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1868. 8th November 1868. November 8 (Sunday). Dined at Club, Simeon Solomon (age 28) there. He. introduced me to Mr. Oscar Browning. Billiards. Cooper said that there was a report that the young lady who threw herself off London Bridge a few days ago and was drowned, was no other than poor Ellen Terry (Mrs. G. F. Watts) and that it was after a quarrel with her sister about her continuing on the stage.⁹

Note 9. After the break-up of her marriage to G. F. Watts (age 51) in 1865, [his wife] Ellen Terry (age 21) (1848-1928) had returned to the stage but in the spring of this year she threw up her engagement at the Queen's Theatre, Long Acre, and disappeared. It was only after the incident of the body of a suicide case being mistakenly identified as hers that she informed her family that she was living in the country with E. W. Godwin. It was probably Sidney Cooper (1803-1902) the painter of sheep and cattle in landscape who repeated the story. Oscar Browning (1837-1923) was at this period an assistant master at Eton, notable both for his cultivated tastes and intellectual pursuits, and known to be a friend of Simeon Solomon.

1870. George Frederick Watts (age 52). Portrait of William Morris (age 35).

In 1870 William Schomberg Kerr 8th Marquess Lothian (age 38) died without issue. His brother Schomberg (age 36) succeeded 9th Marquess Lothian. Victoria Alexandrina Montagu-Douglas-Scott Marchioness Lothian (age 25) by marriage Marchioness Lothian. Monument at St Andrew's Church, Blickling [Map] sculpted by George Frederick Watts (age 52) in 1878.

William Schomberg Kerr 8th Marquess Lothian: In 1832 he was born to John Kerr 7th Marquess Lothian and Cecil Chetwynd-Talbot Marchioness Lothian. On 14th November 1841 John Kerr 7th Marquess Lothian died at Blickling Hall, Norfolk succeeded 8th Marquess Lothian. He inherited the Blickling, Norfolk estate and made significant changes. On 12th August 1857 William Schomberg Kerr 8th Marquess Lothian and Constance Harriet Mahonesa Talbot Marchioness Lothian were married. She by marriage Marchioness Lothian. She the daughter of Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot 3rd Earl Talbot 18th Earl of Shrewsbury and Sarah Elizabeth Beresford Countess Talbot Shrewsbury Waterford. He the son of John Kerr 7th Marquess Lothian and Cecil Chetwynd-Talbot Marchioness Lothian. They were first cousins.

Schomberg Henry Kerr Kerr 9th Marquess Lothian: On 2nd December 1833 he was born to John Kerr 7th Marquess Lothian and Cecil Chetwynd-Talbot Marchioness Lothian. In 1865 Schomberg Henry Kerr Kerr 9th Marquess Lothian and Victoria Alexandrina Montagu-Douglas-Scott Marchioness Lothian were married. She the daughter of Walter Scott 5th Duke Buccleuch 7th Duke Queensberry and Charlotte Anne Thynne Duchess Buccleuch Duchess Queensbury. He the son of John Kerr 7th Marquess Lothian and Cecil Chetwynd-Talbot Marchioness Lothian. They were sixth cousins. On 17th January 1900 Schomberg Henry Kerr Kerr 9th Marquess Lothian died. His daughter Robert succeeded 10th Marchioness Lothian.

Victoria Alexandrina Montagu-Douglas-Scott Marchioness Lothian: On 20th November 1844 she was born to Walter Scott 5th Duke Buccleuch 7th Duke Queensberry and Charlotte Anne Thynne Duchess Buccleuch Duchess Queensbury. On 19th June 1938 Victoria Alexandrina Montagu-Douglas-Scott Marchioness Lothian died.

1870. George Frederick Watts (age 52). Portrait of Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet (age 36).

1871. George Frederick Watts (age 53). Portrait of Henry Thoby Prinsep (age 78).

Henry Thoby Prinsep: On 15th July 1792 he was born to John Prinsep and Sophie Elizabeth Auriol. On 11th February 1878 Henry Thoby Prinsep died.

1871. George Frederick Watts (age 53). Portrait of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 42).

1871. George Frederick Watts (age 53). Portrait of John Everett Millais 1st Baronet (age 41).

Before 1875. George Frederick Watts (age 57). Portrait of Violet Lindsay Duchess Rutland (age 18).

1876. George Frederick Watts (age 58). Portrait of Eevleen Tennant (age 19).

Eevleen Tennant: On 21st November 1856 she was born to Charles Tennant. On 12th March 1937 she died.

1878. George Frederick Watts (age 60). Portrait of Leslie Stephen (age 45).

Leslie Stephen: On 28th November 1832 he was born. On 26th March 1878 he and Julia Prinsep Jackson were married. They had four children. On 22nd February 1904 he died.

1879. George Frederick Watts (age 61). Portrait of Violet Lindsay Duchess Rutland (age 22).

1879. George Frederick Watts (age 61). Portrait of Violet Lindsay Duchess Rutland (age 22).

1885. George Frederick Watts (age 67). Portrait of Rachel Anne Gurney Countess Dudley (age 17).

Before 1891. George Frederick Watts (age 73). Portrait of Harry George Powlett 4th Duke Cleveland (age 87).

1893. George Frederick Watts (age 75). Portrait of George Meredith (age 64).

Before 1904. George Frederick Watts (age 86). Portrait of Elizabeth Baring Countess Kenmare (age 36) known as "My Lady Peacock".

Elizabeth Baring Countess Kenmare: On 16th March 1867 she was born to Edward Baring 1st Baron Revelstoke and Louisa Emily Charlotte Bulteel Baroness Revelstoke at Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey [Map]. On 26th April 1887 Valentine Charles Browne 5th Earl of Kenmare and she were married. He the son of Valentine Browne 4th Earl of Kenmare and Gertrude Thynne Countess Kenmare. On 21st May 1944 Elizabeth Baring Countess Kenmare died.

Before 1904. George Frederick Watts (age 86). Portrait of Julian Eleanor Adelaide Balfour.

Julian Eleanor Adelaide Balfour: she was born to Charles Balfour and Minnie Georgiana Liddell. On 20th January 1891 Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie and she were married. He the son of William Pleydell-Bouverie 5th Earl Radnor and Helen Matilda Chaplin Countess Radnor. On 5th January 1946 Julian Eleanor Adelaide Balfour died.

Before 1904. George Frederick Watts (age 86). Portrait of Walter Crane (age 58).

Before 1904. George Frederick Watts (age 86). Portrait of Virginia Somers-Cocks Countess Somers (age 76).

Virginia Somers-Cocks Countess Somers: On 14th January 1827 she was born to James Peter Pattle and Adeline Marie de l'Etang. In 1850 Charles Somers-Cocks 3rd Earl Somers and she were married. He the son of John Somers-Cocks 2nd Earl Somers and Caroline Yorke Countess Somers. On 5th October 1852 John Somers-Cocks 2nd Earl Somers died. His son Charles succeeded 3rd Earl Somers 3rd Viscount Eastnor of Eastor Castle in Herefordshire, 4th Baron Somers. She by marriage Countess Somers. On 29th September 1910 Virginia Somers-Cocks Countess Somers died.

Before 1904. Hubert Von Herkomer (age 54). Portrait of George Frederick Watts (age 86).

Before 1904. George Frederick Watts (age 86). Portrait of Dorothy Tennant Lady Stanley (age 48).

Dorothy Tennant Lady Stanley: On 22nd March 1855 she was born to Charles Tennant. On 5th October 1926 she died.

On 1st July 1904 George Frederick Watts (age 87) died.

On 21st July 1928 [his former wife] Ellen Terry (age 81) died.

Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones. Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones was written by his wife Georgiana Macdonald Lady Burne-Jones and published in 1906 by The Macmillan Company.

Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet aged 37 from the portrait by George Frederick Watts.