John Doman Turner

Below is a timeline showcasing a collection of events related to the life of John Doman Turner in chronological order.

• 25th October 1871 – John Doman Turner is born. He is taken back to his family home at 4 Harbour Road, Cold Harbour Lane, Brixton, London, England

• 25th November 1893 – Turner marries Frances Elizabeth Birch

• 1907 –

  Turner became ‘totally deaf since 1907’ which he declares on the 1911 Census of England & Wales.

• 1908 –

  Art critic Frank Rutter introduces Turner to Spencer Gore.

• 1908 –

  Turner receives artistic training from Gore through written correspondence between 1908 to 1913.

• 8th June 1908 – Gore writes to Turner in the first of many letters. This is sent from Garth House, Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire.

• 21st September 1908 – Turner attends Walter Sickert’s evening classes at the Westminster School of Art as recommended by Gore.

• 11th August 1909 – Turner completes artwork titled ‘Interior‘.

• Winter 1910 – Turner exhibits artworks at Forty-Fourth Exhibition of Modern Pictures by the New English Art Club

• January 1911 – Walter Sickert held an exhibition of drawings at the Carfax Gallery in January 1911. In this copy of the catalogue held in the Tate Library, a visitor to the exhibition has copied the drawings on display. Some believe this is John Doman Turner.

• 8th April 1911 – Turner exhibits artworks at The International Society of Sculptors, Painters & Gravers: catalogue of the eleventh exhibition

• June 1911 – Turner exhibits artworks at The First Exhibition of the Camden Town Group

• 7th July 1911 – Turner exhibits artworks at The London Salon of the Allied Artists’ Association. Fourth Year

• 8th July 1911 – Turner visits France, completing works in the towns of St Valery-Sur-Somme and Montivilliers (although we don’t have the exact date of this particular work). Camden Town Group members regularly visited Walter Sickert’s house in Neuville outside Dieppe during this period and it is possible that John Doman Turner accompanied James Bolivar Manson on a trip there in the summer of 1911.

• Summer 1911 – Turner exhibits artworks at Forty-fifth Exhibition of Modern Pictures. New English Art Club

• 13th October 1911 – Turner completes artwork titled ‘Florence Smithers supported by Owen Dacroy and Company ‘Our Mary Jane’ scene, morning room, Jack Harrison’s House‘. This artwork was sketched within one of London’s numerous theatres – a prevailing pastime among the members of the Camden Town Group.

• 2nd December 1911 – Turner attends a Camden Town Group meeting in 19 Fitzroy Street at the time of the group’s second exhibition. The minutes show that most members were in favour of increasing the size of the group but that in order to do this they needed a larger gallery in which to exhibit. Turner was of the opinion that it would be better to have a small gallery & a small society with members showing their best work at its exhibitions.

• December 1911 – Turner exhibits artworks at The Second Exhibition of the Camden Town Group

• 10th April 1912 – Turner exhibits artworks at The International Society of Sculptors, Painters & Gravers: catalogue of the twelfth exhibition

• 11th May 1912 – Turner completes artwork titled ‘Mitcham Common‘

• 10th August 1912 – Turner completes artwork titled ‘Arrival of the Fair, Mitcham‘

• 21st August 1912 – Turner visits Wales and completes artwork titled ‘Quay Hill, Tenby‘

• December 1912 – Turner exhibits artworks at The Third Exhibition of the Camden Town Group

• Spring 1913 – Turner exhibits artworks at The International Society of Sculptors, Painters & Gravers: catalogue of the spring exhibition 1913

• July 1913 – Turner exhibits artworks at Paintings, Drawings and Etchings by Past and Present Pupils of Mr Sickert

• 25 October 1913 – A meeting about the first London Group takes place where Camden Town Group members discussed the rules for election to the new society, soon to be called the London Group. Six Camden Town Group members were not in attendance, including Turner.

• November 1913 – Spencer Gore sends the last of his written correspondence (Letter 41) to Turner asking for 6 works to be sent to him to be exhibited at the Exhibition of the Work of English Post Impressionists, Cubists and Others held at the Public Art Galleries, Brighton (now Brighton Museum & Art Gallery) from 16 December 1913 to 14 January 1914. It also references Turner’s wish to pull out of the London Group. Gore writes ‘If you never intend to paint again there is no use in being a member of the London Group’. Gore appears to persuade Turner to stay ‘I think you had better consider this carefully. After all if you consider painting is only your amusement it does not cost more than any other amusement cricket golf or going to picture palaces.’

• 27th November 1913 – Turner resigns from the Camden Town Group/London Group. He writes a letter to James Bolivar Manson, ‘Please accept this as my resignation from the “London Group”. Have just given Mr. Gore the reasons which he will doubtless tell you. With kind regards and many many thanks for all your kindness.’

• 27 March 1914 – Spencer Gore dies at Richmond, Surrey, aged 35 and was buried in Hertingfordbury in Hertfordshire, where his mother lived.

• 28 July 1914 – World War I begins

• Spring 1915 – Turner exhibits artworks at Fifty-Third Exhibition of Modern Picture by the New English Art Club

• 2nd May 1918 – Turner exhibits artworks at The London Group, Eighth Exhibition

• 11th November 1918 – World War I ends

• 1924 -Turner exhibits artworks at the Streatham Art Society

• 1930 – Turner completes artwork known as the Ferry Road Scroll

• 1931 – 1932 – Turner starts a dioramic pictorial record of suffolk village Walberswick on a 123ft scroll using watercolour, also known as the Walberswick Scroll

• 1933 – Turner completes artwork known as the Trinity Fair Scroll

• 1934 – Turner completes artwork known as the Fairground Frieze Scroll, which appears to be his final scroll

• 3rd January 1938 – Turner dies at 63 Downton Avenue Streatham, London, England of bronchopneumonia

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