John Gilbert (painter)

Sir John Gilbert RA (21 July 1817 – 5 October 1897) was an English artist, illustrator and engraver.

Biography

Gilbert was born in Blackheath, Surrey,[1] and taught himself to paint. His only formal instruction was from George Lance.[2] Skilled in several media, Gilbert gained the nickname, "the Walter Scott of painting", after the famed Scottish novelist, poet and historian, because both shared a his passion for past eras and battle scenes [3] . He was best known for the illustrations and wood-engravings he produced for the Illustrated London News.

Gilbert was initially apprenticed to a firm of estate agents, but taught himself art by copying prints. He was unable to enter the Royal Academy Schools, but mastered watercolour, oils, and other media. From 1836 he exhibited at the Society of British Artists, and at the RA from 1838. The art patron Thomas Sheepshanks and the artist William Mulready suggested that he learn wood engraving. Starting with Punch, he moved on to the Illustrated London News. He designed an impressive number of wood-engravings (over 2000) for that publication and for The London Journal. He also produced very many illustrations for books, including nearly all the important English poets. He became president of the Royal Watercolour Society in 1871.[6] He exhibited some 400 pictures in watercolour and oil exhibited at the various societies. In 1872 he was knighted.[6] He became an RA in 1876, in the same year as Edward John Poynter.

The Gilbert-Garret Competition for Sketching Clubs was started in 1870 at St. Martins School of Art, and named after its first president, John Gilbert.[7] In 1893 he presented a collection of his work to the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London.

Gilbert is buried at Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries.

Illustrated books and legacy

Gilbert illustrated:

  • The Works of William Shakespeare (in 3 volumes). Edited by Howard Staunton[9] – with 829 illustrations by John Gilbert (London: George Routledge and sons, 1866)
  • The Works of William Shakspere. Edited by Charles Knight – with nearly 400 illustrations by Sir John Gilbert A.R.A (Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1878)
  • The Gilbert Shakespeare: The Works of Shakespeare. Edited by Howard Staunton[10] – with over 511 illustrations by Sir John Gilbert R.A. (London: George Routledge and Sons, undated, but likely circa 1895).

Gilbert has nearly sixty oil paintings in British national collections.[11]

His noted painting "The Plays of William Shakespeare, ca. 1849" oil on canvas depicted scenes from all of Shakespeare's plays.[12]

References

  1. ^ Union List of Artist Names, retrieved 13 July 2008
  2. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gilbert, Sir John" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. ^ gxeniya (30 April 2025), ""Sir John Gilbert RA – English artist, illustrator and engraver"", Culturical World art, retrieved 4 January 2026
  4. ^ Engraving after 'Men of Science Living in 1807-8', John Gilbert engraved by George Zobel and William Walker, ref. NPG 1075a, National Portrait Gallery, London, accessed February 2010
  5. ^ Smith, HM (May 1941). "Eminent men of science living in 1807-8". J. Chem. Educ. 18 (5): 203. doi:10.1021/ed018p203.
  6. ^ a b Shakespeare Illustrated: The Artists: Sir John Gilbert, archived from the original on 10 September 2006, retrieved 13 July 2008
  7. ^ "Art School Exhibitions 2". chestofbooks.com.
  8. ^ Shakespeare, William (1862). "Songs and sonnets". London S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Staunton, Howard, ed. (1864). The works of Shakespeare. Vol. III. London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge. Retrieved 4 January 2026 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Staunton, Howard (ed.). The Gilbert Shakespeare: The works of Shakespeare. Complete in one volume. London: George Routledge & Sons. Retrieved 4 January 2026 – via HathiTrust.
  11. ^ 59 artworks by or after John Gilbert at the Art UK site
  12. ^ ""Sir John Gilbert (British, 1817–1897), The Plays of William Shakespeare, ca. 1849"", Dahesh Museum of Art, 1 February 1999, retrieved 4 January 2026
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