Although some people liked my post about Francis Griffen back in July as it turned out there still seems to be little known about him. One reader made a comment about buying some greetings cards featuring paintings by Griffen. I was already aware of this set, of five pictures. They were originally published by a Mr T G Stanton in the 1990s. I think the same gentleman made an offer to buy our Griffen collection about the same time. (We declined. Apart from our general policy about art works, the collection was donated to the Library by Griffen’s widow.) This is one of the pictures:
An autumn night, 1923. A completely finished work, as opposed to most of the pictures in our collection. For me, it is reminiscent of one of Yoshio Markino’s night time pictures of London.
Griffen liked street scenes showing ordinary life in progress but his other major interest was in industrial settings, and this is also reflected in the set of cards.
A fascinating view of King’s Cross goods yard in 1937. Note the man on the horse, and the tram just visible on the right.
Griffen’s Chelsea pictures are less finished but just as effective.
This 1934 view of the river looking west is immediately recognisable with St Mary’s Church and the railway bridge but Griffen has found an angle which doesn’t include Lots Road power station.
The picture below shows a familiar Chelsea scene in 1935, Sloane Square looking towards the original Peter Jones building.
It also features a fine example of a group of one of Griffen’s favourite slinky women.
He captures them and the look of 30s fashion in a few pencil strokes. The quite large dog (maybe a German shepherd, or an Alsatian as they used to be known ) is a realistic touch, obviously much more than a fashion accessory. There’s another fashionable woman in this picture.
This is Cheyne Walk looking towards the Old Church. (Incidentally, I’ve had to crop this one a little bit so if the compostion doesn’t look quite right blame me not Griffen)
In the last Griffen post you saw a view of the ruins of the church after the bomb incident that virtually destroyed it. Griffen also recorded the aftermath of another major bomb incident in 1944 at the Guinness Trust buildings in the King’s Road.
This is a rough pencil sketch of the scene some weeks after the incident which was on February 23rd. A couple of bombs had fallen, one fracturing gas and water mains, the other causing the collapse of housing blocks. 76 people lost their lives that night. A volunteer fireman named Anthony Smith won the George Cross for his efforts in saving people and risking his own life by entering collapsed and flooded basements.
This 1953 etching is a view of a house near the Old Church.
Griffen’s work on the details of the house is quite meticulous.
The next two images show work in progress, two versions of the same basic view.
The pictures are both labelled “Chelsea Polytechnic” but this may not refer to the subject, which looks a little more like Old Church Street to me. They are dated 1939.
This rverside view is called “In Grosvenor Road,1951”, a location just outside Chelsea.
The title of this week’s post promised you Griffen in his studio. And here he is:
A self-portrait of a working artist looking out on his neighbourhood.
Finally, a couple of classic Chelsea images. This is a 1912 picture of a famous sight in Oakley Street.
Dr Phene’s house, ten years or so before its demolition.
Another subject tackled by many local artists, Albert Bridge.
Once again I find myself thinking of Yoshio Markino who painted the bridge from a similar angle. This picture is quite large but I wanted to use it so I scanned it in two sections. You can just see a line on the right. I hope that doesn’t spoil the view.
Postscript
The two greetings cards were published in 1998 part of a set of five by the aforementioned T G Stanton.
I mentioned the reader who made a comment on the last Griffen post to whom I sent a copy of the first image. She mentioned that she had bought the cards in the UK but was now back in Mongolia. I couldn’t help but wonder what Griffen would have thought of his having an admirer who lived so far from his home in Chelsea.
October 9th, 2014 at 5:33 am
Some excellent work here. Love the reflections from the wet ground and the detail he put into his work.
October 10th, 2014 at 5:10 pm
Fascinating as always… thank you so much.
October 10th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
In the self-portrait the houses on the right are recognisable as those on the north side of Gertrude Street, so the house on the left must be on the south-west corner of the Gertrude/Shalcomb junction. I’m pretty sure the Griffens’ flat at number 40 Gertude Street was on the other (south-east) corner.
October 15th, 2014 at 11:41 pm
Chris
More excellent research.There should be some material for you in this week’s post.
Dave
January 17th, 2015 at 11:25 pm
Dear Dave,the first Griffen painting is Victoria Embankment intersecting with Northumberland Avenue Hungerford Bridge in background. I,m with you on the Church street suggestion what is the name of that tiny alley that takes you through to the Cross Keys pub?
Reg
January 18th, 2015 at 10:29 pm
Do you mean Justice Walk, Reg?
January 18th, 2015 at 11:04 pm
Spot on mate,well done.I wonder why it was called Justice Walk? Reg
November 13th, 2015 at 6:38 pm
The second picture here has been mis-labelled. It shows the Battersea gasholders from the north and there is no resemblance to King’s Cross! One sees the giant M.A.N. gasholder, behind that Gasholder No.6 and in front Gasholder No.4, which was replaced later by a frameless one. Featured in the middle ground is the former LBSCR’s Goods Depot, as was shown on Sheet 88 (1913) of the Godfrey Edition Ordnance Survey maps, including sidings on the riverside wharf. To the far right is the approach to Chelsea Bridge. The artist was probably on temporary staging just downstream of the bridge pier, since 1937 was the year of completion of the bridge’s rebuilding. On the left-hand horizon are the two water towers of the recently-burnt-down Crystal Palace, which were demolished in 1941. So this is a faithful rendering of a part of the artist’s home territory.
November 14th, 2015 at 10:12 am
Malcolm
You’re not the only person to point this out recently. I think you’re right. The image is from a set of 6 greetings cards, 4 of which are captioned in the same writing as Griffen’s, which is why I never doubted the title of this one. I don’t know what other information Mr Stanton had about the picture. I’m assuming he owned the original. Unfortunately there is very little information availible about Griffen and his work.
Dave
June 24th, 2021 at 3:22 pm
Fabulous images.