Henry Stanier, A Birmingham -trained Artist Almost Unknown

[mikejee]

Below is from the Guardian of 21.2.2017, describing the work of an artist of which little is known. I have found two references to him in early life. He gained a 4th prize at the Birmingham College of Arts & School of Design for "drawing for the Antique", and he painted the classic figures on a tray that was exhibited at the great exhibition in 1851 by Walton & Co of Wolverhampton.
Could not find anyone on the censuses or directories that fitted. However in the 1845 PO directory, there is a Thomas Stanier junior, artist at 132 Broad St. Also there is another Thomas Stanier, Professor of the flute. They are in the 1841 census, when junior was 10 and I would suggest that junior started calling himself Henry (which he might have been christened with as a middle name) to distinguish himself from his father. Father died in 1853, so this might be time he then went abroad.

 

[Big Gee]

My wife, who is an arty type, is slightly familiar with the name of Henry Stanier. She thinks she remembers a painting of his on the Antiques Roadshow some time ago. There's a lot on the internet about him, and it seems he was a prolific artist. He was also, as the Guardian article states, British vice-consul to Granada, Spain, so must have come up in the world. Many of his paintings on the net are of Spanish scenes, fairly naturally. I can't find any auction prices for his works, but it seems they come up quite frequently.

I'd never heard of him, that's for sure. I wonder if he was related to the Stanier of locomotive design fame? Very interesting find, Mike.

 

[A Sparks]

This is all the information on the British Museum website at the moment

https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/places_of_the_mind.aspx

It's free so I will pop and have a look at it sometime.