Joseph Mallord William Turner Inscription by Turner: Royal Academy Accounts c.1823-4
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Folio 6 Recto:
Inscription by Turner: Royal Academy Accounts c.1823–4
D17844
Turner Bequest CCV 6
Turner Bequest CCV 6
Ink on white wove paper, 162 x 98 mm
Inscribed by Turner in ink with accounts (see main catalogue entry)
Inscribed by John Ruskin in red ink ‘6’ top right, ascending vertically
Stamped in black ‘CCV – 6’ top right, ascending vertically
Inscribed by Turner in ink with accounts (see main catalogue entry)
Inscribed by John Ruskin in red ink ‘6’ top right, ascending vertically
Stamped in black ‘CCV – 6’ top right, ascending vertically
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
References
1909
A.J. Finberg, A Complete Inventory of the Drawings of the Turner Bequest, London 1909, vol.I, p.620, CCV 620, as ‘Royal Academy Accounts’, with transcription.
1961
Alexander J. Finberg, The Life of J.M.W. Turner, R.A. Second Edition, Revised, with a Supplement, by Hilda F. Finberg, revised ed., Oxford 1961, p.282.
1997
James Hamilton, Turner: A Life, London 1997, p.210.
The following accounts1 in pounds, shillings and pence take up the whole page, turned vertically:
1819 One quarter from Xs 1818. to L day 1819
Salaries
Officers 120 0 0
S K of Lib to ‘Sc.’ 37 10
School of Paint. . . 50
Proff – 240
Salaries
Officers 120 0 0
S K of Lib to ‘Sc.’ 37 10
School of Paint. . . 50
Proff – 240
Life Vist . . 75 12
M Mod – 11 15 6
Female – 16 8 6 119 .9 3½
W and Beer – 1 3 6
Incidental Ex – 14 9 9½
_________
House Keeper – 17 10
Gratuity – 2 10 – 21 . 0 0
Cranmer 13 2 6 57 5
Strowger 13 2 6
Lavel 10 0 0
M Mod – 11 15 6
Female – 16 8 6 119 .9 3½
W and Beer – 1 3 6
Incidental Ex – 14 9 9½
_________
House Keeper – 17 10
Gratuity – 2 10 – 21 . 0 0
Cranmer 13 2 6 57 5
Strowger 13 2 6
Lavel 10 0 0
yearly Keeper allowance Candles – 10 10
_________________________________________
Lady D to Mids incidental Ex [...] H 1817
Keeper – 40 20
S 35 120 Vaughn [Astn] 40 14
T 25 allow to Porter 7 16
Lib 20 Gratuity to Hous 5 5
allow Sec – 37 – 10
Freebairne. 17.10 – 3 10.}
Cr 13 2 . 6 }57 5
S 13 2 6 }
L 10 }
_________________________________________
Lady D to Mids incidental Ex [...] H 1817
Keeper – 40 20
S 35 120 Vaughn [Astn] 40 14
T 25 allow to Porter 7 16
Lib 20 Gratuity to Hous 5 5
allow Sec – 37 – 10
Freebairne. 17.10 – 3 10.}
Cr 13 2 . 6 }57 5
S 13 2 6 }
L 10 }
Midsummer to Michaels
School of Painting – 33 – 12 –
40 Visitor Life 49 7
35 M Mod 8. 0
25 F M ––– 7. 9
20. – 120 Wine and Beer 1 2
all 37.10 Incident Ex 18.10 3½
[...]
Porters. C 13 2 6 } To Vaughan for paying Pension 6.6.
Str 13 2 6 }
Lavel 10 0 0 } 84 8 3½
Brom. 6 7 0 }
Freebrn H. 17 10| 21}
Gratuity. 3 10|
____________________________________________
To Xmas . 19 . Genl Assembly – 63 . 0} 121.10
K. 40 | Council 58 10}
Sec. 35 |120 Professor A 60
T 25 |
Lib 20 |
allow 37.10 .. Painting School 25 . 4
House H Visitors Attendance Life {50 . 8
21 0 0 Man Mod – {22 0 0
F M { 6 12
C 13 2 6 Wine and Beer 95.8. { 2 5
S 13 2 6 incidental _______ {13 15 8
L 10 : .| 67.5} Strowger Grat.|
B 10 . .| 15 }____________| Vaughan . 30
1823 Exhibn 47 11 6
[?Print] Ex of Exh[...] as to H[...] 77 11 6
Committee 56 9 9}
H . . 19 } 61 9 7 Council. 119 14
Mrs Freebairne for Ex attnce11 11
Cuff – Wine 24. 12. 116 12 10 Total 945.3.5
Allown to Porter 9
Emans for Refreshmts 10 . 3 –
School of Painting – 33 – 12 –
40 Visitor Life 49 7
35 M Mod 8. 0
25 F M ––– 7. 9
20. – 120 Wine and Beer 1 2
all 37.10 Incident Ex 18.10 3½
[...]
Porters. C 13 2 6 } To Vaughan for paying Pension 6.6.
Str 13 2 6 }
Lavel 10 0 0 } 84 8 3½
Brom. 6 7 0 }
Freebrn H. 17 10| 21}
Gratuity. 3 10|
____________________________________________
To Xmas . 19 . Genl Assembly – 63 . 0} 121.10
K. 40 | Council 58 10}
Sec. 35 |120 Professor A 60
T 25 |
Lib 20 |
allow 37.10 .. Painting School 25 . 4
House H Visitors Attendance Life {50 . 8
21 0 0 Man Mod – {22 0 0
F M { 6 12
C 13 2 6 Wine and Beer 95.8. { 2 5
S 13 2 6 incidental _______ {13 15 8
L 10 : .| 67.5} Strowger Grat.|
B 10 . .| 15 }____________| Vaughan . 30
1823 Exhibn 47 11 6
[?Print] Ex of Exh[...] as to H[...] 77 11 6
Committee 56 9 9}
H . . 19 } 61 9 7 Council. 119 14
Mrs Freebairne for Ex attnce11 11
Cuff – Wine 24. 12. 116 12 10 Total 945.3.5
Allown to Porter 9
Emans for Refreshmts 10 . 3 –
Most of the abbreviations are fairly self-explanatory in the context of regular Royal Academy business. Having been elected a full Royal Academician in 1802, Turner had been Professor of Perspective since 1807. He served on the Council in several years, including 1819 and 1820, and was an annual Auditor of Accounts between 1824 and 1829, as well as undertaking a variety of other duties during his Academy career.3 After publishing Turner’s notes in his 1909 Turner Inventory, Finberg made manuscript transcriptions from the five relevant passages of Academy accounts, audited respectively on 12 July 1819, 24 April 1820, 20 October 1819, 5 May 1820, and 13 November 1823;4 Turner signed the first three as a member of the Council.
Finberg’s transcriptions provide a little extra information and full names. The rather telegraphic line concerning £37 10 shillings concerns the ‘Allnce. for House Rent, Coals, &c, to [the] Keeper’. Turner himself was among the four ‘Proff’s who each received £60 for courses of six lectures. ‘Life Vist’ indicates attendance by the Academicians at the Life Class, where the models were supplied with wine and beer. The porters’ full names were Charles Cranmer and Samuel Strowger; Francis Lavel and Thomas Bromhead were their assistants. The housekeeper was Elizabeth Freebairne. ‘Professor A’ indicates Anthony Carlisle, the Professor of Anatomy. J.F. Cuff and P. Emans had provided wine and refreshments.
Finberg has observed that Turner’s notes show ‘how seriously’ he took his duties,5 while James Hamilton has suggested that Turner’s ‘innate attention to detail’ and ‘financial caution’ were assets to the Academy.6 Although most of the accounts relate to 1818–19, the last section was signed off in November 1823, as noted above. The notes appear to be have all been made at the same time, and are tentatively dated here to the latter year or a little later, in line with the rest of the sketchbook, but why Turner should have gone into detail for the earlier periods is unclear; it may have been for reference in connection with his being first elected as an Auditor at the General Assembly of 10 December 1823.7
Matthew Imms
December 2014
See the listing in Eric Shanes, ‘Royal Academy of Arts, London’ in Evelyn Joll, Martin Butlin and Luke Herrmann (eds.), The Oxford Companion to J.M.W. Turner, Oxford 2001, pp.271–2.
How to cite
Matthew Imms, ‘Inscription by Turner: Royal Academy Accounts c.1823–4 by Joseph Mallord William Turner’, catalogue entry, December 2014, in David Blayney Brown (ed.), J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours, Tate Research Publication, April 2015, https://www