James NIXON [10124]

  General Notes:

Important Research.
For many years institutions, historians and genealogists have believed, based on Farington's Diary, that James Nixon the miniaturist, was the half brother of John Colley Nixon and Rev Robert Nixon, two sons of Robert [10100] & Lucretia Nixon.
A close study of the Diary and the families by Stephen Massil reveals James had a sister Susanna Nixon who married Sir James-Nassau Colleton 3 Dec 1778 whose father was William Nixon of Leicester.
He finds no evidence in the Diary of James being the son of Robert Nixon, and concludes his father was William.
Furthermore one of James Nixon's portraits of 1793 is of a 'Miss Colleton', who Massil suggests was Susanna Boone Colleton (1787-1816) James Nixon's niece.
Ref: https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=DUcRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=Sir+James-Nassau+Colleton&source=bl&ots=mWacZEBVNZ&sig=MBNnn7V7dXXnADou2Ry8u_von00&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hAivVKyaG8Ln8AXSsYGwAg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Sir%20James-Nassau%20Colleton&f=false <https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=DUcRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=Sir+James-Nassau+Colleton&source=bl&ots=mWacZEBVNZ&sig=MBNnn7V7dXXnADou2Ry8u_von00&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hAivVKyaG8Ln8AXSsYGwAg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwCA>

Should you wish to discuss this proposition further, or have an interest in the Nixon families please contact Stephen Massil on swmassil@gmail.com



James Nixon was a painter of miniatures. He entered the Royal Academy Schools 17th Mar 1769, a friend of the painter Joseph Farington, a fellow pupil who often mentioned him in his diaries.

James Nixon was a member of the Society of Artists and exhibited with them from 1765 to 1771.There is a miniature portrait of Joseph Farington, painted in 1765 by James Nixon, and now in the National Portrait Gallery in London. This portrait had been given to Farington on the 19 January 1807. Six days later Farington (his diary entry for 25 January 1807) showed the miniature to company he had at dinner, and he wrote:
They thought it to be a picture painted with breadth - much upon Sir Joshua's principle, and well coloured. James and Farington formed a close relationship from the time they were in the Academy School together, and Farington was particularly helpful when James Nixon fell upon hard times later in his life.
The two men met at dinners, at the Academy Club, the British Institution, and at various exhibitions. They were both members of Old Slaughter's Coffee House in St Martin's Lane and the frequented this often. And on many occasions Farlington merely wrote in his diary
. . . . . "Nixon called".

Nixon's work was also admired by Horace Walpole , the writer and the 4th Earl of Oxford, who wrote after seeing "Diana" exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1770: "A very fine picture, and I believe the best he ever painted". From 1772 to 1807 he was an annual contributor at the Royal Academy's exhibitions, and he was elected associate in 1778. He was greatly attached to the Royal Academy, and, being influenced by Sir Joshua Reynolds, he exhibited a portrait of Reynolds there in 1779. And although he is best known as a miniature painter, he also painted portraits in oil and watercolour, and also of historical subjects. In 1792 he was miniature painter to the Duchess of York. He held an appointment of portrait painter to the Prince of Wales in 1803. He was then appointed as deputy secretary to the British Institution in March 1806, although this position was short lived for in November of that year he was told his services were no longer required, He did, however, exhibit there in 1806 and 1807.
Although most of his life was spent in London, he was known to have lived in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1794 and early in 1798, and also in Edinburgh in 1795 (- 1797?). It was in Edinburgh that he met Raeburn and painted a miniature of the Count of Artois in 1797. The first mention of a Mrs Nixon in the diaries of Farington was in 1797, and the entry in his diary of 16 August 1799 reads "Nixon has lodgings in London but she is settled in Twickenham having the care of two daughters of Mr Mackenzie who with his wife resides there - a sister of Mr Mackenzie married a brother of Mrs Nixon". It seems she left that situation in 1804. In 1799 and onwards into the 19th century, James Nixon's life was fraught with financial difficulties. In 1800 he received L150 assistance from the Royal Academy, and Farington wrote in his diary for 18 April 1802, "Nixon has not got a shilling by his profession in the last 7 months". And, after Nixon's death, Farington calculated that during Nixon's last years of life, the Academy had given him ". . . . . towards L500, mostly in donations and pension. . . . . " And then in his diary entry of 3 December 1806, Farington wrote that "Nixon was arrested at the Gallery for L30 for debt which he said he did not owe but should be obliged to pay". It seems there had been difficulties with Philips, the auctioneer, over advances made that had not been recovered from the sale of his works. And later on Nixon's health began to fade for Farington had entered on 11 January 1805: ". . . . . He has lately been subject to a complaint called nervous viz a numbness of the left arm and hand" and on 5 April 1807, he wrote: ". . . . . poor Nixon had a Paralytic stroke. . . . . Mrs Nixon thought this a second attack of the kind, for sometime since he suddenly fell down at Knightsbridge but recovered immediately". And the entry for 11 April 1807: ". . . . . He lost the full use of his limbs and could move only with difficulty" Mrs Nixon then arranged for James to live in Tiverton, Devon, where he died, probably in August 1808, after receipt of a legacy of L135 from the painter and engraver Guiseppe Marchi.

Some works by James NIXON
Elizabeth Farren, the actress, as Thalia (exhibited at Royal Academy 1787) - and other theatrical celebrities, as well as scenes from literature, especially Shakespeare.
Portrait of Dr Francis Willis (exhibited at R.A. 1789 and engraved by F. Bartolozzi .)
Portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire (exhibited R.A. 1782, engraved by Bartolozzi 1783)
Elizabeth Hartley, the actress, as Elfrida (engraved by W. Dickinson 1780, exhibited Burlington Arts Club in 1889)

There is a small collection of his miniatures in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London:
A miniature of Mary Bowler (nee Elton) as Ophelia at the Elton family seat at Clevedon Court in Somerset.
A miniature of Joseph Farington himself in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Sources
Farington, Diary Graves, Artists Engraved Brit. ports. GM, 1st ser., 82/1 (1812), 499 B. S. Long, British miniaturists (1929) Summary catalogue of miniatures in the Victoria and Albert Museum (1981) Graves, RA exhibitors Graves, Brit. Inst. - R. Walker, National Portrait Gallery: Regency portraits, 2 vols. (1985) D. Foskett, Miniatures: dictionary and guide (1987) G. Reynolds, English portrait miniatures (1952); rev. edn (1988) Waterhouse, 18c Painters R. Walker, The eighteenth and early nineteenth century miniatures in the collection of her Majesty the Queen (1992) DNB