In Focus:
Sir Hubert von Herkomer
Born in Waal, a village near Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria, Sir Hurbert Von Herkomer arrived in Southampton in 1857, having just turned eight years old. His father, a master wood carver, had returned from America after finding little call in Cleveland for elaborately decorated furniture and believed a better future could be found in England.
On his fourteenth birthday, a young Herkomer was enrolled at Southampton School of Art rather than ‘enslaved’ in an apprenticeship. Here, he was to form lifelong friendships with future artists, John Gregory, George Washington Sandell and Frank and Rowland McFadden.
After studying in Munich (1865) and then South Kensington (1866), Herkomer began a career in book and magazine illustration, highlighting the gritty realities of impoverished families. However, quickly bored with the work. He was upset when ‘The Graphics’ social reformer proprietor, William Luson Thomas, told him he was unwilling to employ him as a staff member, he later admitted:
‘In my heart I bitterly resented these words, but they were words I needed: they were making me an artist.’
Herkomer attracted both critical acclaim and buyers at the Royal Academy and in 1860 the Hampshire Independent congratulated him on his success, boasting that Southampton was not barren of artists and had now produced a successor to Millais in Herkomer.
Right: Sir Hubert von Herkomer, Lorenz Herkomer, oil on canvas.
Gift from Lady Herkomer, 1930
During the 1880s Herkomer concentrated where money was to be made, and at this time, it was in portraiture. During a visit of ten weeks to the USA he received £6,600 for thirteen portraits. His income now surpassed many of the wealthy, influential people he was painting, and was able to live a life of luxury.
Herkomer opened his own art school at Bushy in Hertfordshire, which included a theatre. He directed without pay and between 1883 and 1904, trained over 500 students. After his departure the school was run by former student Lucy Kemp-Welsh. He also served as Oxford University’s Slade Professor of Art, 1885‑95 and was knighted in 1907.
Despite being a prominent member of the Royal Academy of Arts, Royal Watercolour Society, and Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, as well as being on familiar terms with the royal family, Herkomer was never totally accepted by the British establishment, as he was ultimately a victim of the deteriorating relationship between Great Britain and Germany, which he shuttled between, spending most of his summers in Bavaria.
He returned to Southampton in 1910 to visit his old house in Windsor Terrace. His last visit to the town was in October 1913, six months before his death.
The house in Windsor Terrace was demolished in 1936 to make way for the Hants and Dorset bus station, which was in turn demolished in the 1980s when the Marlands Shopping Centre was built. Beckford Terrace also disappeared at this time.
Above: Alderman Sir George Hussey, Oil on canvas, Gift from Sir George Hussey, 1901
Middle left: Sir Hubert von Herkomer, Homeward sketch, pencil on paper
Middle right: Sir Hubert von Herkomer, Homeward, printing ink on paper, published in ‘The Graphic’