Frederick Albert Clark

British, (1869-1954)
Pen-y-Lan Minister
Oil on canvas, signed & dated 1907

A fine horse portrait painting of a prize winning chestnut hackney horse called Pen-y-Lan Minster by Frederick Albert Clark. Pen-y-Lan Minister was a chestnut gelding owned by Sir William J Tatem of Pen-Y-Lan, Cardiff. The horse took first prize at the 1907 Cardiff Horse Show in the light-weight ladies hack class at Coedkernew. Tatem owned the shipping company WJ Tatem & Co, based in Cardiff and kept a number of horses, becoming well-known as a hackney horse exhibitor.  Having already commissioned other horse portraits from Clark (including one of Pen-y-Lan Queenie), Tatem seems to have had no hesitation in asking him to paint Pen-y-Lan Minister’s portrait in order to commemorate his win.

Frederick Albert Clark was born on 29 March, 1869 in Islington, part of the Clark family of artists. His parents were the artist Albert Clark (1843-1928) and his first wife Ellen Parsons. His grandfather was the animal painter James Lawrence Clark (1812-1909) and his half-brother William Albert Clark (1880-1963) also went on to become an artist. He was actually christened Albert but later added the name of Frederick when signing his paintings to avoid confusion with his father. His mother died when he was only 3 and his father remarried in 1875 to Harriet Ireland. By 1881, the family had moved to 81 Riverdale Road in Islington, the same road as his grandfather. Although little has been discovered about his early education, it is clear from his style and subject matter that he had lessons from his father and possibly his grandfather as he lived nearby.

By the time of his marriage to Helena Louisa Webb on 26 June, 1890 at Islington, he had become a full time artist. Together, the couple spent the first years of married life living at 94 Finsbury Park Road in Hornsey and went on to have 6 children. Around the turn of the century, they moved to nearby 26 Avenell Road to accommodate their growing family. Like his father, Clark specialised in sporting paintings of horses. Although he did not exhibit, he earned his living painting commissions for the landed gentry who wanted portraits to commemorate their prize winning horses.  His patrons included Baroness Burdett Coutts, Lord Abercromby, the Duke of Northumberland and Professor J Wortley Axe. Many of the horse portraits he painted were of trotting horses and he was known to have painted over 100 of the handicap winners.

Clark moved to 49 Umfreville Road, Finsbury Park around 1905 from where he worked and also set up a framing business possibly with one of his wife's relatives, called Webb, Clark & Co. He lived at Umfreville Road with his wife until she died in 1915. After her death, he moved to 29 Queens Drive, Stoke Newington and in 1924 married Eliza Osborne Johns. His second wife died in 1949 and he spent his final years living in Coaxden Park Road, Uxbridge. He died at Hillingdon Hospital on 29 July, 1954.

Presentation: The work is housed in its original gilt frame which is in excellent condition. There is a partial label on the stretcher (see image) which Clark had printed, shortly after he moved to 49 Umfreville Road in 1905. As well as giving us his address, it also offers us a glimpse of some of his patrons.
Condition: As with all of our original antique oil paintings, this work is offered in ready to hang gallery condition, having been professionally cleaned, restored and revarnished.

© Benton Fine Art

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance