This month we are featuring eight charming depictions of the Victorian Devon coutnryside, painted by John Wallace Tucker (1809 -1869.)

About the Paintings

This collection of eight small paintings is by Exeter artist, John Wallace Tucker.

Each painting is only 9.5 cm high and 10.5 cm wide, executed in oil paint on panel.

Painted between 1865 – 1867, these little gems depict countryside scenes in three areas – Rewe and Brampford Speke, which are a few miles north of Exeter, Kingswear and Dittisham on the River Dart in South Devon and South Molton in North Devon.

Although these paintings do not have the finesse of celebrated landscape artists such as Gainsborough or Constable, the works are well-composed and light and dark are used to great effect, especially when one considers the dimensions of each picture.

The painting style is gentle, and the Sun is low in the sky, illuminating the more distant elements of the composition. There is a strong use of colour, giving a warmth to the pictures. Each scene contains people and/or animals, to enliven the picture and give a snapshot of life in the Devon countryside. Of course the scenes are heavily romanticised but do show that it was more common than today to see people at work in the countryside and on the river.

Brampford Speke/ River Exe

Brampford Speke is a small village 4 miles to the north of Exeter, Devon. It is located on red sandstone cliffs overlooking the river Exe.

Red Rock, Brampford Speke/River Exe

Bramford Speke Bridge/River Exe

Rewe, near Exeter, Devon

Rewe is a small village which lies on the River Culm, 5 miles north of Exeter. Train passengers travelling north from Exeter will pass by Rewe.

About the Artist

John Wallace Tucker was born in Exeter in 1809. He was baptised in Holy Trinity church, which once stood in South Street, Exeter. His father, also named John Wallace Tucker was also an artist. It is probable that his father taught him how to paint.

It appears that Tucker remained in the Exeter area all his life. Records show that he was married in 1847 to Elizabeth Northam in the St Mary Steps Church, an ancient Exeter church which still stands today. Four years later in 1851, the census recorded him as living with his wife and her family in Commercial Road on Exeter’s Quay, a stone’s throw from St Mary Steps.

Interestingly, then at age 41, his occupation was described as an ‘Assistant Iron and Brass Founder’. However, paintings by him exist which date to the 1830s, so he always had art as a second string to his bow throughout his adult life.

Clearly he was unable to make a living from art alone. In the 1861 census he was listed as a ‘Commercial agent and Artist’, by then living in Topsham, just outside Exeter.

It is also worth noting that he was listed as bankrupt in 1863, so clearly was not successful in business. The paintings you see in this article were painted around 1865 to 1867, and there are many others dating to the 1860s in other collections which can be seen online. Perhaps this indicates that later in life he concentrated on his painting as a means of earning money. Small paintings such as these would not have commanded much money but could have kept him financially afloat.

All of Tucker’s paintings depict Devon scenes, although he travelled extensively throughout the county. This series of artworks is possibly the result of short painting trips relatively near to home.

Tucker passed away in 1869.

Kingswear Mills/ River Dart

In the next sequence of paintings, we visit the River Dart.

An extremely popular area for visitors in the 21st century, Kingswear is much more built up nowadays. However, despite the pleasant scenery, this image illustrates a place of work, with a mill, river boats and a packhorse.

Dittisham/River Dart

Kingswear/River Dart

South Molton

South Molton is a historical market town in North Devon, known historically for its sheep and cattle trade. Its church is a prominent feature, around which the town was built.

This painting is the only one in this series which depicts a North Devon scene, although John Wallace Tucker is known to have painted other landscapes in the same area.

See further examples of John Wallace Tucker's work on the Art UK website here.

Acknowledgements/ further reading

• Exeter Dissenters Graveyard website article: "Link to a talented landscape artist uncovered" http://edgt.org.uk/news.html
• Ancestry.co.uk
• Gale Newspaper digital archive
• Wikimedia Commons images