Hello robertgex - thanks for your question.
W.P.French was William Percy French, the Irish landscape painter, who
exhibited 24 watercolors at the Royal Hibernian Academy between 1891
and 1901. He had a variety of talents and jobs and, although in his
lifetime he was more famous for songwriting and entertaining, he saw
painting as his true talent and might be gratified to know how
collectible his artwork is now.
These excerpts and links to further information will tell you more:
William Percy French was born on May 1, 1854 near Roscommon, Ireland.
(William would be known as Willie until taking the name Percy as his
stage name much later). His father was a landlord and his mother's
father was a clergyman.
[...]
French graduated from college as an engineer and worked for seven
years in Cavan as the Inspector of Drains. During that time he wrote
numerous songs and painted, which he considered his true talent.
[...]
In 1891 French's wife died and he was jobless. He toured the country
on his bicycle with a box of paints, painting and performing. He
developed a one-man show, where he sang the songs he composed. Then in
1891 he began a partnership with Houston Collisson. Thereafter
Collisson wrote much of the music for the operas they produced,
including The Irish Girl. At the age of fifty French moved to London
and worked and performed on stage until his death in 1920.
http://www.contemplator.com/history/pfrench.html
======================================
Percy French was born in Cloonyquin, County Roscommon on 1st May, 1854
[...]
a talented painter. He loved painting skies, which are usually the
centre of interest in his water colours. He sketched wherever he went
and regularly found inspiration for his paintings in the Irish
landscape.
[...]
On 28th June 1890, Percy French, then aged 36, married Ettie Armytage.
A daughter was born on 5th June 1891 but tragically both mother and
baby died. In 1894 he married Helen (Lennie) Sheldon, with whom he had
three daughters, Ettie, Mollie and Joan.
Percy French died from pneumonia on 24th January 1920, aged 65. He is
buried in Formby in Lancashire.
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/percy.htm
======================================
Watercolour Painter
Nowadays the watercolour paintings of Percy French command high prices
and are usually mentioned when sales of the works of Ireland's
greatest artists are advertised. French painted prolifically and often
paid for his board and lodgings in such kind. Not known for a desire
to accumulate money, he sometimes just gave them to friends or
acquaintances. His most sought after scenes depicted the light and
character of the Irish landscape in its most evocative moods. This
activity, which he perhaps he enjoyed most of all, also provides a
colourful record of his tours as an entertainer to Switzerland,
Canada, U.S.A. and the West Indies.
http://www.percyfrench.org/Percy%20French/painter.htm
======================================
[1883?]
a series of spectacular sunsets, caused by the effects of a far
distant volcanic eruption, fuelled his enthusiasm for warercolour
painting.
http://users2.ev1.net/~smyth/linernotes/personel/FrenchPercy.htm
======================================
The finest all round collection of Percy French's watercolours is
nowadays in the care of The Percy French Society at the North Down
Heritage Centre in Northern Ireland. Not surprisingly there are views
of those mountains at Newcastle, County Down which French made so
forever famous with his song 'The Mountains O' Mourne' and included
also are scenes from the west of Ireland whose people and landscape he
loved best of all
http://www.pdevlinz.btinternet.co.uk/percyfrench.htm
======================================
His country ramblings also inspired him to paint landscapes and the
wide open landscapes of his native Roscommon and the vivid sunsets of
his Cavan years are themes in many of his watercolours.
http://www.visitroscommon.ie/roscommonenglish/culture/people.htm
======================================
Each year the Society organises a festival Watercolour competition and
exhibition for landscape paintings to commemorate French's
achievements as an artist - his own paintings are now numbered amongst
those of Ireland's greatest artists.
http://www.percyfrench.org/Society.htm
======================================
Today the watercolours of Percy French can fetch high prices but, with
no desire to accumulate money himself, French frequently paid for his
board and lodgings with paintings or gave them away to friends.
A fine collection of French's paintings can be viewed at the North
Down Heritage Centre in Bangor, courtesy of The Percy French Society)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-nireland/A747858
======================================
Watercolours by French, many painted in the west of Ireland and in
Donegal, have risen in value in recent years. Only a sample is
included in the following list of titles: Wooded Pathway; Bogland
Landscape; Sailing Boats; Two Fishermen in a Currach; Bogland in West
of Ireland; Pathway through the Forest; In Donegal; Peat Stacks; View
of Bundoran; and Portrush; Co. Antrim.
http://www.vindicator.ca/vindicator/june_2003_can_2.asp
======================================
Percy French's watercolours again proved popular. Sunburst Over The
Bog sold for £5,000 against an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2000/10/22/story293883.asp
======================================
Some of his paintings:
BOG LANDSCAPE
William Percy French (1854-1920)BOG LANDSCAPE signed with initials
lower left watercolour18 by 25cm., 7 by 10in.€3,000-€4,000
(£2,000-£2,600 sterling approx.)
http://www.icollectorlive.com/viewCatalogLots.aspx?auctionID=2466
http://www.icollectorlive.com/viewCatalogItem.aspx?auctionid=2466&itemid=682460
THE BROOK
http://www.jorgensenfineart.com/gallery1/pages/french1.htm
AN ALPINE CHALET
William Percy French (1854-1920)
An Alpine chalet
Watercolour, 48 x 63 cm (19 x 24.5'')
Signed and dated 1915
Provenance: Cynthia O'Connor Gallery, Dublin
Est. €12000 - 18000
http://www.jamesadam.ie/3066.htm
http://www.jamesadam.ie/3066/027.jpg
THE GARDEN THAT I LOVE
http://www.thesaurus.co.uk/whytes-art/xq/asp/SaleID.1085977/LotNumber.62/qx/lot.htm
LOUGH SWILLY, COUNTY DONEGAL
http://www.thesaurus.co.uk/whytes-art/xq/asp/SaleID.1083014/LotNumber.47/qx/lot.htm
LIMERICK
William Percy French (1854-1920) LIMERICK signed lower left
watercolour 27 by 36cm., 10.5 by 14in. E8000-10000
http://www.thesaurus.co.uk/whytes-art/xq/asp/SaleID.1085965/LotNumber.58/qx/lot.htm
LANDSCAPE WITH TREES
http://www.thesaurus.co.uk/whytes-art/xq/asp/SaleID.1083014/LotNumber.85/qx/lot.htm
======================================
A couple of the pictures online show a signature, sometimes just
initials, sometimes "Percy French". I didn't find a painting actually
signed "W.P. French" but I found no trace of any other artist called
French with these initials, even at a different date. On the covers of
his compositions here, his name is clearly given as W.P. French:
http://www.percyfrench.org/Percy%20French/percyfrench.htm
The British Library catalog also uses that form of his name:
Title: Phil the Fluter's Ball. S.S.A.. W.P. French. Arr. by A.
Baynon
Composer: French. W. P.
http://blpc.bl.uk/
These are the databases where I searched and found him:
http://www.comanducci.it/Database/RisultatiE.asp?Ricerca=french&offset=60
http://web.artprice.com/
After that google searches on "William Percy French" with words like
watercolor, watercolour, painting and so on, led to the biographical
and sale information.
I hope this is helpful but please don't hesitate to ask for
'clarification' if you have any queries or if any of the links fail to
work. I'd be happy to assist further.
Regards - Leli |
