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The Shoosmith Gallery is a registered charity to promote the artistic work of Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith (1865 - 1933), his sister, Fanny Violet Shoosmith (1871-1925), and their brother, William Buxton Shoosmith (1862 - 1953), to advance public knowledge and education in their paintings, and to the wider civic contributions of their family. Furthermore, to promote art therapy as a creative expression for the alleviation of trauma as a means for the advancement of well-being.
Despite their success, the artists of the Shoosmith family had faded into relative obscurity - until now.
Biography
of
Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith
(1865 - 1933)
'Ivy Towers', 30 Billing Road
Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith was born in 1865 into an affluent middle class family living at Ivy Towers, the gothic-styled house his father William Shoosmith had constructed in 1870 at 30 Billing Road, Northampton.
William was a well-respected solicitor who in 1845 established the law firm 'William Shoosmith' that would later become 'Shoosmith & Sons', followed by 'Shoosmiths & Harrison', eventually growing into the nationally recognised law firm 'Shoosmiths'. Thurston was educated at Northampton Grammar School before joining his father's firm in 1895. He would later become town clerk.
Growing up wealthy afforded a life in which family members were encouraged to paint. Thurston's mother, born Frances Buxton, was from a family who had been woodstaplers, and she and William had 5 sons and 3 daughters. Thurston was given the nickname 'Thursie', and even at his office at the firm he was referred to as 'Mr Thursie'.
It was common for artistic middle class households to receive tuition from a visiting art master, though it is not known if this was the case for the Shoosmith family. Thurston received no formal artistic training, but showed well-developed skills in his adolescent drawings. However, he was not particularly talented, and reached that stage primarily through determination and practice.
Thurston Laidlaw Shoosmith
Thurston spent much time swimming at Midsummer Meadow Lido
Thurston loved swimming, and spent plenty of time giving swimming lessons at Northampton's Midsummer Meadow on the banks of the River Nene. He had a kindly, generous, and passive nature, and unusually for the time, was a vegetarian.
In the local art community, Thurston had a great impact. He contributed to the cost of an art gallery at what is now The Northampton Museums and Art Gallery, and was the very first president of the Town and County Art Society.
He painted mostly with watercolours - a difficult technique to perfect, due to it being easily overworked with no way to undo mistakes. Some have derided his work as derivative, but Thurston evolved a style of his own, both distinctive and subtle. He painted many scenes from around Northampton, including several harsh industrial landscapes, considered a crude subject at the time. John Ruskin reportedly said during a lecture in 1884: "I have written fifty times, if once, that you can't have art where there is smoke..."
Thurston depicted several bleak industrial landscapes - considered a crude subject matter at the time
Laon (France)
In the 1880's and 90's, Thurston travelled around Europe, including France, Belgium and Germany, taking sketches which he would then paint. Some of his most technically impressive works are arguably from this period, depicting bustling city and harbour scenes, backdropped by towering churches and continental streets.
At the beginning of the 1900's, Thurston increasingly spent his summer holidays travelling around the UK, in both cities and countryside, including Bristol, Ipswich, and Newcastle. He continued to controversially paint industrial scenes, and his works provide an important record of industrial history on the canals and rivers, which even into the 1930's were the lifeblood of manufacturing industry, and the principal means of transporting raw materials and completed products.
In the early 20th century, Thurston received an international reputation through the publication of his work in The Studio magazine, which proudly proclaimed in its title "with offices in London, Paris and New York". His influence was recognised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Leeds City Art Gallery, who both acquired examples of his work.
Thurston remained in the family home until 1920, when he moved to Beckett House, Derngate. Upon retiring from legal practice to focus on painting, he gave his share of the partnership to Frank Harrison, who continued to run Shoosmiths & Harrison after the Shoosmiths had left.
Rochester
Biography
of
Fanny Violet Shoosmith
(1871 - 1925)
Thurston's younger sister Fanny Violet shared many of his passions. She was an accomplished painter in her own right, though her work was always overshadowed by her brother's more developed skills. Regardless, she clearly devoted much of her life to painting, and was very prolific.
Greatly influenced by Thurston, her works mainly depict watercolour landscapes. However, she didn't paint industrial scenes, preferring more tranquil rural and coastal views. She also seemed to have a greater propensity for invented scenes than her brother. Nevertheless, many of her scenes depict similar interests to Thurston, such as the bathing tents at Southwold, and the ruins of Leiston Abbey.
Rural lane
Coastal scene
Fanny remained a spinster, and is believed to have accompanied Thurston on several of his travels. Lots of her paintings are of locations we know her brother visited, so it is possible they sat and sketched together.
Neither Fanny nor Thurston received any formal art training, but Fanny is known to have entered an art competition in January 1898, and received high praise from the judges.
Biography
of
William Buxton Shoosmith
(1862 - 1953)
William Buxton Shoosmith was the eldest son of William Shoosmith and Frances Buxton. He was born in 1862 and qualified as a solicitor at 25. He is thought to have initially practiced on his own account while also assisting his father as Town Clerk. In 1895 he joined his father's law firm, which then became known as 'William Shoosmith & Sons". He succeeded his father as Senior Partner in 1905.
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Beckett House, Derngate
"Mr Willie" as he was affectionately known, was a keen yachtsman, spending much of his free time on the Solent. Sadly this ceased when his yacht was destroyed by fire in the Second World War. His passion for vehicles also meant he was one of the first people in the town to drive a motorcar.
In September 1924, Mr Willie sold Frank Harrison his share of the law firm, which subsequently became called 'Shoosmiths & Harrison'.
William Buxton lived with his younger brother Thurston for many years in Beckett House on Derngate. He died unmarried in 1953.