Joseph Farington, to Sir Thomas Lawrence, at His Excellency, the Lord Stewart's, Vienna

RA Collection: Archive

Reference code

LAW/2/249

Title

Joseph Farington, to Sir Thomas Lawrence, at His Excellency, the Lord Stewart's, Vienna

Date

5 Jan 18[19]

Level

Item

Extent & medium

1 piece

Content Description

He is happy to say that the Academy was united at the elections, even Mr. Shee; a letter of condolence will be taken to the Prince Regent by Mr. Howard; he spent Christmas day with Smirke and his family, Robert Smirke was there; he had a dinner party and thinks Westmacott is a favourite with Long, he provides more gossip from the dinner party involving Dawe, Chantrey and Thomson (who had to relate the above to Farington who was too deaf to hear it); Chantrey has erected his statue of Lord Melville and been paid 7000gns.; he had another party at New Year; Haye has brought Mr. West's diet into regularity, gives details of West's daily routine; an Academy Council was cancelled on the 29th due to fog, and so there are no plans for the celebration of the Academy's 50th anniversary; he describes how Jackson realised his betrothed, Ward's daughter, was insane on the day of their marriage, Jackson bears it well and was at Sir G. Beaumont's recently to paint Dance who is shortly to be voted into the Academy Club, Chantrey will be nominated by Phillips; he has heard Lawrence is to go to Rome to paint the Pope; he passes on intelligence of the London theatre from Robert Smirke [Jr.]; Samuel Rogers is about to publish a poem; Sir Philip Francis is dead and Farington will now know if he authored the letters of Junius, he would like Lysons's opinion; he admits he is an old gossip; Lady Crewe is dead.