Page:Men of the Time, eleventh edition.djvu/1111

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WELBT— WELLS.

known by his pictures of birds, fruit, and animals, and has also been suci^essful in his engravings of fish and flowers.

WELBY, The Eight Kev. Thomas Eable, D.D., Bishop of St. Helena, younger son of the late Sir WiUiam Earle Welby, Bart., of Denton House, Lincuhmhiie, born in July, 1811, was educated at Cambridge. Having held some parochial charges, he was appointed Archdeacon of George Town, in the diocese of Cape Town, South Africa, from which he was promoted. May 8, 1862, to the bishopric of St. Helena, rendered vacant by the translation of Dr. Claughton to the see of Colombo.

WELLINGTON, Bishop of. {See Hadfikld.)

WELLS, Henry Tanworth, R.A., lK>m in London in Dec, 18ll8. His first practice in art was as a miniature painter. When only sixteen years of age he exhibited at the Royal Academy a portrait of '• Master Arthur Prinsep," a bro- ther of Mr. Valentine Prinsep, the painter. At this date (1845), and for some years later. Sir William Boss and Mr. Thorbum were iJaint- ing their l)est works, and nowhere in the Academy Exhibition was the crowd so dense as before the little l)ortraits in the famous " Miniature Koom " of former days. Steadily, if at first slowly, the young artist advanced in this difficult branch of art. Before many years had elapsed, he was a worthy competitor for public favour with Eoss and Thorbum ; and ultimately, after the death of the former, and the retirement of the latter from this particular field, Mr. Wells became indisputably the first miniature painter of the day. From the year in which he first exhibitetl till 1806 he never ceased to be repre- sented as a miniaturist on the walls of the Academy ; and down to 1860 he usually exhibited eight works annually — the largest number allowed. In this long series were

a iwrtrait of Princess Mary of Cambridge, painted for Her Ma- jesty (1853) ; a charming group of the painter himself in tourist costume, his wife mounted on an ass, and a peasant boy-guide on the groimd above Amnlfi (I860) ; toge- 5ier with full lengths of the Duchess of Sutherland, Frances Counties of Waldegrave, and Mrs. Popham. Since 1861 Mr. WeUs has devoted his energies to oil-painting. It was in the Academy Exhibition of 1861 that he made his first appearance as an oil-painter, his largest con- tribution being a portrait of Lord Ranelagh, as Colonel of the South Middlesex Volunteers. Next year his principal work was a portrait- group, including the painter and his wife, and one or two friends, at an unostentatious dinner-table, the fruit and glass of the dessert still upon the white cloth. Mrs, Wells (m^e Johanna Mary Boyce) herein represented as reading aloud, whose death had occurred suddenly and under distressing circumstances on July 15, 1861, was herself a most accomplished artist. Since 1862 Mr. Wells has been a constant con- tributor to the Exhibitions of the Koyal Academy. A prominent place was awarded in 1865 to his " Preparing a Tableau Vivant " — a portrait group of three sisters ; and he also contributed a landscape entitled " Outskirt of a Farmyard at Twilight." In 1866 he painted his large picture of " Volunteers at a Firing Point," and in May that year he was elected A.E.A. Since that time he has been a constant exhibitor of portrait pictures, some of which are large compositions; as, " The Rifle Eamges at Wimble- don,'' 1867 ; *' The Earl and Coun- tess Spencer and their Friends at Wimbledon," 1868 ; " Letters and News at the Loch Side," 18^; " Lord Chancellor Hatherley, with his Attendants in Procession through the House of Lords," painted on a large scale for the Fishmongers' Company -, " Lord