The life and letters of Frederic Shields . hields his mental outlook was largely affected byhis sad early experience of poverty, illness, death, andloneliness. When Rossetti was boisterously enliveningAcademy Schools, Shields, a half-starved boy of fourteen,was feverishly drawing early and late, in every momenthe could snatch from his drudgery at the lithographersshop, or his knife and boot cleaning for his poor over-worked mother. When the Pre-Raphaelites were gailypainting each others portraits at Millais house, Shields,hungry and scantily clad, was wandering wearily fromdoor to door, sketch
The life and letters of Frederic Shields . hields his mental outlook was largely affected byhis sad early experience of poverty, illness, death, andloneliness. When Rossetti was boisterously enliveningAcademy Schools, Shields, a half-starved boy of fourteen,was feverishly drawing early and late, in every momenthe could snatch from his drudgery at the lithographersshop, or his knife and boot cleaning for his poor over-worked mother. When the Pre-Raphaelites were gailypainting each others portraits at Millais house, Shields,hungry and scantily clad, was wandering wearily fromdoor to door, sketching heads for a few pence, that hemight buy bread. And worst of all, instead of happy fellowship withkindred spirits, he was alone, and already imbued withthose terribly narrow religious views which made fear thedominant feeling of his early youth. Fear—of the wrathto come, fear of idleness, fear of illness, fear of poverty,fear of sin, fear of God, fear of the devil, always thisterrible fear causing that extreme morbid depression which. _ . A Forty-five Minutes Sketch(1887) By permission of J. Hyslop Bell, Esq. PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS 353 seemed ever to be warring against the indomitable courage,strength, and even gaiety of disposition which were reallythe natural characteristics of the man. For although hisearly sufferings and his tragic domestic life might wellhave saddened the most buoyant heart, Shields had a keensense of humour and an immense capacity for enjoymentto the end of his days. As to the future of art in England Shields always tooka gloomy view; writing of the talented son of a well-knownAcademician, he said:— son began by painting poetic pictures—could notsell them—they are in his possession still. Compelled toresort to portraiture to live. Self is the only subject of apainters art really desired by Englishmen. Well, Stothard,Blake, and others lived by illustration of books,—poetry,fiction, history, wonderful and lovely imaginings—preciousfor all
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade191, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear1912
