John Miller Nicholson's Artist's Easel
Date made: late 19th century
Description: Easel from John Miller Nicholson's Studio, Well Road Hill, Douglas. An adjustable artist's easel made of oak, with a steel and brass mechanism to alter the height and holding capacity for different canvas sizes. This well-made easel, manufactured by Windsor & Newton, London, displays high technical qualities in its manufacture, with precise jointing and wood finishing throughout. It probably represented the most advanced easel available to artists at the time.
Nicholson was born on 29th January 1840 at Church Street in Douglas. He joined his father's house decorating business as an apprentice, and he could be seen most mornings, before starting work, on Douglas shore sketching in pencil. Often, too, he was on the bustling Douglas quayside sketching the people, the buildings or the vessels in the harbour. Nicholson's pencil sketches are meticulously drawn works of art, with minute notes written in the margins recording the time, date, weather conditions and colours and he would often use them for an oil painting or watercolour. In 1882 Nicholson spent several weeks sketching in Venice and Verona and on his return produced large oil paintings.
In August 1918 the Pierre Henri Joseph Baume Trustees purchased for £1000 the whole of the 'Studio Collection of 57 Pictures of the late John Miller Nicholson.' In 1927 the Trustees entered into an agreement with the Manx Museum that the collection be kept and displayed there, and following further bequests and purchases over 100 examples of his work are now held.
Nicholson was also a talented photographer, recording scenes around Douglas.
John Miller Nicholson married Ann Jane Coole on 1st November 1870 and they had two children, Frank and Florence. Nicholson died on 24th March 1913, after falling down the stairs to his cellar at 1 Laureston Terrace in Douglas. He is buried in Douglas Borough Cemetery.
Measurements: overall: 189 cm x 70 cm
Materials: oak
Object name: easel
Collection: Social History Collection
ID Number: 1973-0201
Subject tags : #MM100
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