Herbert Woodhouse was the second son of the Australian artist, Frederick Woodhouse (1820-1909) who is noted for his paintings of race horses including the portraits of the Melbourne Cup winners from the first race in 1861 until 1888. Herbert followed the profession of his father, taking up wood-engraving and lithography, as well as painting. In addition to exhibiting his own art, and giving concert performances as a singer, Woodhouse was particulalry active in organising exhibitions, theatrical festivals and benefit concerts, including one, in 1915, for the Belgian Relief Fund.
HERBERT WOODHOUSE (1855-1920) Melbourne Cup 1900 Won by Clean Sweep Leaving the Straight at The River Turn watercolour signed lower right: Herbert Woodhouse signed, dated and titled verso: Herbert Woodhouse / Melbourne Cup / 1900 /Won by Clean Sweep, Leaving the straight at the river turn 34 x 53.5cm PROVENANCE Private Collection, Melbourne ESSAY Herbert James Woodhouse watercolour "The Melbourne Cup 1900 won by Clean Sweep: Leaving the Straight at the River Turn" _______________________________________________________________________ The watercolour titled (on the back of its current framing) "The Melbourne Cup 1900 won by Clean Sweep: Leaving the Straight at the River Turn" and signed on the painting itself "Herbert Woodhouse" is notable both for artistic and historical reasons. The Woodhouse Family of Artists The Woodhouse name was synonymous with Australian equine art in the colonial period, and the family was the most prolific of all equine artists in that time and place. Their contribution has been well chronicled by Dr Colin Laverty in his 1980 book Australian Colonial Sporting Painters: Frederick Woodhouse and Sons, in his illustrated 1983 catalogue to the exhibition Pastures and Pastimes and in entries by him and by Professor Joan Kerr in the Dictionary of Australian Art and its successor website www.daao.org.au Frederick Woodhouse (1820-1909), Herbert's father, was renowned for painting contemporary equine portraits of all of the winners of the Melbourne Cup since its inception in 1861 through to 1888 {‘the Melbourne Cup always meant £100 to me' he later recalled), and for many larger racing paintings in oils, the best known being his "The Start for the 1862 Melbourne Cup" (Victoria Racing Club Collection). As the camera began to make its inroads into the demand for equine portraits, Woodhouse and his sons increasingly diversified into lithographic prints and publications. Most notable of these is the 1889 A Record of the Melbourne Cup: giving a full account of every race for the Cup, with portraits of all the winners, drawn under the supervision of Fred. Woodhouse, senr. Herbert Woodhouse is acknowledged as the lithographer in this book of 40 pages plus plates. Herbert James Woodhouse 1854 – 1937 Herbert Woodhouse was born in Essex, England, emigrating to Australia at the age of three with his parents Frederick and Mary (nee Bysouth) and three brothers (Frederick WH, Claude and Clarence); two more brothers (Edwin 1858-1922, Arthur 1861-1918) were born in Australia. Two newspaper articles during Herbert's lifetime give anecdotal accounts of his life and career. The South Australian Advertiser (1 January 1886) devotes an extensive article to "Artists and Studios of Adelaide". It reports that Herbert ‘received his earliest instruction from his father, and has followed none other than artistic work for a livelihood, contributing drawings on wood to the Australian Sketcher, Australian News, Sydney Town and Country Journal and other illustrated periodicals....' The later article in Table Talk (3 January 1890) says that Herbert's earliest works appeared in a short-lived publication called New Sporting Era. Herbert first appeared as an illustrator in his own right in 1879 in an illustrated annual called Southern Sunbeams (‘containing... sketches of the field, stage and turf'). He moved to South Australia around 1881 to work at the weekly illustrated Adelaide Punch. The Advertiser estimated that ‘in four years he drew upwards of 1,000 lithographic illustrations for the defunct Adelaide Punch.' It was now that Herbert began exhibiting his own paintings, as against lithographs. In 1881 he was painting a commission for Samuel Barnard of his horse Totalizator, winner of the 1881 Adelaide Cup. The local Advertiser praised the depiction of the horse, jockey and owner but complained that ‘the likeness of Totalizator's trainer is not so good.' (20 August 1881) Herbert painted some other South Australian equine portraits in this period, and his portrait of the greyhound who won the local ‘Waterloo Cup' coursing race was part of the prize for the winning owner. The 1886 article refers to his thorough practical knowledge of ‘chromo-lithographic drawing' but also to his painting, noting ‘as a proof of landscape ability the judges at the recent exhibition of the South Australian Art Society awarded him first prize for the best original watercolour. They regarded his contribution in oils in this department as the best, but too incomplete in detail to award a prize.' His studio was in Barnard Chambers, Currie Street, Adelaide where he had ‘miscellaneous sketches in oil and water colour, principally sporting subjects; but there is a good number of thoroughly Australian character... besides pen-and-ink notes from nature of every class of subject.' Herbert took over the ownership of Adelaide Punch but sold it soon afterwards, where reportedly it merged with a publication called Lantern. He returned to Melbourne in 1886 and Table Talk said that his paintings were exhibited at the Victorian Academy of Arts and the New South Wales Art Society. From a studio in Collins Street, he periodically conducted sales of art, including his own works. He had a strong commercial and social instinct, helping found a Lithographic Artists and Engravers' Club and becoming a stalwart – and long-term secretary - of the Victorian Sketching Club. At an 1890 water colour and black-and-white exhibition by the Victorian Artists' Society he exhibited in company with such illustrious names as Julian Ashton, John Mather, Tom Roberts and Ellis Rowan. The 1890s, a decade of economic depression, were difficult years for artists in Melbourne. Initiatives by the Woodhouse family must be seen in this light, particularly their efforts to sell pictures and publications centred around the Melbourne Cup. The race continued in its popularity. Herbert as lithographer hit on the idea of presenting illustrated lectures and recitations of poems by Adam Lindsay Gordon. His talent as an amateur actor began to bloom. In 1892 Herbert and his father Frederick senior held a joint pre-Christmas exhibition at Scott's Hotel, Collins Street – the favourite hostelry for pastoralists and the racing fraternity visiting Melbourne. Fred Woodhouse had 16 works on display (‘nearly all bearing upon the best phases of true sport') while Herbert had nine oils and one water colour, all landscapes. ‘His style,' Table Talk reported (23 December 1892), ‘quite unlike his father's, is more modern in method... The artist paints almost solely in the open air, and his studies are generally carried out during the trips of the Victorian Sketching Club'. Similarly reflecting his commercial instinct, Herbert undertook in 1893-94 a limited edition (200 copies) large lithograph (85.5cm x 142.5 – said at the time to be the largest lithograph plate every produced) with key, "A Meet of the Melbourne Hunt Club", which Laverty considers to be his most significant work. Taking a cue from the famous Carl Kahler paintings, sold also as lithographs, of Flemington scenes c.1889-90, Woodhouse incorporated recognisable leading gentleman and ladies of Melbourne on horseback, including the Governor and Lady Hopetoun, the Chirnsides, Watsons, Manifolds, Armytages, all of whom sat for their portraits and were more than likely to purchase one of the limited edition copies. Herbert followed this with watercolour portraits of Lord Hopetoun on his grey mare Tasma, with Lady Hopetoun on her favourite mare Snowball. Returning to a racing theme, Herbert exhibited in November 1894 a water colour ‘The Stone Wall', ‘representing a steeplechase incident at Flemington'. Seven ‘well-known cross- country owners' were represented by the colours worn by the riders. Again we can see a commercial instinct at play, as winning owners are always susceptible to buying a good painting of their horse in action. Many of his paintings in this era are described, not reproduced. For example (Table Talk 26 February 1897) speaks of ‘a perfect gem by the versatile artist Mr Herbert Woodhouse' displayed for sale in Collins Street ‘near the Stock Exchange'. It represented ‘the first six horse in the Melbourne Cup last November with a view of the grand stand and lawn behind. All the colours and lovely details are admirably finished.' Similarly (Table Talk 3 September 1897), ‘Herbert Woodhouse, the versatile painter of sporting pictures, has just finished a water-colour gem entitled "The Pick of Caulfield" in which the colours of Mrs J. King, Messrs J.T. Carslake, Carmody, J. Redfearm, Samuels and J. Leek are represented with a background of the grand stand.' In August of that year, Herbert travelled to Perth expressly to paint a portrait of a horse named Le Var who had just won the Coolgardie Cup. There was money at that time on the Western Australian goldfields. In November 1897 Melbourne Punch commissioned him to produce a coloured picture of Amberite, winner of the recent Caulfield Cup. In this way it can be seen that while racing was certainly not the only subject matter for Herbert Woodhouse, it was often the source of his most reliable income. It is also clear that Herbert was on the watch for new ways of presenting his racing pictures. "A Large Field Leaving the Straight". In relation to the painting under discussion ("The Melbourne Cup 1900), the following paragraph from Table Talk, 15 September 1899 is of special interest. It describes an exhibition at the Melbourne Art Club at that time. This was, of course, several weeks before the running of the Melbourne Cup of November 1899. ‘Of the new pictures by local artists a few have just come under notice. "The Rendezvous," by Mr. Herbert Woodhouse, a very thoughtful and pleasing study of horse-life, with abundance of Australian characteristics pervading the subject,. "A Large Field Leaving the Straight" is another horse picture by this artist, and is a stirring and comprehensive bit of Flemington on Cup Day. Both works are water colours, and he has done some very nature-like landscapes on a smaller scale.' No image of this 1899 painting was provided by Table Talk. This presents us with two options. Either Herbert Woodhouse repeated the same idea after the running of the 1900 Melbourne Cup, painting another watercolour and giving it the same title, "A Large Field Leaving the Straight"... Or Herbert Woodhouse adapted his 1899 painting (assuming it had remained unsold at the time it was first exhibited), and sold it after the 1900 Cup with more immediate currency. The evidence suggests the former is the right answer – that even though he painted an 1899 version of "A Large Field Leaving the Straight' he created a new version after the 1900 Cup. I note that the colours of the jockeys' silks in the ‘1900' painting are consistent with colours worn in the 1900 race. The eventual winner Clean Sweep was raced by ‘Mr F.T. Forrest' (the nom-de-course of Frank Cummings) whose colours were white, blue sleeves and cap. The horse prominently depicted near the lead at this point is wearing such colours. The jockey colours for the runner up Maltster (note correct spelling) (black, red cap) can also be seen in the painting. I'm not sure that all the colours in the 1900 race are represented in the painting. Having said that, I also note that this painting is not a photograph and so cannot be relied upon to exactly replicate the scene at the time. A further significant point is the viewpoint of the painting. This to my knowledge is the first time an artist has depicted the Melbourne Cup or races at Flemington from this viewpoint - a point of originality by the artist. The open-deck ‘Tattersall's Stand' at the turn was opened in 1889 and was in place until 1913. Interestingly the newspapers in the 1890s increasingly were publishing photographs of the races, the horses and the racecourse. The year 1898 was the first time, to my knowledge, that photographs appeared showing this viewpoint, and we can certainly see some common features between the panoramic photo (without horses – see below, and detail from it) in the Australian Town and Country Journal 5 November 1898 and the watercolour by Herbert Woodhouse. Yet the strongest argument for the 1900 date is the distinctive figure of the man in the (left) foreground of the painting. This is certainly intended to be Frank Cumming, or "Mr F.T. Forrest", the owner of Clean Sweep. The artist has copied the photographic portrait of Cumming that appeared in the weekly Australasian on 3 November 1900 (p.29). There is a straight comparison with the bowler hat, moustache, strap holding the binoculars, the race book and pencil in hand. This certainly implies that Frank Cumming either commissioned the work or was the obvious intended purchaser for the painting. Cumming had recently been elected to the committee of the Victoria Amateur Turf Club (Caulfield), was a wealthy broker from a wealthy pastoralist family, and owned paintings. He died in 1906 at the age of 44. I have found no press description of the 1900 painting, suggesting that it was sold rather than exhibited. Indeed after 1900 Herbert Woodhouse is mainly mentioned in newspapers because of his interest in amateur theatricals, singing and recitations. My observations are made from images of the painting and back of the frame as supplied by the current owners (September 2020), as I have not viewed the original. (Dr) Andrew Lemon. AM FRHSV Historian Author: The History of Australian Thoroughbred Racing (with Harold Freedman et al, artists), Hardie Grant Books 2008, 3 volumes.
HERBERT WOODHOUSE (1855-1920), The Ploughman, Homeward Plods His Weary Way, watercolour, signed lower right "Herb't Woodhouse, 1902", titled verso, 18 x 35cm, 37 x 54cm overall
HERBERT WOODHOUSE (1855-1920) Melbourne Cup 1900 Won by Clean Sweep Leaving the Straight at the River Turn watercolour signed lower right: Herbert Woodhouse signed, dated and titled verso: Herbert Woodhouse Melbourne Cup 1900 Won by Clear Sweep Leaving the straight at the river turn 34 x 53cm
HERBERT WOODHOUSE (British/Australian, 1854-1937) Melbourne Cup From 1900 Won by Clean Sweep watercolour on paper signed lower right: Herbert Woodhouse titled on mount 34 x 53cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne
