W. RAINEY
by
Robert J. Kirkpatrick
W. Rainey was a highly respected painter in oils and watercolours who was also a popular, versatile and prolific illustrator of children’s books, especially boys’ adventure stories. In particular, he illustrated several of the first editions of G.A. Henty’s novels.
He was born, and named as William Rainey (some sources give his full name as William Henry, although there appears to be no evidence for this – there is no record, for example, of him being baptized), in Newington, Surrey, on 21 July 1852. He was the third of eight children born to George Rainey, a surgeon and lecturer in anatomy at St. Thomas’s Hospital, born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, in 1801, and his wife Martha (née Dee), born in Twyning, Gloucestershire, in 1827. Their other children were George (born in 1848), James (1850), Henry (1856), Martha (1858), Charles (1861), Frances (1865), and Frederick (1867).
On 11 June 1877 he married Harriet Matilda Bennett at the Church of St. George the Martyr in Queen Street, Camden – she was the daughter of Thomas Bennett, a civil engineer, born in 1859 in Bloomsbury, London. They went on to have four children: Florence (born in 1878), Edith (1881), George (1886), and Victor (1898).
In 1878, Rainey exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first (a painting entitled “At Lyme Regis”). His address was given as 10 Bolt Court, Fleet Street – this may well have been a studio address, although Bolt Court was known for being the home of several publishers of cheap literature. (An obituary in The Eastbourne Gazette published two days after he died noted that after he had finished his studies “He besieged the editorial offices in London...”). A year later, the Royal Academy gave his address as 12 New Court. Lincolns Inn. By 1881 he and his wife and first two children were living at 2 Palmers Green Villas, Edmonton.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy throughout the 1880s and 1890s (exhibiting 19 paintings altogether up till 1904, and it was on the strength of his early work that he began receiving commissions for book illustrations. His earliest work was largely aimed at young children – books such as Pictures and Rhymes for the Wee Ones (1880), Stories and Pictures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes and Other Creatures (1886), Sunbeam Stories in Prose and Verse (1886), and Fun and Frolics for Little Folk (1890).
In the mid-1880s he moved his family to Shoreham, Kent, and in 1890 he moved to 10 West Street, Chichester. He began contributing to more periodicals, including The British Workman, Boys, The Family Friend, The Friendly Visitor, The Children’s Friend, The Mother’s Companion, Chatterbox, and Horner’s Stories. He was also illustrating books for publishers such as S.W. Partridge & Co., the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Blackie & Son and W. & R. Chambers. He had been elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in April 1891, and the Institute of Painters in Oil Colours in November 1891. In 1893, he won a medal at the Chicago World’s Fair, and in 1900 he won a medal at the World’s Fair in Paris.
As an artist, Rainey painted in a variety of genres – landscapes, seascapes, portraits, military scenes, interiors etc. In a brief obituary published shortly after he died, The Times commented that “He was rather sentimental in style, but he could represent a great variety of types and characters, and he had a good sense of drama. His drawings always seemed to belong to the stories he illustrated.” As an illustrator, his specialities were historical and adventure stories. He illustrated seven first editions of G.A. Henty’s novels, beginning with At Aboukir and Acre in 1899, and he also provided new illustrations for four other Henty stories when they were re-issued. Other authors whose books he illustrated included George Manville Fenn, F.S. Brereton, Herbert Strang, Harry Collingwood, Bessie Marchant, L.T. Meade and May Baldwin. He also turned his hand to the occasional school story, illustrating two of John Finnemore’s Teddy Lester books. He also illustrated new editions of classic novels such as The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, David Copperfield, Dombey and Son, The Newcombes, Robinson Crusoe and a handful of Walter Scott’s novels. As well as novels, he also contributed to annuals such as Dutton’s Holiday Annual, Nister’s Holiday Annual, Bright Eyes: An Annual for Young Folk, Tiny Trots: An Annual for Little People, and The Lilac Book for Girls. All told, he illustrated around 200 books.
Both of his sons served in the First World War, George with the Royal Field Artillery and Victor with the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment – he was killed in action on 30 September 1917.
By then, William Rainey had moved again, for one last time, to “Avonmore”, Granville Hill, Eastbourne, Sussex, although sadly his wife died only a couple of years later, March 1919. He began to take an active part in the Eastbourne Society of Artists, and served as President for a few years until around 1932. He had a solo exhibition in Eastbourne’s Towner Gallery in 1935. He also, unusually for an illustrator, tried his hand at authorship, writing (and illustrating) three boys’ adventure stories in 1928, 1929 and (posthumously) 1937.
He died suddenly, whilst taking a walk along the seafront at Eastbourne, on 24 January 1936, leaving an estate valued at £388 (around £24,000 in today’s terms).
PUBLICATIONS
Books written (and illustrated) by W. Rainey (as William Rainey)
Abdulla: The Mystery of an Ancient Papyrus, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1928
The Last Voyage of the “Jane Ann”, Blackie & Son, 1929
The Lost “Reynolds”, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1937
Books illustrated by W. Rainey
Pictures and Rhymes for the Wee Ones, publisher not known (USA), 1880 (with other artists)
Satisfied: A Tale by Catherine M. Trowbridge, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1882
Stories and Pictures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, and Other Creatures by James Weston, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1886 (with other artists)
Pretty Pink’s Purpose, or The Little Street Merchants by M.A. Paull, Cassell & Co., 1886
A Sailor’s Lass by Emma Leslie, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1886
His Little Royal Highness by Ruth Ogden, Griffith, Farran & Co., 1897
Birdie: A Tale of Child Life by Harriet L. Childe-Pemberton, Griffith, Farran & Co., 1888
Sunbeam Stories in Prose and Verse, George Routledge & Sons, 1888(?)
The China Jug, and The Foster Mother by Mary Russell Mitford, George Routledge & Sons, 1889(?)
Dumb Friends by Maggie Browne, Cassell & Co., 1899 (with other artists)
White Turrets by Mrs Molesworth, W. & R. Chambers, 1890
Fun and Frolic for Little Folk, Ernest Nister, 1890
A Ride to Picture-land: A Book of Joys for Girls and Boys, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1890 (with other artists)
Our Little Dots’ Picture Scrap Book, Religious Tract Society, 1890 (with other artists)
Sweet Content by Mrs Molesworth, Griffith, Farran & Co., 1891
The White Lady of Hazelwood by Emily Saah Holt, John F. Shaw & Co., 1891
By Sea-shore, wood and Moorland: Peeps at Nature by Edward Step, S.W. partridge & Co., 1891 (with other artists)
Spitewinter by Helen Shipton, S.P.C.K., 1892
Tom’s Trust by Maud Carew, S.P.C.K., 1892
Martin Redfern’s Oath by Ethel Foster Heddle, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1892
A Way in the Wilderness by Maggie Swan, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1892
Phil’s Frolic: A Story for Boys by F. Scarlett Potter, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1892
Four on an Island by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1892
Don Carlos: Our Childhood’s Hero by Evelyn Everett Green, S.P.C.K., 1892
Losing and Finding, or The Moonstone Ring by Jennie Chappell, S.W. Partridge, 1893
Steve Young, or The Voyage of the “Hvalross” to the Icy Seas by George Maville Fenn, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1893
Bo-Peep: A Treasury for the Little Ones, Cassell & Co., 1892 (with other artists)
Tavistock Tales by various authors, Isbister & Co., 1893 (with other artists)
Whither Bound? A Story of Two Lost Boys by Owen Landor, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1894
First in the Field: A Story of New South Wales by George Manville Fenn, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1894
Louie’s Married Life by Sarah Doudney, S.W. Partridge, 1894
The Crab’s Umbrella, and Ted’s Golden Cloud by E.M. Waterworth, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1894
Five Stars in a Little Pool by Edith Carrington, Cassell & Co., 1894 (with other artists)
Off and Away: Pictures and Stories for Grave and Gay by Charles D. Michael, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1894(?) (with other artists)
Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days by George Manville Fenn, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1895
Through Thick and Thin: The Story of a School Campaign by Andrew Home, W. & R. Chambers, 1896
The Adventures of Don Lavington by George Manville Fenn, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1896
An Ocean Outlaw: A Story of Adventure in the `Good Ship Margaret by Hugh St. Leger, Blackie & Son, 1896
Plucky Rex, or The Secret of the Mine: A Tale of Pengarven Bay by F.M. Holmes, John Hogg, 1896
Lady Betty’s Twins by E.M. Waterworth, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1896
Nip and Tuck Stories: Stories and Pictures for Our Little Ones by various authors, Lothrop Publishing Co., (USA), 1896 (with other artists)
The Naval Cadet: A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea by Gordon Stables, Blackie & Son, 1897
The Log of a Privateersman by Harry Collingwood, Blackie & Son, 1897
The Golden Galleon: Being a Narrative of the Adventures of Master Gilbert Oglander by Robert Leighton, Blackie & Son, 1897
The Bell Buoy, or The Story of the Mysterious Key by F.M. Holmes, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1897
Queen of the Isles by Jessie Saxby, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1897
Meg Langholme, or The Day After Tomorrow by Mrs Molesworth, W. & R. Chambers, 1897
His Majesty’s Beggars by Mary E. Ropes, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1897(?)
Story after Story, McLoughlin Bros. (USA), 1897 (with other artists)
The Bonded Three by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1898
A Dreadful Mistake by Geraldine Lockler, Blackie & Son, 1898
The Turkish Automaton: A Tale of the Time of Catherine the Great of Russia by Sheila E. Braine, Blackie & Son, 1898
At Aboukir and Acre: A Story of Napoleon’s Invasion of Egypt by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son 1898
The Eagle’s Nest by S.E. Cartwright, Blackie & Son, 1898
The Monkey That Would Not Kill by Henry Drummond, Hodder & Stoughton, 1898
Brave Deeds of Youthful Heroes by various authors, Religious Tract Society, 1898 (with other artists)
The Girls of St. Wode’s by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1898
Butterfly Ballads and Stories in Rhyme by Helen Atteridge, John Milne, 1898 (with other artists)
New Chatterwell Stories, McLoughlin Bros. (USA), 1898 (with other artists)
The Uncharted Island by Skelton Kuppord, T. Nelson & Sons, 1899
The Girl Captives: A Story of the Indian Frontier by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1899
All Hands on Deck! By W. Charles Metcalfe, Blackie & Son, 1899
Light O’ the Morning: The Story of an Irish Girl by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1899
Fortune’s Wheel: A South African Story by Eliza F. Pollard, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1899
Lost in the Backwoods by E.C. Kenyon, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1899
Woman’s World, Lever Brothers Ltd., 1899
Chimney Corner Stories, McLoughlin Bros. (USA),1899 (with other artists)
Westward Ho! By Charles Kingsley, Blackie & Son, 1899 (re-issue)
The Boer’s Blunder: A Veldt Adventure by Fox Russell, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1900
A Roving Commission, or Through the Black Insurrection of Hayti by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1900
Miss Nonentity by L.T. Meade, W. & Chambers, 1900
Holiday Times by P.W. Dickinson, Ernest Nister, 1900
Romance of Real Life: True Incidents in the Lives of the Great and Good by various authors, Religious Tract Society, 1900 (with other artists)
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club by Charles Dickens, Gresham Publishing Co., 1901 (re-issue)
With Buller in Natal, or A Born Leader by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1901
Out with Garibaldi: A Story of the Liberation of Italy by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1901
Gunpowder Treason and Plot and Other Stories for Boys by Harold Avery and others, T. Nelson & Sons, 1901 (with other artists)
A Very Naughty Girl by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1901
Sunny Days for Boys and Girls by various authors, Miles & Miles, 1901(?) (with other artists)
With Roberts to Pretoria: A Tale of the South African War by G.A, Henty, Blackie & Son, 1902
Grit and Go by G.A. Henty and other authors, W. & R. Chambers, 1902
The Diamond Seekers by Ernest Glanville, Blackie & Son, 1902
The Dragon of Pekin: A Tale of the Boxer Revolt by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1902
Donalblane of Darien by James Macdonald Oxley, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1902
The Rebel of the School by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1902
With Kitchener in the Sudan: A Story of Atbara and Omdurman by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1903
In Search of the Okapi: A Story of Adventure in Central Africa by Ernest Glanville, Blackie & Son, 1903
Foes of the Red Cockade: A Story of the French Revolution by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1903
Lost Sir Brian by Frederick Whishaw, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1903
Sibyl, or Old School Friends by May Baldwin, W. & R. Chambers, 1903
Sacred Allegories by William Adams, Longmans, Green & Co., 1903 (with other artists)
The Newcombes by W.M. Thackeray, Blackie & Son, 1903 (re-issue)
The Woman of the Well by Frances Craig Houston, Religious Tract Society, 1903
The Personal History of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, Blackie & Son, 1904 (re-issue)
The Yellow Shield, or A Captive in the Zulu Camp by William Johnston, S.W. Partridge, 1904
A Soldier of Japan: A Story of the Russo-Japanese War by Herbert Strang, Blackie & Son, 1906
A Hero of Lucknow: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1904
Petronella, and The Coming of Polly by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1904
Under the Old Oaks, or Won by Love by anon., T. Nelson & Sons, 1904 (re-issue)
By Conduct and Courage: A Story of the Days of Nelson by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1905
Tom Burke of “Ours” by Charles Lever, Blackie & Son, 1905
The Adventures of Harry Rochester: A Tale of the Days of Marlborough and Eugene by Herbert Strang, Blackie & Son, 1905
Brown of Moukden: A Story of the Russo-Japanese War by Herbert Strang, Blackie & Son, 1905
Wilful Cousin Kate: A Girl’s Story by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1905
The Holiday Picture Book by Harry Golding, Ward, Lock & Co., 1905
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, W. & R. Chambers, 1905 (re-issue)
One of Clive’s Heroes: A Story of the Fight for India by Herbert Strang, Hodder & Stoughton, 1906
The Boy Tramp by Thomas Cobb, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1906
With Roberts to Candahar: A Tale of the Third Afghan War by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1906
A Knight of St. John: A Tale of the Siege of Malta by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1906
Across the Spanish Main : A Tale of the Sea in the Days of Queen Bess by Harry Collingwood, Blackie & Son, 1906
Jack Hardy, or A Hundred Years Ago by Herbert Strang, Hodder & Stoughton, 1906
The Mender by Amy Le Feuvre, Religious Tract Society, 1906
Peg’s Adventures in Paris: A School Tale by May Baldwin, W. & R. Chambers, 1906
Aunt Patty’s Paying Guests by Eglanton Thorne, Religious Tract Society, 1906
A Little Gipsy Lass: A Story of Moorland and Wild by Gordon Stables, W. & R. Chambers, 1907
The Wonderful Invention, or Along the King’s Highway by M.J. Cornwall Legh, Religious Tract Society. 1907
The Quest of the Black Opals: A Tale of Adventure in the Heart of Australia by Alexander Macdonald, Blackie & Son, 1907
Jones of the 64th: A Tale of the Battles of Assaye and Laswaree by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1907
How Canada Was Won: A Tale of Wolfe and Quebec by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1908
The White Trail: A Story of the Early Days of Klondike by Alexander Macdonald, Blackie & Son, 1908
The Great White Chief: A Story of Adventure in Unknown New Guinea by Robert Maclauchlan Macdonald, Blackie & Son, 1908
Under the Chillian Flag: A Tale of the War Between Chilli and Peru by Harry Collingwood, Blackie & Son, 1908
Daughters of the Dominion: A Story of the Canadian Frontier by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1908
Samba: A Story of the Rubber Slaves of the Congo by Herbert Strang, Hodder & Stoughton, 1908
When Lion Heart was King: A Tale of Robin Hood and Merry Sherwood by Escott Lynn, Blackie & Son, 1908
The Giant of the Treasure Caves by E.G. Mulliken, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1908
The School Queens by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1908
A Courageous Girl: A Story of Uruguay by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1908
The Court-Harman Girls by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1908
Pigtails and Pirates: A Tale of the Sea by William Charles Metcalfe, Blackie & Son, 1908
The Silver Hand: A Story of India in the Eighteenth Century by Eliza F. Pollard, Blackie & Son, 1908
The Hill that Fell Down: A Story of a Large Family by Evelyn Sharp, Blackie & Son, 1909
Ford of HMS Vigilant: A Tale of the Chusan Archipelago by T.T. Jeans, Blackie & Son, 1909
The Hidden Nugget: A Story of the Australian Goldfields by Alexander Macdonald, Blackie & Son, 1909
Through the Heart of Tibet: A Tale of a Secret Mission to Lhasa by Alexander Macdonald, Blackie & Son, 1909
Becky Compton, Ex-Dux by Raymond Jacberns, W. & R. Chambers, 1909
The Seven Wise Men by S.R. Crockett, Religious Tract Society, 1909
Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, George G. Harrap, 1909 (re-issue)
The Lone Patrol by John Finnemore, W. & R. Chambers, 1910
The Cruise of the “Kingfisher”: A Tale of Deep-sea Adventure by H. de Vere Stacpoole, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1910
Three Amateur Scouts by Raymond Jacberns, W. & R. Chambers, 1910
The Knights of Charlemagne, Blackie & Son, 1910
Three Girls in Mexico by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1910
On Foreign Service, or The Santa Cruz Revolution by T.T. Jens, Blackie & Son, 1910
Hilda’s Experiences by May Baldwin, W. & R. Chambers, 1910
Poetry of Empire: Nineteen Centuries of British History by John Lang, T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1910
The Story of France Told to Boys and Girls by Mary MacGregor, T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1911
Greta’s Domain: A Tale of Chiloé by Bessie Comfort, Blackie & Son, 1911
Plutarch’s Lives for Boys and Girls by W.H. Weston, T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1911
A Middy of the Slave Squadron: A West African Story by Harry Collingwood, Blackie & Son, 1911
The Girls of Merton College by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1911
A Schoolgirl of Moscow by May Baldwin, W. & R. Chambers, 1911
Corah’s School Chums by May Baldwin, W. & R. Chambers, 1912
A Boy of the Dominion : A Tale of Canadian Immigration by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1912
The Hero of Panama; A Tale of the Great Canal by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1912
The Youngest Sister: A Tale of Manitoba by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1912
A Princess of Servia: A Story of Today by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1912
The Sibyl of St Pierre: A Tale of Martinique by Bessie Marchant, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1912
Among Chinese Pirates by W. Charles Metclafe, Blackie & Son, 1912
A Girl of Distinction: A Tale of the Karroo by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1912
The Story of Rome from the Earliest Times to the Death of Augustus by Mary Macgregor, T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1912
A Polish Hero: A Tale of the Times of Catherine the Great of Russia by Sheila E. Braine, Blackie & Son, 1912
Character Training: A Suggestive Series of Lessons in Ethics by Ella Lyman Cabot, George G. Harrap & Co., 1912
A Book of Golden Deeds by Charlotte M. Yonge, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1912 (re-issue)
The Loyalty of Hester Hope: A Story of British Columbia by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1913
The Tale of a Tambour, and How He made some Noise in the World by D.H. Parry, Hodder & Stoughton, 1913
A Hero of the Mutiny by Escott Lynn, W. & R. Chambers, 1913
With the Dyaks of Borneo: A Tale of the Headhunters by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1913 (re-issue)
With Wellington in Spain: A Story of the Peninsula by F.S. Brereton, Blackie & Son, 1914
When They Were Children: Stories of the Childhood of Famous Men and Women by Amy Steedman, T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1913
Poetry of Heroism by John & Jean Lang, G.P. Putnam’s Sons (USA), 1913
The Boy Castaways, or Endeavour Island by Tom Taprell Dorling, Blackie & Son, 1914
Teddy Lester’s Schooldays by John Finnemore, W. & R. Chambers, 1914
A Boy Scout with the Russians by John Finnemore, W. & R. Chambers, 1914
Helen of the Black Mountain: A Story of Montenegro by Bessie Marchant, Blackie & Son, 1914
Stories of France in Days of Old by Arthur O Cooke, T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1914
The Bravest of the Brave, or With Peterborough in Spain by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1914 (re-issue)
Stubbs and I: Being the Adventures of Two Boy Scouts During the Great War by Frank Fortune, W. & R. Chambers, 1915
Brave Margaret by Mrs Herbert Strang, Hodder & Stoughton, 1915
Teddy Lester, Captain of Cricket by John Finnemore, W. & R. Chambers, 1916
Made Mostyn’s Nieces by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1916
Hollyhock: A Spirit of Mischief by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1916
The Fairy Godmother by L.T. Meade, W. & R. Chambers, 1917
The Merry Five and “Toronto”: A Story for School Girls and Boys by Edna Lake, W. & R. Chambers, 1920
A Final Reckoning by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1920(?) (re-issue)
The Dash for Khartoum by G.A. Henty, Blackie & Son, 1920(?) (re-issue)
The Buccaneers of Boya by Percy F. Westerman, Blackie & Son, 1925
The Island Traders by Alexander Macdonald, Blackie & Son, 1925
Princess Ooma by Hélène Hampden, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1926
Held to Ransom by Violet Mary Methley, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1928
Among Chinese Pirates by W. Charles Metcalfe, Blackie & Son, 1929
Among the Bushrangers by G.A. Henty (taken from A Final Reckoning), Blackie & Son, 1929
The Waverley Novels by Sir Walter Scott – Holyrood Edition, circa 1900, published by the Gresham Publishing Company
Ivanhoe
The Pirate
The Talisman
Woodstock, or The Cavalier: A Tale of the Year 1651
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