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Cecil French

Also known as: Cecil French; primary name: French, Cecil; other name: French, Cecil B
Details: individual; collector; British; Male
Life dates: 1879-1953
Biography: Artist and collector who bequeathed major group of Pre-Raphaelite and other drawings to the BM (1954,0508.1 to 39; see report to Trustees 24 April 1954, with a list with provenances in the hand of John Gere). Born in Dublin he trained at the Royal Academy Schools and at Sir Hubert von Herkomer's School, Bushey, Herts. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1902 and at the Baillie Gallery, 1903. He illustrated his own volume of verse, 'Between Sun and Moon', published in 1922. Early in the 20th century he abandonned painting and concentrated on collecting the work of a number of late 19th-century artists and contemporary living painters, most of whom moved in the same circles: William Shakleton, Edward Stott, Frederick Cayley Robinson, Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon. His collection of over 150 works were bequeathed to the Watts Gallery, Compton (some since de-accessioned), the William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow, Leamington Art Gallery, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, York City Art Gallery, six paintings by Burne-Jones to the Fulham Library and prints and drawings to the British Museum.
Bibliography: See letter book of 1934 for a letter explaining why nothing of his would ever go to the V&A.

55 related objects

drawing; print study

Museum number: 1954,0508.35 |
Producer name: BIOG17194 Drawn by:Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema |
Production date: 1874

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.34 |
Producer name: BIOG17194 Drawn by:Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema |
Production date: 1879

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.16 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1868-1877

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.33 |
Producer name: BIOG17194 Drawn by:Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema |
Production date: 1883

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.17 |
Producer name: BIOG46742 Drawn by:Simeon Solomon |
Production date: 1862

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.26 |
Producer name: BIOG46011 Drawn by:Charles Hazelwood Shannon |
Production date: 1898

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.29 |
Producer name: BIOG43887 Drawn by:Cayley Robinson |
Production date: 1862-1927

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.20 |
Producer name: BIOG46742 Drawn by:Simeon Solomon |
Production date: 1860

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.11 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1865-1867

drawing; print study

Museum number: 1954,0508.38 |
Producer name: BIOG29434 Drawn by:David Gould |
Production date: 1929-1946

drawing; print study

Museum number: 1954,0508.37 |
Producer name: BIOG30167 Drawn by:Althea Gyles |
Production date: 1899

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.1 |
Producer name: BIOG44252 Drawn by:Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
Production date: 1859

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.4 |
Producer name: BIOG44252 Drawn by:Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
Production date: 1870

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.5 |
Producer name: BIOG44252 Drawn by:Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
Production date: 1876

drawing; print study

Museum number: 1954,0508.25 |
Producer name: BIOG46011 Drawn by:Charles Hazelwood Shannon |
Production date: 1893

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.32 |
Producer name: BIOG43887 Drawn by:Cayley Robinson |
Production date: 1903

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.22 |
Producer name: BIOG50203 Drawn by:Frederick Walker |
Production date: 1866

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.21 |
Producer name: BIOG50203 Drawn by:Frederick Walker |
Production date: 1870

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.31 |
Producer name: BIOG43887 Drawn by:Cayley Robinson |
Production date: 1862-1927

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.39 |
Producer name: BIOG35137 Drawn by:Henri Le Sidaner |
Production date: 1877-1937

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.19 |
Producer name: BIOG46742 Drawn by:Simeon Solomon |
Production date: 1861

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.18 |
Producer name: BIOG46742 Drawn by:Simeon Solomon |
Production date: 1869

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.15 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1876-1879

drawing

Museum number: 1954,1104.11 |
Producer name: BIOG43887 Drawn by:Cayley Robinson |
Production date: 1917

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.24 |
Producer name: BIOG24646 Drawn by:Louis Davis |
Production date: 1916

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.10 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1865-1867

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.7 |
Producer name: BIOG44252 Drawn by:Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
Production date: 1867

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.12 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1865-1867

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.30 |
Producer name: BIOG43887 Drawn by:Cayley Robinson |
Production date: 1862-1927

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.14 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1865-1867

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.36 |
Producer name: BIOG42557 Drawn by:Edward John Poynter |
Production date: 1880

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.13 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1833-1898

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.9 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1865-1867

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.2 |
Producer name: BIOG44252 Drawn by:Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
Production date: 1872

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.23 |
Producer name: BIOG50203 Drawn by:Frederick Walker |
Production date: 1867

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.6 |
Producer name: BIOG44252 Drawn by:Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
Production date: 1870

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.3 |
Producer name: BIOG44252 Drawn by:Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
Production date: 1857

drawing; print study; print; book

Museum number: 1948,0531.1 |
Producer name: BIOG43622 Drawn by:Charles Ricketts |
Production date: 1866-1931

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.8 |
Producer name: BIOG21431 Drawn by:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1866

drawing

Museum number: 1954,0508.28 |
Producer name: BIOG43887 Drawn by:Cayley Robinson |
Production date: 1862-1927

painting

Museum number: 1954,0508.27 |
Producer name: BIOG50479 Drawn by:George Frederick Watts |
Production date: 1817-1904

print

Title: Magic |
Museum number: 1954,1104.7 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912-1924

print

Museum number: 1962,0809.20 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912-1924

print

Title: The Vale in Snow |
Museum number: 1934,0118.1 |
Producer name: BIOG46011 Print made by:Charles Hazelwood Shannon |
Production date: 1889

print

Title: The Messenger |
Museum number: 1934,0118.3 |
Producer name: BIOG46011 Print made by:Charles Hazelwood Shannon |
Production date: 1894

print

Title: The Rain Cloud |
Museum number: 1954,1104.4 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912-1924

print

Title: Tannhäuser |
Museum number: 1954,1104.2 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912-1924

print

Title: Into the Night |
Museum number: 1954,1104.5 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912

print

Title: The Little Apple |
Museum number: 1934,0118.2 |
Producer name: BIOG46011 Print made by:Charles Hazelwood Shannon |
Production date: 1892

print

Title: Two Worlds |
Museum number: 1954,1104.3 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912-1924

print

Title: Contemplatives |
Museum number: 1954,1104.10 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1924

print

Title: Dana |
Museum number: 1954,1104.8 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912-1924

print

Title: A Tragic Poet |
Museum number: 1954,1104.9 |
Producer name: BIOG27900 Print made by:Cecil French |
Production date: 1912-1924

print

Title: Kathleen Ni Houlihan |
Museum number: 1954,1104.6 |
Producer name: Print made by:Cecil FrenchAfter:Edward Burne-Jones |
Production date: 1912-1924

print; newspaper/periodical

Title: Form |
Museum number: 1949,0411.5124 |
Producer name: Published by:The Morland PressPrint made by:Sir Frank Brangwyn |
Production date: 1921 |
Production place: Published in:London (England)