John Sowden

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John Sowden

Self portrait watercolour painting of John Sowden, artist. Sowden was born in Bradford in 1838. He taught art for most of his life and by 1887 he began to paint a series of watercolour portraits of Bradford 'worthies' and street characters. The quirks and eccentricities of these characters were under threat from the increasing uniformity of Victorian dress, speech and manners and social change.
There are a number of prominent Bradford people missing from the collection. Some refused to sit for Sowden. Others, rumour says, Sowden refused to request to paint them if he disapproved of them for political or religious reasons. As a young boy Sowden was keen to be a professional artist, but as a teenager he began training as an architect with the firm George Knowles.
By the middle of the 19th century Sowden's father, William Sowden, had become a substantial property owner and developer and was able to support his son's artistic aspirations, whilst encouraging Sowden to earn an income and not be dependent on his family wealth.
In 1855 Sowden began attending evening art classes at the Mechanics Institute in Bradford. After Sowden graduated he replaced James Lobley as the Art Master for the Institute and was appointed second master of the Bradford School of Design. By the early 1860s Sowden had set up as a professional artist and landscape painter on Stirling Street, Bradford. Sowden painted for Edward Salt, Isaac Holden and Henry Mason. He became president of the Bradford Art Society and, as master of the school of Art and president of the Art Society, he was able to influence artists such as Ernest Sichel. Sowden exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1863 with his watercolour 'May Blossom and Nest'.
His final Royal Academy show, in 1892, was titled 'Whitby from Larpool'. Sowden worked as a private artist in the mornings and continued to give classes in the afternoons and evenings at the Art School. On his fathers death in 1875, Sowden took control of his fathers development firm, purchasing inner city sites for mills and residential development, building warehousing accommodation and he was an early speculator in Little Germany. Sowden and his partner George Brown, purchased the White Swan Inn for a new Victorian shopping arcade which became known as Swan Arcade. Sowden was a keen traveller and extensively travelled across the Continent and into Northern Europe. In 1886 he married Anne Bowes and moved to a house on Blenheim Rd, Manningham.
By the 1880s Sowden was Headmaster of the Mechanics Institute School of Art. In the early 20th century he became vice president of the Yorkshire Union of Artists and committee member of the Bradford Historical and Antiquarian Society. He became director of the Mechanics Institute, the East Morley Savings Bank and the Bradford Third Equitable Building Society.

Sowden's note in notebooks -
'Was the elder son of William Sowden of Bfd and was born in 1838. He was educated at Boro West School. After leaving school he wished to study Art but his father acting on the advice of his friends advised the profession of an architect as being more likely to be remunerative. He was articled to Mr George Knowles, Architect, who had studied in Rome under Cockerill R.A. He joined the evening drawing classes at the Mechanics' Institute under the tuition of Mr Richardson and Mr Lobley. On the retirement of Mr Knowles he was advised to spend a year or two in studying the practical part of his profession and went for that purpose to the firm of James Burnley & Son, a very prominent firm of contractors. Still continuing his art studies at the Institute with all diligence he carried away most of the prizes that were offered. During this period a vacancy occurred in the mastership of the drawing classes and though under age he received the appointment of Head Master in the Old Mechanics' Institute. When the new building was erected the Art Classes were placed under government control and having passed the examination required at South Kensington, Mr Sowden received his diploma and conducted the School of Art for forty years. The School was very successful and turned out a great number of skilled students who are dispersed throughout the globe. Mr Sowden received large bonuses yearly, offered to the best Schools by the South Kensington authorities. During the early part of his mastership at the Mechanics' he was appointed Second Master of the School of Design, the Head Master being Mr James Lobley. Mr Alfred Harris Junr was the prime mover at the school and to him Mr Sowden was indebted for his advice in relinquishing Architecture for its Sister Art of Painting and he had no reason to regret it. Mr Sowden has been most successful in his profession. He has exhibited at the Royal Academy, The Grosvenor Gallery, Royal Institute, Liverpool & Manchester and has held several private exhibitions in the city which were very successful. He is represented in the permanent collection by his picture of Whitby. Nearly 30 years ago Mr Sowden took upon himself to paint all the prominent men and women of Bradford whose career was bound up with the life of the city & thus preserve to the future generations the prime movers in the city's history. The collection contains about 350 portraits. Mr Sowden has always taken a keen interest in real estate and now holds several important blocks of property in the centre of the city. He has many other interests besides. He is a Vice President of the Bradford Mechanics' Institute, a director of the Third Equitable Building Society, a Trustee of the East Morley & Bfd Savings Bank and Chairman of the Holbeck Dyeworks Ltd. He married Anne Bowes, a daughter of the late Peter Russell in 1885 and has issue one son. Mr Sowden has travelled much around the continent in search of the picturesque and has made a fine collection of bric a brac so that his studio is a storehouse of art treasures. Died January 1926.'

Year

1887

Image filename

sowden-295