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Military art and historical prints by
James P Beadle, Victorian military artist. Military prints of Battle of
Waterloo, Boer War, First World War.
Artist Information:
JAMES PRINSEP BEADLE B:
Calcutta 1863 D: London 1946.
Beadle was an academic painter who, unlike many of his contemporaries did not
make a living as an illustrator. The son of Major-General James Pattle Beadle,
the artist spent his early years in India becoming immersed in things military.
Upon his father's move back to England, James went to study at the Slade School
for three years under Alphonse Legros before moving to Paris to study at the
Ecole des Beaux Arts with Cabanal. His final schooling was in London with G.F.
Watts. From his home in Victoria Road, Kensington, he submitted his first
painting entitled The Painter at the age of 20 in 1884, at the distinguished
Royal Academy of Arts in London, and in the following year he showed a portrait
of his father in full uniform. Four years later he was awarded a bronze medal at
the Paris Universal Exhibition for a painting of Les Gardes du Corps de la Reine.
However, his first military painting exhibited at the Royal Academy did not
appear until six years later. Drawn from life it depicted the Centenary
Inspection of the Duke of York's Own Loyal Suffolk Hussars at Bury St. Edmund's
in 1893. In the following year he had his own exhibition at the Fine Art Society
in London. The show was entitled 'Military England of Today' and included
pictures entitled Waiting for the Watering Order and Dragoons returning to camp.
As one reviewer wrote, 'He does not go out of his way to flatter "Tommy
Atkins" but he shows him to the public under many forms and in many
becoming uniforms. He has studied him at home and abroad, at peace and at war,
on horseback and on foot, an our verdict must be that the English soldier, of
whatever branch of the service, is trim and business-like, and in many cases, a
picturesque object'.
His interest in the soldier at war led him to paint his first battle scene in
1897 representing Corporal Styles of the Royal Dragoons capturing the Standard
of the French 105th Infantry Regiment at Waterloo. He followed this up with
several military scenes such as The Comrade showing a military funeral in a
village, and Paris - a torchlight procession of Cuirassiers, but the war in
South Africa which broke out in 1899 provided him with material for numerous
canvases.
In 1901 he exhibited two paintings of the war: one showing the Grenadier Guards
saving wounded soldiers from the burning veldt at Biddulphsberg (shown at the
New Gallery), and a picture of the 62nd Field Battery arriving at the
battlefield of Modder River, exhibited at the Royal Academy. He followed this up
in 1902 with The Victors of Paardeberg showing British troops cheering beside a
wall of mealie bags as surrendering Boers approach them.
While he never forgot the war and returned to it for inspiration later on, he
became increasingly more interested in depicting past military victories. In
1904 he exhibited a scene of the Battle of Dettingen and during the first decade
of the twentieth century painted a number of canvases of the wars against
Napoleon. These included The passage of the Bidassoa exhibited in 1908, 'the
rear guard' of 1910 showing the retreat to Corunna, and 1806: an affair of
outposts. A painting of the Franco-Prussian War was hung in 1906. The Boer War
resurfaced with his scene representing artillery leaving for the front,
exhibited at the Academy in 1907, his painting of 1911 entitled 'The empty
saddle', and in 1915, his painting of the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade
charging uphill at Bergendal.
His continuing interest in the Peninsula War led him to take a holiday in Spain
and Portugal in 1912 where he visited numerous battlefields to sketch the
terrain. In the same year he exhibited a picture of the fighting at San
Sebastian in August 1813, and in the following year, submitted his picture of
Vittoria, June 21st, 1813. As late as 1924 he was still painting scenes from this
war, but in the meantime the events in Europe were occupying the minds of
everyone. Beadle, like his contemporaries Wollen and Woodville, began to paint
scenes from the Great War, often from imagination and sometimes with the help
from veterans. Among his many paintings are Neuve Chapelle, 10 March 1915, Dawn:
Waiting to go over, Breaking the Hindenburg Line, and the Battle of Gheluveldt,
1914, painted in 1920.
In the twenties, he turned more to landscapes possibly as a result of the
horrors inflicted in the Great War. While his last painting at the Royal Academy
was shown in 1929, he was to live for another 17 years finally dying in
Kensington on 13 August 1946.
Peter Harrington, 1991. |
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Napoleons Last Inspection Before Waterloo by J P Beadle.
Napoleon is shown at the Battle of Waterloo while his horse artillery are moved forward and the regiment of Cuirassiers are cheering their emperor.
Open edition print. Image size 32 inches x 17 inches (81cm x 43cm). Price £45.00
Open edition print. Image size 23 inches x 13 inches (58cm x 33cm). Price £38.00
Limited edition of 200 giclee canvas prints. Image size 40 inches x 26 inches (102cm x 66cm). Price £590.00
Limited edition of 200 giclee canvas prints. Image size 36 inches x 20 inches (91cm x 51cm). Price £500.00
Postcard size 6 inches x 4 inches (15cm x 10cm). Price £2.00
ITEM CODE DHM0158
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The Rearguard by J P Beadle.
Craufurds Light Brigade, of which the 95th Rifles, the 43rd and 52nd, were part of, faces about once more to face the enemy, during the retreat from Spain of Sir John Moores Army. The Light Brigade fought a series of brilliant delaying tactics under the most adverse of conditions during the Peninsula War.
Open edition print. Image size 32 inches x 20 inches (81cm x 51cm). Price £45.00
Open edition print. Image size 23 inches x 15 inches (58cmx 38cm). Price £38.00
ITEM CODE DHM0092
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An Affair of Outposts by J P Beadle.
9th Hussars of Napoleons Army of 1806.
Open edition print. Image size 32 inches x 17 inches (81cm x 43cm). Price £45.00
Open edition print. Image size 23 inches x 14 inches (58cm x 36cm). Price £38.00
ITEM CODE DHM0178
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The Captive Eagle by J P Beadle.
Corporal Styles of the 1st Royal Dragoons displays a captured French Eagle to the cheering Black Watch. Behind him can be seen Wellington.
Open edition print. Image size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £45.00
Open edition print produced in early 1970s by Chevron. 40 copies available, not great quality. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £8.00
ITEM CODE DHM0194
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The Passage of the Bidassoa by Wellingtons Army, 7th October 1813 by J P Beadle.
Open edition print. Image size 23 inches x 15 inches (58cm x 38cm). Price £38.00
Open edition print. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £13.00
ITEM CODE DHM0308
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King George II Knighting Trooper Brown After the Battle of Dettingen by J P Beadle.
Private Thomas Brown of the 3rd kings own regiment of Dragoons, is knighted by King George the II, (The last reigning British Monarch to be at a Battle) Brown had recaptured the regimental guidon from the French during the battle
Open edition print. Image size 30 inches x 13 inches (76cm x 33cm). Price £45.00
Open edition print. Special Promotion : This print is 30% off for a limited time only! Image size 23 inches x 9 inches (58cm x 23cm). Price £31.92
Open edition print. Special Promotion : This print is half price off for a limited time only! Image size 12 inches x 6 inches (31cm x 15cm). Price £7.80
ITEM CODE DHM0322
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The Empty Saddle by J P Beadle.
Often called the Last Patrol, the painting depicts a scene from the Boer war, showing a party of Lancers bringing a riderless horse back from patrol. Art prints reproduced by kind permission of the 9th / 12th Lancers.
Open edition print. Image size 23 inches x 15 inches (58cm x 38cm). Price £38.00
Original black and white engraving. Fair condition, signed by J P Beadle. Size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £600.00
ITEM CODE DHM0117
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Bergendel by J P Beadle.
The Battle of Bergendel during the Boer War showing Rifle Brigade (now part of the Royal Green Jackets) advancing on boer position.
Open edition print. Image size 25 inches x 14 inches (64cm x 36cm). Price £38.00
ITEM CODE DHM1023
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Napoleons Last Inspection Before Waterloo by J P Beadle Napoleon is shown at the Battle of Waterloo while his horse artillery
are moved forward and the regiment of Cuirassiers are cheering their
emperor.
The Rearguard by J.P. Beadle
Craufurds Light Brigade, of which the 95th Rifles, the 43rd and 52nd,
were part of, faces about once more to face the enemy, during the retreat
from Spain of Sir John Moores Army. The Light Brigade fought a series of
brilliant delaying tactics under the most adverse of conditions during the
Peninsula War.
The Captive Eagle by J P Beadle Corporal Styles of the 1st Royal Dragoons displays a captured French Eagle to
the cheering Black Watch. Behind him can be seen Wellington.
King George II Knighting Trooper Brown After the Battle
of Dettingen by J P Beadle
Private Thomas Brown of the 3rd kings own regiment of Dragoons, is
knighted by King George the II, (The last reigning British Monarch to
be at a Battle). Brown had recaptured the regimental guidon from the
French during the battle
The Empty Saddle by J P Beadle.
Often called the Last Patrol, the painting depicts a scene from the
Boer war, showing a party of Lancers bringing a riderless horse back from
patrol. Art prints reproduced by kind permission of the 9th / 12th Lancers.
Bergendel by J P Beadle
The Battle of Bergendel during the Boer War showing Rifle Brigade
(now part of the Royal Green Jackets) advancing on boer position.
Action of the 6th Mounted Brigade at El Muhgar by J.P. Beadle
Depicting the charge of the Bucks, Berks and Dorset Yeomanry on November
13th 1917 during the Palestine campaign.
Battle of Gheluvelt, 31st October 1914 by J.P. BeadleThe 2nd Battalion Worcester Regiment and South Wales Borderers arriving
in the grounds of the Chateau at Gheluvelt after their historic counter
attack on 31st October 1914.
Battle of the Somme, the Attack of the Ulster Division by J.P. Beadle
The Battle of the SommeAllied offensive in northern France on the River Somme at
Beaumont-Hamel-Chaulnes during July and November 1916. The First
Battle was launched by the British 4th Army with the French 3rd and
8th Army groups supporting them. On the 1st of July 1916. the attack went
ahead against a well protected and well dug in German 2nd army, (The
British had bombarded the area with a huge artillery bombardment which did
little damage to the German defences, and also gave them warning of the
impending attack. The heaviest losses the British army had incurred,
19,000 troops were Killed, Even with these huge losses the attack
continued and several small advances were made. on the 14th of July the
German defences lines were nearly breached. After a 2 month lull, the
attack started again but this time 47 tanks took part, but most of them
broke down. again a few gains were made, . by the middle of November the
total losses were a staggering 615,000 Allied casualties and 500,000 German
casualties. The second Battle of the Somme was the start of the German Spring
offensive of the 21st March 1918.
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