Joseph Dakin - A Redhill Artist
Joseph Dakin On the 'People of 117' page of this website The following information about Joseph Dakin is given: - Joseph Dakin Lived at Beaufort House, Upper Bridge Road, Redhill. In 1883 a Mr J.Dakin of Upper Bridge Road had two landscape paintings accepted by the Royal Academy but they were not hung due to lack of space. Mr Sean Hawkins kindly provided this additional information: - 'This artist did have pictures exhibited at the Royal Academy and many other important galleries. He was a landscape artist and two pictures I have found listed are entitled 'Old Sandpit' and 'On Reigate Heath'. A Miss Sylvia Dakin, also a landscape artist in London in 1893: possibly a daughter'. This had been on the webpage for some time when Mr Bruce Banham sent in the following (edited) email: - I lived with my parents at Highlands, Blackstones, Redhill Common, Redhill from around 1958 to 1967. During this time my parents bought a J Dakin oil picture depicting a river scene with a weeping willow on the right of the picture and ducks in the foreground. Three weeks ago I moved to France and during all this time the Dakin picture has miraculously survived and is at present hung on the wall in the utility room of my new home in France. I am interested in your comments with regard to the above. An image of the picture concerned was attached and appears below. |
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At first glance this looked to be what is
now the lower of the two Earlswood lakes, painted before
the upper lake was created. The roofs in the distance
would be those on the cottages in the 'Roundabout', a
group of homes on the common that are no longer there. In order to get a little more information I put an article into the 'Yesteryear' section of the local newspaper, the Surrey Mirror, asking for information. This produced a result. A painting entitled 'Wray Common Evening' by Joseph Dakin turned out to be in the possession of Mr John Childs of Kingswood.and is shown below |
Wray Common Evening |
The following week this article appeared in the Surrey Mirror. |
The 1879 'Pond at Earlswood' picture referred to would seem to be the one in the possession of Mr Banham. And the 'Reigate Hills from Wray Common' painting could be the one owned by Mr Childs, even though the title has changed slightly. |
Then, the Surrey Mirror of 24th January 2008 published the article shown on the right. So what is there left to
discover? Well, plenty, probably. Such as what happened
to Joseph Dakin? Did he have a family? Did he become
wealthy? Is he buried locally? What other lanscapes did
he paint? These and other questions may be answered in
time. Note Many thanks to the Surrey Mirror and all those who have contributed information about Redhill artist Joseph Dakin. |
Since the above was written the names of five more pictures by Joseph Dakin have come to light. | |||
A Rest by the Wayside (1871) | A Day Fishing 1874 | ||
A Shepherd with a Flock on a Wooded Path 1869 | Summer (date unknown) | ||
A fifth painting entitled 'Sheep in an Extensive Landscape' at first had no picture of it available but Mr David Woodards very kindly supplied this photo of a painting in his possession which could be it. While getting the painting reframed he was able to see pencilled on the back the words 'Redhill Common'. The painting is dated 1871-3 which was before the common was taken over by the Commons Conservators and many changes made. These changes may have included the removal of the mounds shown in the painting.. The distant view could be north towards the Hills beyond Merstham or south across the Weald.. | |
Dakin's signature and date on the above painting |
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Grateful thanks to Mr Woodwards for the above information and photos. | |
And two photos of Dakin watercolours have been sent by Lisa who unfortunately has no idea of their titles. Both date from 1895. | |
Many thanks to Lisa for the above photographs of paintings in her possesion. | |
This lovely photo is of a painting by Joseph
Dakin owned by John.. It is entitled 'Asking The Way' and
John says it is a view across the beach at Thurlestone in
Devon. A man dressed in a red hunting jacket is sitting
on a horse talking to a young peasant woman who looks
like she's collecting shellfish. John's family are from
Devon and at one time in the 1950's an aunt of his lived
right on the beach at Thurlestone. He inherited the
picture from his mother but doesn't recall how long it
had been in the home in Torquay where he grew up. Many thanks to John for the photo. The picture is behind glass and quite rightly John didn't want to disturb it, so the slight streaking in the photo is due to light refection. AJM September 2009 |
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Top label (Top line unreadable but may be a title) Joseph Dakin Beaufort Cott, Red Hill. Bottom label C. Hollingsworth Fine Art Gallery 7 Cranbourne Street Leicester Square London WC I would be interested to know if anyone has any further information on the title of the picture or the location of the houses and I hope this has added a little more to your very interesting story of his life. | ||
Many thanks to Christine Hawken for sending in the painting above, it's lovely and certainly adds to the information about Joseph Dakin. I wish I could identify the scene it as being of a local scene, especially as the label on the reverse bears Joseph Dakin's Redhill Address. The hills at a little like those at Reigate but are bare of trees and the large houses are unfamiliar. Could it be at the South Downs? |
The
following email received from Kathryn Lewin: - Joseph Dakin comes
from a branch of my family. The 1901
census RG13 508 p26 shows him living
with his brother George William Dakin in Camberwell. He
is shown as artist and landscape painter aged 68 and
single. He was born 28-11-1832 chr.15-2-1833 Christened Lady Huntingdon's Chapel, Blackfriars Road, Southwark. He lived in Camberwell with his parents, then his brother. His parents were Henry (b.1803) and Mary Dakin (nee Overton) m.1830 Southwark Brothers Henry John 8-1-1831 chr.23-2-1831 and Edward Russell 29-10-1834 chr.22-5-1835 both Lady H. Chapel .There were more but I don't have their dates. Also a cousin George William Dakin b.1825. Grandparents were Sarah & Joseph Dakin - grocer and cheesemonger of 172 High St Southwark, quite wealthy. Not related as far as I can find to the Thomas Dakin who was Lord Mayor and started London Necropolis Company. These Dakins were all in Commerce and grocery trade, dealing in tea, sugar, flour, cheese, and wines, with colonial interests (and slave trade). I don't know how an artist would have been received! I think Sylvia Dakin (mentioned by Sean Hawkins above) was a granddaughter of Henry John and Laura Alida Foulgoux; am still looking . They had at least fourteen children, Edward Russell and Jane Punnet had at least seven children. According to ancestry.co.uk Joseph looks likely to have died Oct 1915 in Bridge, Kent. I will keep an eye open and pass on any more information I find. .......Thank you very much for this information, Kathryn (Kathryn is descended from Joseph the grocer's brother, James, a sack merchant of Horsleydown) |
From
Elizabeth Petku I'm taking the liberty to ask for your help. I have in my possession a watercolor portrait sign by the artist.J.Dakin. Looking for more information about his life, his past, I found out that the Dakins were in commerce business, trading in groceries, sugar, tea, wine and also in slave trade. The portrait I own, it's a portrait of a slave (it looks like) and is signed by the artist. I would be very grateful if I could get more information.. Thank you for the photo of the painting, Elizabeth. Whether or not the portrait is of a slave I wouldn't like to say but it's certainly the first portrait on this page. |
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More information from Mr Sean Hawkins who found his Joseph Dakin's grave and that of his parents in Reigate Cemetery, and with some difficulty deciphered the worn inscription on their memorial ledgerstone. | |
Photos courtesy Sean hawkins |
The inscriptions read: - Father . . . . Henry Dakin born
August (cannot read the date) 1802; died at Redhill, 22
April 1886. Grateful thanks once again to Sean. |
As this history is
developing as it goes along perhaps it would be
appropriate to summarise known information here. 1832 Joseph Dakin born 28th
November (as stated above by Kathryn Lewin). As a painting dated 1871-3 is of Redhill Common it may be that the Dakins moved to Redhill around this date 1881 census - Aged 48 and
still unmarried Joseph is now at Beaufort House, Redhill,
and still with his parents. His . . . . .. . . . .
.. . . . .. . . occupation
is that of 'artist landscape painter'. |
Speculation |
From the above is is possible that as Joseph Dakin prospered he was able to see that his parents had a comfortable retirement in Redhill, although having lived all their lives in Lambeth that would have been quite a big change for them and may have meant moving away from the rest of the family. Perhaps there was another reason for the move away from South London. Joseph could have been seeking countryside subjects for his landscapes and persuaded them to move with him to Redhill so that he could accomplish that and look after them in their old age. It does seem that with them gone Redhill was not for him and he moved back to South London, living at and working from his brother's house. Having spent his whole life with his parents it seems fitting that he should now be with them at Reigate. |
Finally, Mr Bain emailed with the following: - | |
The Dulwich Gallery has a drawing/print/painting by Joseph Dakin dated 1894 of the interior of the Dulwich Gallery. My wife and I saw it there many years ago and it was reproduced in a catalogue for an exhibition held at the gallery in 2008: "The Agony and the Ecstasy. Guido Reni's Saint Sebastians", p. 105. I attach a copy of this reproduction scanned from the catalogue. A search for 'Dakin' on the Dulwich web site produces no results and so I have e-mailed the gallery to ask them whether they still have this work and for any details they can give me of it. It is of possible interest for two reasons. Since it is the only work anyone seems to have come across which is not a conventional landscape, it might suggest that Dakin had some connection with the Dulwich Gallery. Secondly, if it is a print (it is hard to be certain from the reproduction), it would indicate an interest in print-making, I'll let you know if the Dulwich Gallery gives me any useful information. With best wishes, Keith Bain |
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The Dakin picture referred to by Mr Bain. | |
Details of another painting - from Peter Williams of Surrey. |
I own a painting by J Dakin dated 1894 (see close-up of signature). It is named (something) Wood (see close up of torn label on back) it would be nice to know which wood. I also attach a photo of the picture which I think is in watercolour. I don t know how it entered my family but we did live in Redhill first Woodlands Road in the 1940-50s, then in mid fifties/early 60s at Gatton Point as part of the then Hawthorns School. My Mother had water colour painting as a hobby. | |
The tranquil scene | The torn label that reveals not quite enough of the name of the painting's subject |
The signature and date on the painting | |
This painting could be of a wood (as in clusters of trees) but it doesnt look like that, it looks more like a farm in which case ???? Wood could be its name. Also is it ????? wood (two words) or ?????wood (one word), and is the w lower or upper case? The other problem is that places change so much as to be unrecognisable 100 years later. Close to Redhill theres the area called Earlswood, which would have been built up by 1894 but there would still have been farm land around it. A few miles away theres the village of Charlwood. In both cases the w would be lower case. Probably it's neither of these. If anyone else has any suggestions perhaps they would email me and I'll pass them on to Peter - AJM | |
A painting owned by Barry Price | |
This Dakin work is dated 1870. Barry would love to know the location. Could this scene still be recognisable after 170 years? It may have been painted before Joseph Dakin came to Redhill. | |
Andrew Randall sent this photo of his 1869 painting | |
Measuring 9" x 6" this painting has been in Andrew's family since the 1920s. | |
Many thanks to all contributors. Our knowledge of Joseph Dakin's life and work is increasing. |
This is a page on Alan Moore's website (retired 2014) |
17 April 2012 |