Henry Bright (painter)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Bright (1810-1814^[1] Saxmundham, Suffolk - 21 September 1873 Ipswich), was an English painter.

Henry was the third son of some nine children of Jerome Bright (1770-1846), a clockmaker, and Susannah Denny, of Alburgh in Norfolk, who were married on 28 June 1790. They were nonconformist and attended services in the Congregational Chapel at Rendham, a few miles from Saxmundham, a small market town described in the 1797 Universal British Directory as being "situated upon a hill, and has one large church, and a differing meeting house. The town consists of about 400 houses, which are in general pretty good ones; but the streets are narrow, and not paved. No particular manufacture is carried on here, and the town contains nothing remarkable".

Nevertheless, notable residents were Henry's father, Jerome Bright, who was listed in G. H. Baillie's Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World (1929) and sculptor Thomas Thurlow (1813-1899). ^[2]

Under pressure from his family, Henry started his career as dispenser to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, however, during his first apprenticeship in Woodbridge, all his leisure time was spent sketching. His obvious artistic talents were finally recognised and he became a pupil of Alfred Stannard (1806-1889), the younger brother of Joseph Stannard. He is also said to have been trained by John Berney Crome (1794-1842), who was John Crome's son, and John Sell Cotman (1782-1842), both members of the Norwich Society of Artists. ^[3]

About 1833 Bright returned to Saxmundham to marry Eliza Brightley who hailed from the same town. They moved to London in 1836 and lived there until Henry's failing health obliged him in 1858 to settle with his daughters in his brother's house in Saxmundham. ^[4]

The Bright family vault bears the following inscriptions:

"In Memory of Harriet, daughter of J & S Bright of Saxmundham who departed this life June 15th 1810 in the 16th year of her age also [Catherine] who died 1817 aged 21 years also of Alfred their 2nd Son who died Augt 1821 in the 20th year of his age Also of JEROME BRIGHT who died July 17th 1846 aged 76 years also of SUSANNAH BRIGHT who died Jan. 17th 1847 aged 76 years also of JEROME DENNY BRIGHT who died April 21st 1871 aged 79 years and also JANE FULLER BRIGHT who died July 10th 1876 aged 83 years

NEAR THIS PLACE LIES MARY THE WIFE OF J.D. BRIGHT OF SAXM SHE DIED OCTR 21ST 1825 AGED 29 YEARS"