Two hundred years ago, the idea for what became the Royal Manchester Institution, and later the Manchester Art Gallery, came into being. It was sparked by three friends on a day out.
Martin Short, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase in The Three Amigos © HBO Pictures.
No, not those three, these three…
“In the summer of 1823, three gentlemen residents in Manchester, namely Mr Brigham, Mr Frank Stone and the late Mr David Parry, went in company to view the exhibition of paintings and works of art in the Northern Establishment of Artists held at Leeds…”
After expressions of much delight and gratification […] the question, “why can we not have such an exhibition in our own Town?” was the almost simultaneous expression of each individual.
The meeting of artists […] was a result of this visit to the Leeds exhibition of 1823 and from this association of artists arose a course of liberal and spirited proceedings on the part of a certain number of opulent Gentlemen of Manchester enthusiastic admirers of art, which eventually led to the erection of the present classical building The Royal Manchester Institution, an honour to the town, and a high source of encouragement and advancement of every branch of Art and Science.”
- Introduction to the Society of Manchester Artists Minutes of the meeting on August 6th 1823
So who were these three men whose enthusiasm provided the seed of an idea that would one day become the RMI?
Catch up on our first blog post about the surgeon, William Brigham
And our second one is about the artist, Frank Stone.
And now, last but not least, the last member of our trio is artist David Henry Parry.
Collect the set!
David Henry Parry (1793-1826)
He was the second son of Joseph Parry, often called The Father of Art in Manchester. Joseph had moved from Liverpool to set up in business in Manchester. Before that, most art in Manchester had been practiced by artists paying short visits to the town. He had four sons, two of whom practiced art, James (1795-1871) and David Henry.
David Henry Parry was born in Manchester on 7th June 1793. He studied art in his father’s studio, soon gaining a reputation as a portrait painter.
Mr. Philip Wooton, Steeplejack (1823-26) by David Henry Parry © Manchester Art Gallery
Skilled in using both oils and watercolours, he found commissions painting the portraits of several Manchester notables, including Dr John Hull, the surgeon, and the Reverend Roby. Many were later turned into engravings after his death.
(L) Portrait of the surgeon John Hull by David Lucas after David Henry Parry, mezzotint, after 1826
NPG D35223 © National Portrait Gallery, London
(R ) Reverend William Roby by Samuel William Reynolds, published by Agnew & Zanetti, after David Henry Parry, mezzotint, published August 1829 NPG D8565 © National Portrait Gallery, London
In 1815, Parry got married in Stoke-on-Trent to twenty-one-year-old Elizabeth Smallwood of Macclesfield. David and Elizabeth’s first child, Ann, who was blind, was born sometime prior to 1819 and then in quick succession came the rest of their family; William Titian born in 1819, Joseph born in 1820, his second daughter Elizabeth in 1822 and his youngest son Charles James in 1824. Unfortunately, their daughter Elizabeth died in 1825 at the age of three. May the following year saw the death of his father, Joseph, at seventy.
Elizabeth Parry and her son Joseph Smallwood Parry (c. 1820-21) by David Henry Parry. Photo credit: ©John Burleigh and reproduced with the kind permission of John Burleigh.
Parry’s success in Manchester encouraged him to try his luck in London. He moved there in May 1826 after the death of his father and set up a studio. As his reputation grew, he gained new commissions. He was becoming established and things were looking up for him. Unfortunately, he had only been in London a few months when he caught typhoid.
On learning of his illness, his wife travelled alone down to London from Manchester by night coach to minister to him; a fraught fourteen hour journey. She arrived to see his coffin being taken from his lodgings. David Henry Parry died aged thirty-two on 15th September 1826 and was buried in a common grave a few yards beyond the south wall of St Martins-in-the-Fields.
(L) Preparatory sketches for a self portrait with his son, William Titian Parry © Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives - Courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council.
(R ) Self Portrait of David Henry Parry and his son William Titian by David Henry Parry. Photo credit © John Burleigh, reproduced with the kind permission of John Burleigh.
David Henry Parry’s note and sketchbooks are stored in Manchester Central Library. The books contain drawings of architecture, landscapes, domestic family scenes and preparatory sketches for portraits, and they look as fresh today as when they were drawn two hundred years ago. They are a reminder of the career that David Henry Parry might have had, had his life not been cut short so tragically.
Assorted sketches by David Henry Parry © Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives - Courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council.
Still, it is heartening to remember that, if it were not for his inspiration and that of his two friends, Frank Stone and William Brigham, this gallery might not be here today.
And if you want to find out more about the beginnings of the RMI and Manchester Art Gallery, check out our History of Manchester Art Gallery Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
With thanks to Collin Udell and John Burleigh for their help and generosity in researching this article.