Volume 1

The Farington diary / edited by James Greig.

  • Joseph Farington
Date:
[1922?-1928]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Farington diary / edited by James Greig. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    118/464 (page 74)
    J794 The Passing of Gainsborough October 6.—I received the list of candidates for Associates. The election to be on Monday, Nov. 3. [The list of candidates included John Downman, Martin Shee (a future President), Francis Towne, painters, and John Soane, George Byfield, and Thomas Malton, archi¬ tects. Farington told Fawrence that the list “ was a weak one, when it was considered that three vacancies were to be filled,” and did not think “ it would be decent for the Academy to elect Malton in pre¬ ference to Soane (afterwards an Academician and Knight), and Byfield. Lawrence thought Soane would have a good chance because of his respectability.” The usual canvassing by and for the candidates went on until the 29th, when the Secretary of the Academy, acting on his own authority, sent out a notice stating that there would be no election this year owing to the Academicians-Elect not having received their diplomas. They had not sent in their diploma pictures in time.] October 8.—Carey [Farington’s pupil] called on me. He met an officer a captn. of the Queen’s Dragoons, on his way, who was come up from Blackwall, where 32 transports, with 1,500 horses and men on board now lay waiting for orders. They were down at the Nore a fort¬ night, from whence they were ordered back to Blackwall. What a proof of the uncertainty of administration how to direct their force. Secretary Dundas said the other day in the Office such daily bad news is enough to make one sick. October 10.—Malton [the architect] told me he had not yet been paid for what he had done at Drury Lane Playhouse. That there was ^350 due to him on his own acct. He said that in the 80 odd nights which that House was opened the last season upwards of .£30,000 had been taken. Soane, the architect, gave up a place of .£300 a year in the board of Works, and was the means of obtaining it for Mr. Groves the builder. October 20.—This day James Adam the architect died, aged 58 or 9. [He was a younger brother of Robert Adam, the famous archi-