Captain Booth's Fancy

NOTES FOR THE INTERESTED TO ACCOMPANY CAPTAIN BOOTH’S FANCY, An Etching by Graham Clarke, Produced entirely by hand using only traditional processes in a worldwide limited edition of 250 copies signed and numbered with 25 Artists’s Proofs.

JMW Turner and Margate, A tribute.

Short of stature and often of temper, big on noses and great on ability, Turner is regarded by many as the greatest ever English artist, anyway his Dad certainly thought so. Turner senior operated a barbers and wig business in Maiden Lane near Covent Garden. With facial hair being out of fashion and smartly groomed hair and wigs being in, it was a well patronised establishment.

In addition to the usual trappings of a barber’s shop interior there were hanging around the walls a selection of the boy Turner’s paintings. “My little son JMW is going to be famous you know”, he would inform the gent in the chair as he flourished the cut-throat razor. “May I suggest that Sir should consider purchasing one or two of my son’s remarkable works while they are still cheap?”

It should be remembered that during the latter quarter of the 18th century and in the very same district of London, another person plied the same trade, namely Sweeney Todd Esq the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Whether the ghastly legend is true and he really did supply Mrs Lovett with the contents of her pies, we do not know. My personal theory is that the tales of such dreadful doings were originated by none other than Turner the Crafty Barber of Covent Garden, his premises, a barbers shop being the perfect place for such gossip and rumour mongering. The results were twofold, S Todd lost trade and little JMW sold pictures, sharp practice or what? - Whatever the truth it is hardly surprising that beards rapidly became fashionable again.

Had my own father MWM Clarke been as eager to ensure that his artistic son should make a name for himself and had the foresight to dangle my juvenile works around the walls of The Midland Bank, Catford during the 1950’s how different things might have been. “I’m sorry Mrs Foxtonsil I am reluctant to cash this cheque unless you can see your way clear to spend a significant proportion of the said monies on one of our clever Graham’s watercolours of Lake Windemere, he copies them from postcards you know”. No such luck for me, I had to badger to even THINK about Beckenham Art School.

Anyway, by the time JMW was eleven or twelve years of age he had visited the fine resort of Margate on the Isle of Thanet in Kent. It had been noted by the medical profession for its marvellously bracing air i.e. cold and blowy , and the particular health giving properties of its sea water i.e. cold and salty and had been by far the most fashionable of such health giving places for 50 years, long before Brighton please note.

It was here that Mr Benjamin Beale invented the bathing machine and another local entrepreneur introduced the novel idea to visitors of riding donkeys along the sands and parting with good money to do so.

Soon after his first visit, no doubt travelling from London down the Thames estuary by boat, JMW attended a school in Love Lane. Possibly to accompany a family friend, a sickly lad sent there for the good of his health. For more interesting details consult the excellent book ‘Turner, a Life’ by James Hamilton (1997 Hodder & Stoughton).

He must have loved the place and returned on innumerable occasions over the next 60 years, one theory is that this was simply for the fish and chips, excellent as they are in the town. Who wouldn’t journey 70 miles in rough seas to worship at the shrine of “Haddock and chips twice to take away please love and not too much vinegar”. It is more likely however that he came for the artistic inspiration to be found in the marvellous sunrises and sunsets, ships, boats, storms and Mrs Sophia Booth, especially the latter. Mr and Mrs Booth lived close by the sea adjacent to the Ship Inn (see the etching herewith) and took in lodgers, one of their regular customers, forever on his sketching jaunts was our JMW. Upon the demise of Mr Booth, a retired sea captain?, Turner and Sophia became and remained for the rest of his life ‘very close friends’. Indeed some art historians insist that most of his inspired sunsets were painted from Mrs B’s bedroom window looking westward up the Thames estuary while waiting for her to finish the washing up.

I had drawn this etching plate scratching lines through the waxy ground and immersed it in Dutch Mordant (doctored Hydrochloric acid) 5 or 6 times, cleaned it off and proofed it for the first time when Lo and Behold! I was astonished to observe that the rather dubious looking character at the helm of the Victoria bore an uncanny resemblance to myself. At this stage of the process of careful damage to a copper plate that is called etching, JMW’s canvas on the easel in the prow of the vessel was quite blank. But the suspicious look in my lookalike’s eyes and the curious attention of the small boy in the boat, demanded something of more interest than a mere empty canvas, thus I added the person holding the flower. This is none other than his beloved Sophia and as you can see a true joy to behold. Why JMW is working on this portrait of his lady love when he should be painting boats in a rough sea I am not prepared to divulge. It is well known that he was, throughout his life, a very secretive man and I for one feel obliged to respect his wishes. Secretive he was and when in the company of those who were unaware that he was the most famous artist of his day he referred to himself as Captain Booth. It should be carefully noted by fellow artists that his canvas is in perspective.

ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTE

In the top left corner of this work can be observed three turnstones (also in perspective) these charming little birds, anxious to leave Arctic Canada (and who can blame them) during colder weather, choose the pleasant beaches of Margate and Thanet for their winter break. No other county in England has provided names for three species of bird, we have the Kentish Plover, the Dartford Warbler and the Sandwich Tern, and very proud we are too. As part of my ambassadorial duties for my County I have made efforts to rename the turnstone, the Thanet Gannet or preferably the Margate Turnerstone, so far without success, but will, of course, keep trying. “Noblesse Obilge”, as we say.

Some of the facts in the foregoing paragraphs and in the etching itself are of dubious authenticity, the author/artist is both guilty and unrepentant. Anachronologism and topomorphosity were also freely employed by JMW Turner , so if it’s ok for him it’s ok for YRS Trooley

Graham Clarke