Melton Prior
Melton Prior | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 September 1845 Camden Town,London, England |
| Died | 2 November 1910(aged 65) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Illustrator,war correspondent |
| Years active | 1873–1905 |
Melton Prior(12 September 1845 – 2 November 1910), was an English artist andwar correspondent[1]forThe Illustrated London Newsfrom the early 1870s until 1904. Prior was one of the leading illustrators of late Victorian Britain, noted for his ability to quickly sketch scenes. His pencil sketches were sent back to London where they were re-drawn by studio artists and engraved on wood-blocks for printing in the Saturday issues of theIllustrated London News.In addition to covering conflicts around the world, he also traveled on a number of Royal tours including accompanying thePrince of Wales[2]to Canada in 1901.
Prior was one of two major artists employed by theIllustrated London News,with the other beingWilliam Simpson(1823–1899).
Life
[edit]
Prior was born inCamden Town,London, and studied under his father, William Henry Prior (1812–1882), a landscape artist, painter and illustrator.[3]In 1873, he was contracted by theIllustrated London Newsto travel to West Africa to cover theAshanti War.Among the correspondents that Prior rubbed along with in West Africa wasG. A. Henty,with whom he had shared a hut on the campaign.[4]Prior produced a drawing of the quarters that the war-correspondents shared and this was a title page illustration for theIllustrated London Newson 28 February 1874.[5]This was followed by covering the fighting against theCarlistsin Spain before heading to eastern Europe where Prior sketched the events inHerzegovinaand theRusso-Turkish War.[3]
South Africa, 1879–1881
[edit]In 1879, Prior traveled toDurbanto report on theZulu Warwhich had just broken out. While he missed the events atIsandlwanaandRorke's Drift,he did witness subsequent actions including the finalBattle of UlundiHe was also with the group who discovered the body of thePrince Imperial.AlthoughBoerfarmers had assisted the British in the war against theZulus,they resented the encroachment by English farmers and industrialists on their lands, and sought the independence of theTransvaalandOrange Free State.Following the breakdown of negotiations, hostilities broke out, and Prior witnessed the aftermath of the British disaster atMajuba Hill.
North Africa, 1882–1885
[edit]The following year, Prior found himself offshore on aRoyal Navyship during the bombardment ofAlexandria.Later, he accompanied the British forces under General SirGarnet Wolseleyon the expedition down theNilewhich culminated with the destruction of the Egyptian Army atTel-el-Kebiron 13 September 1882. In 1884–85, he accompanied the relief expedition for GeneralCharles Gordonand was present at theBattle of Abu Kleain theSudan.
South Africa, 1896–1902
[edit]Following the events in Sudan, Prior was sent to the Far East to cover the operations inBurma.The mid-1890s found him back in South Africa, covering the failedJameson Raid,theMatabeleuprising and the subsequentBoer War,although he also covered the campaign in theTirahon theNorth-West FrontierofBritish Indiain 1897. During the fighting against the Boers, Prior found himself besieged atLadysmith.[3]
Final years
[edit]Prior's last campaigns were theSomalilandExpedition of 1903, and theRusso-Japanese Warof 1904–1905. He died in London on 2 November 1910.[6]He was buried atHither Green Cemetery.A monument to Prior with a bas-relief portrait exists within the crypt atSt Paul's Cathedral,London.[7]
Works by
[edit]- Prior, Melton. (1912).Campaigns of a War Correspondent.London: Edward Arnold.
References
[edit]- ^"Prior, Melton".Who's Who.Vol. 59. 1907. pp. 1434–1435.
- ^Technically speaking, Prior accompanied theDuke of Cornwall,who was createdPrince of Waleson 9 November 1901; the trip to Canada began in Quebec on 16 September with departure fromSt. John's, Newfoundland,anchor inSolenton 31 October and return to London on 2 November. SeeRMSOphir.
- ^abcStearn, Roger T. "Prior, Melton".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35616.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^Newbolt, Peter (1996). "Periodicals and Newspapers to which Henty contributed: 214. The Illustrated London News".G.A. Henty, 1832-1902: a bibliographical study of his British editions, with short accounts of his publishers, illustrators and designers, and notes on production methods used for his books.Brookfield, Vt.: Scholar Press. pp.537.ISBN9781859282083.Retrieved2 May2020.
- ^Newbolt, Peter (1996). "Appendix IV: Illustration and Design: Notes on Artists and Designers: Drawing by Melton Prior".G.A. Henty, 1832-1902: a bibliographical study of his British editions, with short accounts of his publishers, illustrators and designers, and notes on production methods used for his books.Brookfield, Vt.: Scholar Press. pp.635.ISBN9781859282083.Retrieved2 May2020.
- ^"Melton Prior Dead"(PDF).The New York Times.London (published 3 November 1910). 2 November 1910. p. 9.Retrieved18 October2023.
- ^"The Courtauld Institute".Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2021.Retrieved15 January2011.
- Carruthers, Jane. (1987).Melton Prior. War Artist in Southern Africa 1895 to 1900.Houghton: The Brenthurst Press.
- Gibson, Frank W. (1912). "Prior, Melton".InLee, Sidney(ed.).Dictionary of National Biography(2nd supplement).Vol. 3. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 136.
- Harrington, Peter. (1993).British Artists and War: The Face of Battle in Paintings and Prints, 1700–1914.London: Greenhill.
- Hodgson, Pat.The War Illustrators.Reading: Osprey.
External links
[edit]
Media related toMelton Priorat Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
