The Frank Patterson Blog - Part Three
Hello, Caitlyn here with another Frank Patterson update.
I have been cataloguing the examples of Patterson’s work in the magazines available in the archive, and I can say that I am most definitely not short on material. This is hardly surprising as Patterson is said to have done at least 5,000 examples for the publishing company Temple Press alone.
What is most fascinating is the consistency between the pieces, hardly changing, if at all, as time goes by. His modus operandi is usually to draw in pen, using many intricate lines to make up his masterpieces, and these are always a pleasure to view. These mostly consist of idyllic countryside scenes featuring a bicycle. However, whilst looking through a copy of Motor, I came across a delightful piece by Patterson in a watercolour style. I was aware he had done some artwork in this style, but it was a real treat to come across one whilst cataloguing.
The example is remarkable in showing motor cars; as previously mentioned, these are not as common in his work as the bicycle. It was fascinating to see that transition from predominantly depicting bicycles to including some motorcars. It is also interesting to track his work against the changing patterns of travel and leisure for society. He famously had a disdain for the motor car, having mocked it in earlier pieces. This is one of the more curious facts about being a commercial artist: yes, he had a certain amount of autonomy over his designs, but ultimately, he was required to move with the times and update his work based on the needs of the publication for which he was drawing.
After this first spotting of the watercolour, we began to uncover more styles of work by Patterson. Richard located some exceptional work done for the Illustrated London News in December of 1899 to represent the front lines in the Boer war. From a small mention in a book about Patterson, we found also that his work had been presented in The Book of the Home as a series from 1906. Richard was able to acquire a copy and we came across some superb examples of Patterson applying his drawing skills to household items and furniture.
There was more: the above image was sent to Richard which shows a wonderful brightly coloured image created by Patterson entitled ‘Early at the Meet’ The colours are vivid and clear, especially for the date of 1907 which can be seen alongside Patterson’s signature. We have been told that this illustration had appeared in Motor as a supplement but so far, we have been unable to locate it. If any readers happen to have a run of Motor in 1907, it would be greatly appreciated if you could have a look through to see if you can locate the image – thanks!
“Early to the Meet” from The Motor, 1907. Many thanks to Tony Clark at www.motoringart.info for supplying this wonderful example of Frank Patterson’s colour illustrations.
Join me next week for another exciting update on my internship at the Richard Roberts Archive.
For now, as always, thanks for reading.
