Grieve, John Henderson, 1770-1845

Variant names

Hide Profile

John Henderson Grieve was born in 1770, of Scottish origin, and came originally from Perth. He worked as a scene-painter in minor London theatres and from 1794 was also employed by Richard Brinsley Sheridan at Drury Lane. By 1817, he was working in theatres in Covent Garden where he remained apart from two spells at Drury Lane from 1835 to 1839 and in the two years before his death. Thomas Grieve, the elder son of John Henderson Grieve, was trained by his father and worked with him at Covent Garden and elsewhere from 1817. From 1846 to 1859, he worked at Drury Lane, Covent Garden and at Her Majesty's Theatre, but is perhaps most notable for his leading role he played among the team of scene-painters who supplied Charles Keen's regime at the Princess' Theatre, Oxford Street, from 1850 to 1859, particularly in the Shakespearean revivals of that period. Thomas Grieve also painted famous exhibition hall panoramas with William Telbin and others, including The Overland Mail (to India) from 1852, which is perhaps his most reknowned. He died in Lambeth in April 1882. William Grieve, the younger son of John Henderson Grieve, was born in 1800 and followed the same career course as his older brother by working with his father. However, from 1833, after a family engagement at the King's Theatre (later Her Majesty's) he stayed on as head scene painter until his early death in 1844. He was famous for his moonlight scenes and was reputedly the first scenic artist to be called before the curtain to receive the applause of the audience for his contribution to Robert le Diable at the King's Theatre in 1832. Unlike his father and brother, he also won acclaim as an easel artist, exhibiting landscapes and architectural views at the Royal Academy and elsewhere in the 1830s. He died in November 1844 in Lambeth leaving a large family. Thomas Walford Grieve, the son of Thomas Grieve and the grandson of John Henderson Grieve, was born in 1841 and trained and worked with his father from around 1862. He worked at Covent Garden with him and also at the Lyceum. He never achieved the acclaim received by his father or his older contemporary William Roxby Beverley, and died (apparently of cancer) after a long illness which for some years previously had forced him to give up work.

From the guide to the Grieve Family Collection of Theatre Designs, 1813-1857, (Senate House Library, University of London)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Grieve Family Collection of Theatre Designs, 1813-1857 Senate House Library (University of London)
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Beazley, Samuel, 1786-1851 person
associatedWith Costa, Sir, Michael, 1810-1884 person
associatedWith Fitzball, Edward, 1792-1873 person
associatedWith Grieve, Thomas, 1799-1882 person
associatedWith Grieve, William, 1800-1844 person
associatedWith Her Majesty's Theatre, London corporateBody
associatedWith Jerrold, Douglas William, 1803-1857 person
associatedWith Lacy, Michael Rophino, 1795-1867 person
associatedWith Meyerbeer, Giacomo, 1791-1864 person
associatedWith Otway, Thomas, 1652-1685 person
associatedWith Pocock, Isaac, 1782-1835 person
associatedWith Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio, 1792-1868 person
associatedWith Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 person
associatedWith Somerset, Charles A, fl 1813-1857 person
associatedWith Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London corporateBody
associatedWith Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Fine Arts
Occupation
Set designers
Activity

Person

Birth 1770

Death 1845

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6d372kp

Ark ID: w6d372kp

SNAC ID: 30442246