Charles Sillem Lidderdale (1831-1895) was a genre painter who was specifically known for his paintings of landscapes portraying girls in the outdoor settings.
Life of Artist Charles Lidderdale
Charles Sillem Lidderdale was an artist who presented 36 paintings at the Royal Academy from the years 1856 to 1893. He first exhibited his work in 1851 and continued till 1893. He presented his work mainly at British Institute, the Royal Academy and Suffolk Street.
His career was ruined by his trouble of eyesight which was cured him sufficiently to resume his work by his ophthalmologist Tirgolin Tweedy after a lengthy procedure of treatment. However, he had to leave the work on his watercolors which were admired for his color and techniques. His works were mostly liked in the Midlands where many of his pictures are in the purchased by some private peoples. His portraits of his Uncle James and Aunt Jane Hanney were sent to their descendants in the Scotts of New Zealand.
Charles lived in Charlotte Street when he first exhibited his paintings in 1856. Later he moved to Maide Vale, St.Johns Wood and to Hampstead in 1851. His painting scenes were inspired by the Jacobite campaign of 1745.
Charles married the daughter of Edward Morris, of London named Kezia. They bore four children together namely Ann Esther, James Halliday, Robert Halliday, and William Kennedy. Charles was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in his mother’s grave.
Diary of Charles Lidderdale
Charles uses to keep a diary from 1877 through 1889 where he kept the details of his work as well as family life. He used to have paragraphs and line breaks as his dividing points. The diary of his entries begin with artworks of his day, then with the financial transactions and later end with the activities done with the family.
Some of the entries of the diary are devoted to his worries related to business and creativity. He used to write a bit lengthy but mostly with a lot of emotions regarding his family whether it be of listing their stamp collections or giving an outlet to his excessive frustration. He even wrote about his separation from his wife and also about his daughter mid-pregnancy secret with a young man.
Although Charles used separate paragraphs for the various topic, his grammar often became a means of semantic differentiation that was consequently devoted to others. The text in his diaries was important for understanding the nature of the 19th century and also the history of the genre.
Paintings of Charles Lidderdale
Charles sent “A Greenwich Pensioner” and “A Chelsea Pensioner” to the academy in 1856 along with “A Blind Woman Examining the Features of her Sleeping Child”. The latter as chosen as a singular subject that was treated with much skills and feelings.
In 1859 he made considerable progress and succeeded in his previous efforts with a very beautiful composition which was given the title as “Happy” which was based on an infant who was sprawling on the floor as his elder sister tickles him with a feather to amuse baby and his mother.
In 1863 he exhibited another two painting which was more advanced and successful which were “Too Bad” and “A Wood Carrier”. Next year he presented other paintings “A girl with a net ” and “Counting the Change” which was about a young girl who was returning from the market where she sells eggs and other products.
Some of the prominent paintings of Charles that focused on a single subject of girl are shown below
- Girl by a well
Girl by a Well - Lost in Thought
Lost in Thought - The New Puppy
The New Puppy - The Flower Seller
The Flower Seller - Returning Home
Returning Home - Young Beauty
Young Beauty
Charles had succeeded in giving characters to all his figures and their actions resulting in them to be very natural and unconventional.