STANLEY BERKELEY
by
Robert J. Kirkpatrick
Stanley Berkeley was a talented and very versatile painter and illustrator, who covered subjects varying from animals to sporting, historical, military and adventure, with a target audience from very young children upwards.
He was born in January 1855, and, rather oddly, baptized, as Stanley Tyerman Berkley, twice – firstly on 16 January 1855 at St. Mary’s Church, Paddington Green, London, and then on 18 May 1862 at St. Luke’s Church, West Norwood, Lambeth (both churches being Anglican). His father, James Thomas Berkley, was a stockbroker, who had married Amelia Maria Cook in Stoke Newington on 15 May 1833. Stanley was the last of their nine children.
It should be noted that the family name was BERKLEY, and Stanley’s surname was spelt this way in his baptism records, marriage record, and census returns up to and including 1891. However, for some reason Stanley started using the spelling of BERKELEY in around 1883, in his early book illustrations, although he was still signing some of his paintings BERKLEY in 1885. (He also signed some of his early work “S B” or “S Berkley”).
At the time of the 1861 census, the Berkley family was living at 19 St. Leonard’s Terrace, Paddington. A year later, Stanley’s second baptism record gave the family address as Gloucester Villas, West Norwood.
It is not known where Stanley received his early education, although in an interview in the boys’ story paper
Chums in October 1904 he revealed that he was always first in his art class, and was so obsessed with art that he drew on almost every available surface, only avoiding punishment because his teachers recognized his talent. However, he was not allowed to pursue an artistic career after leaving school, and instead was obliged to join his brother James as a solicitor’s clerk. (They were both recorded as such in the 1871 census, living in the family home which was then at 19 Manor Road, Deptford, Greenwich).
Stanley left his job at an unknown date, and, as revealed in his
Chums interview, spent six months in dire poverty, living in cheap lodgings in the east end of London, doing odd jobs and painting and selling the occasional picture. He was eventually offered a job at £50 a year copying old prints and maps at the British Museum. He also went on to spend a lot of time at London Zoo, reflected in his later passion for animal pictures.
In 1877 he enrolled at Lambeth School of Art, and went on to win the school’s Gold Medal in 1880. The winner of the Silver Medal that year was Edith Sarah Savill, who went on to win the Gold Medal the following year, and who subsequently became Stanley’s wife.
In 1881 Stanley was still an art student, living as a lodger with Thomas Barnes, a tailor, and his family at 56 Princes Square, Lambeth. Two years later, on 3 May 1883, he and Edith Savill married at St. John’s Church, Brixton. Born in 1858 in Kensington, Edith was the daughter of Thomas Choate Savill, a printer, and Eliza Clarissa, née Dixon, a dressmaker. They moved to 38 Finborough Road, Kensington, while Stanley (and probably Edith) worked from a studio at 39B Old Bond Street, and later at 2 Bolton Studios, Redcliffe Road, Kensington.
In the meantime, Stanley’s professional career as an artist had begun in 1880, when he contributed to the boys’ story paper
The Union Jack, owned by W.H.G. Kingston and published by Griffith & Farran. The following year, he exhibited his first painting at the Royal Academy, and illustrated his first book, providing a series of sketches for a book on horseriding.
Between 1892 and 1900 he contributed to numerous periodicals, including
The Illustrated London News (1882-1898),
The Graphic,
The Infant’s Magazine,
The Girl’s Own Paper,
Chatterbox,
The Penny Illustrated Paper,
The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News,
The Pictorial World,
The Art Journal,
Black and White,
Chums,
The Boy’s Own Paper,
The Badminton Magazine,
The Leisure Hour,
The Sketch,
The Road,
The Children’s Friend and
The Windsor Magazine. In 1900 he began contributing to
The Sphere, in particular producing pictures of the Boer War, and he also contributed to
Great Thoughts,
Pearson’s Magazine and
Cassell’s Magazine.
He was also illustrating a wide variety of books, mainly children’s books in a range of genres – adventure stories, school stories, bible stories, and historical stories. Amongst the authors whose books he illustrated were John Percy Groves, George Manville Fenn, F.W. Farrar, H.C. Adams, F. Bayford Harrison and J.R. Hutchinson, and amongst the publishers who commissioned him were Griffith & Farran, the Religious Tract Society, the S.P.C.K., Blackie & Son, Sampson Low, S.W. Partridge & Co., A.& C. Black, and Chapman & Hall. He also provided illustrations for books such as
Athletics and Football in Longman, Green & Co.’s Badminton Library, and
A Year of Sport and
Natural History published by Chapman & Hall.
He was also commissioned by A. & C. Black to illustrate two titles in its Drybugh Edition of The Works of Walter Scott –
Woodstock and
Peveril of the Peak, published in 1894. He was also one of numerous artists asked to illustrate
Robinson Crusoe, on this occasion an edition published by the S.P.C.K. in 1890. He seems to have contributed to only a handful of children’s annuals, all in the 1890s – these included
Nister’s Holiday Annual,
Bright Eyes: An Annual for Young Folk, and
The Fireside Pictorial Annual.
Several of his illustrations also appeared in books apparently published only in America, by publishers such as McLoughlin Brothers and Donohue, Henneberry & Co. It may have been the case that these illustrations had previously appeared in in some of the periodicals Berkeley had contributed to.
Throughout the period 1883 to 1900 he was also exhibiting his paintings all over the country. He continued to exhibit at the Royal Academy (14 times between 1883 and 1902), and he also exhibited with the Society of British Artists (later the Royal Society of British Artists), the Nineteenth Century Art Society, the Dudley Gallery Art Society, the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours, the Institute of Painters in Oil Colours, the Bristol Fine Arts Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Institute of Painters in Watercolours, and the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts. He was also included several times in Cassell & Co.’s annual exhibition of black and white illustrations, and his work was also exhibited in numerous municipal and private galleries up and down the country. In 1884 he was elected a member of the Society of Painter-Etchers. Many of his paintings were issued as photogravure prints by Henry Graves. In an interview in
The Windsor Magazine (July 1899) he said that he never made rough sketches before starting a picture, and he never used models.
He also undertook various commercial commissions, such as an advertisement for Bovril in 1895, and a series of postcards for Raphael Tuck in 1900.
By 1887 Berkeley and his wife had moved to Ham Common, Richmond, and they subsequently moved to “The Rosery”, Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey, where they lived from around 1890 to at least 1902. (This address is sometimes given as being in Esher, Surrey).
Most of his work after 1903 was for Dean & Son, in particular providing colour illustrations for their series of “Rag Books” aimed at very young children. Almost all of these featured animals, with titles such as
Animal Alphabet,
Friends and Favourites,
My Animal Book,
Farmyard Families and
Animals and Their Little Ones. He also contributed to
The British Workman,
The Lady’s Pictorial and
The Royal Magazine, with his last periodical illustrations appearing in
The Sphere in 1908.
Berkeley died at his home at 2 Fenton Villas, Hook Road, Surbiton, Surrey, on 17 April 1909, and was buried on 23 April in St. Paul’s Churchyard, Chessington, Surrey.
Edith Sarah Berkeley was also a painter and illustrator. She exhibited at the Royal Academy six times between 1884 and 1891, and she also exhibited with the Royal Society of British Artists and the New Watercolour Society. She illustrated several children’s books, including some for Dean & Son. She was sometimes referred to as “Edith Stanley Berkeley”, or “Mrs Stanley Berkeley.” After Stanley’s death she moved to 44 Upper Hill Lane, Croydon, where she died in April 1925, being buried alongside her husband.
PUBLICATIONS
Books illustrated by Stanley Berkely
Riding on the Flat and Across Country: A Guide to Practical Horsemanship by M. Horace Hayes, Thacker & Co., 1881
Barford Bridge, or Schoolboy Trials by H.C. Adams, Richard Edward King, 1881(?) (re-issue)
The Young Moose-Hunters: A Backwood’s Boy’s Story by C.A. Stephens, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1882
From Cadet to Captain: A Tale of Military Life by John Percy Groves, Griffith & Farran, 1883
Kate Temple’s Mate by anon. (Francis E, Reade), S.P.C.K., 1883
A Story for the Schoolroom, Religious Tract Society, 1883
Mama’s Bible Stories Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, 1884
Masaniello, or A Nine Days’ Wonder by F. Bayford Harrison, Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, 1886
Athletics and Football by Montague Shearman, Longmans, Green & Co., 1887
Round the Ring: Stories, Pictures and Poems for All the Year by various authors, 1887(?) (with other artists)
The History of Arthur Penreath by Commander Lovett Cameron, Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, 1888
Story After Story, McLoughlin Brothers (USA), 1888 (with other artists)
Blacks and Bushrangers, or Adventures in North Queensland by G.B. Kennedy, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1889
Three Boys, or The Chiefs of the Clan Mackhai by George Manville Fenn, Gridffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, 1889
Emin Pasha and the Rebellion at the Equator by A.J.M. Jephson, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1890 (with other artists)
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, S.P.C.K., 1890 (re-issue)
The Giant Story Book, McLoughlin Bros. (USA), 1890 (with other artists)
The World’s Heroes: A Storehouse of Heroic Actions, Golden Deeds and Stirring Chronicles by various authors, Cassell & Co., 1890(?) (with other artists)
A Ride to Picture-land: A Book of Joys for Girls and Boys, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1890 (with other artists)
Hal Hungerford, or The Strange Adventures of a Boy Emigrant by J.R. Hutchinson, Blackie & Son, 1891
Boys’ Book of Adventures ed. by E.T. Roe, Donohue, Henneberry & Co. (USA), 1891
My Personal Experiences in Equatorial Africa, as Medical Officer of the Emin Pasha Relief Exhibition by Thomas Heazle Parke, Sampson Low, Marston & Co., 1891 (with other artists)
The Boys of Mirthfield Academy by Laurence H. Francis, Este & Lauriat (USA) 1892
Little Footprints ed. by E.T. Roe, Donohue, Henneberry & Co., (USA), 1892 (with other artists)
Dog Pictures by L. Valentine, Frederick Warne & Co., 1893(?) (with other artists)
Woodstock, or The Cavalier by Walter Scott, A. & C. Black, 1894 (re-issue)
Peveril of the Peak by Walter Scott, A. & C. Black, 1894 (re-issue)
Stories and Sketches for Young America by various authors, Oriental Publishing Co., (USA) 1894 (with other artists)
Julian Home: A Tale of College Life by F.W. Farrar, A. & C. Black, 1895 (re-issue)
A Year of Sport and Natural History ed. by Oswald Crawfurd, Chapman & Hall, 1895 (with other artists)
Uncle Charlie’s Sunday Book of Pictures and Stories from the Bible, Griffith, Farran & Co., 1895 (with other artists)
Cassell’s Illustrated History of England Cassell & Co., (part-work), 1895 (with other artists)
Happy Children, Donohue, Henneberry & Co. (USA), 1897 (with C.J. Staniland)
Our Animal Friends in Picture and Story, Grand Union Tea Company (USA), 1896 (with other artists)
52 Stories of Heroism in Life and Action for Boys ed. A.H. Miles, Hutchinson & Co., 1899 (with other artists)
Thrilling Stories by Sea and Land, (publisher not known), 1900(?) (with other artists)
Animal Land for Little People, Cassell & Co., 1900 (with other artists)
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, McLoughlin Brothers, 1901(?) (with other artists)
What is This? What is That? By Vernon Bartlett, Dean & Son, 1903
Beauty’s Walk: Charming Stories for Boys and Girls, W.B. Conkey Co. (USA), 1903 (with other artists)
Have Some Hay, Old Boy? An Animal Picture Book, Dean & Son, 1904(?)
Animal Alphabet, Dean & Son, 1904(?)
A New Speaker for Our Little Folks: A Book of Choice Readings for Boys and Girls in the Home and School, Bradley-Garretson Co., (USA), 1904 (with other artists)
Kings of the Forest by A.E. Bonsor, Dean & Son, 1905
Dog Toby by Himself by Cliff Bingham, Dean & Son, 1905 (with Eugénie Richards)
The Poetical Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Collins, 1905(?) (with other artists)
Toddles ABC, Dean & Son, 1905
Pig Book, Dean & Son, 1905
Home Pets, Dean & Son, 1905(?)
The Farm, Dean & Son, 1905(?)
Gee-Gee Book, Dean & Son, 1906
Friends and Favourites, Dean & Son, 1907
The Jungle, Dean & Son, 1907
Playtime Stories, Ernest Nister, 1908 (with other artists)
The Farmyard Painting Portfolio, Dean & Son, 1908(?)
A Bow-Wow Book, Dean & Son, 1909
My Animal Book, Dean & Son, 1910
Manco, the Peruvian Chief, or An Englishman’s Adventures n the Country of the Incas by W.H.G. Kingston, Collins, 1911 (re-issue)
Farmyard Families, Dean & Son, 1914
Animals and Their Little Ones, Dean & Son, 1914(?)
Troopers of the King, or The White Cockade: A Tale of Bonnie Prince Charlie by E.R.G.R. Evans, Collins, 1933
Date not known
Famous Adventures, McLoughlin Brothers (USA), (with other artists)
Books illustrated by Edith Berkeley
Lasses and Lads by Theo Gift, Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, 1888
Where Lilies Live and Waters Wind Away by F.W. Bourdillon, Marcus Ward & Co., 1889
Some Other People by Alice Webber, Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, 1889 (with other artists)
Sing Me a Song by E. Oxenford and A. Scott Gatty, Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, 1889 (with other artists)
By the River: Verses by F.W. Bourdillon, 1890
By the River by F.W. Bourdillon, Marcus Ward & Co., 1890
Our Chicks A.B.C., Dean & Son, 1890(?)
The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe by F.E. Weatherly, Hildesheimer & Faulkner, 1891(?)
Voices in the Starlight: A Poem by Sarah Doudney, Marcus Ward & Co., 1892
A – Z (an illustrated alphabet of nouns), Dean & Son, 1897
Sunshine, International Art Publishing, 1897
Goody Two Shoes, Dean & Son, 1897
Two Nursery Favourites, Dean & Son, 1900 (with other artists)
Bonnie Bairns, Dean & Son, 1900 (with other artists)
The Dog and His Shadow and Other Fables, Dean & Son, 1903
The Twins A.B.C., Dean & Son, 1914
Doggie’s A.B.C., Dean & Son, 1914
Beasties and Birdies, Dean & Son, 1914
Rustic Rambles by E. Constance Thompson, Meissner & Buch, 1915(?) (with John Fullwood)
Dean’s Nursery Alphabet, Dean & Son, 1916
There's rarely the space to include everything in an obituary, especially now that newspapers are slimming down and giving over less space to paying tribute to those who have passed on. A few years ago, most British papers would have carried an obituary for Carlos Ezquerra or John Armstrong, but the broadsheets of old have halved the space they give over to obituaries. This especially limits the scope of those considered a little more esoteric. Comic strip creators fall into that esoteric area: for starters, most of them were anonymous toilers and it's the strips rather than the names of the artist or writer that is remembered; secondly, not everyone has created such a memorable character as Judge Dredd, who becomes known to the wider population. Anyone reading this is likely to know of Sleaze Castle, to give an example, but who outside of our circle will have heard of it?
