Walter Buckley Pearson

Born 1878
Died 1963

Active: 1891 - 1938

Country of birth and death: England

Teacher of art, painter

Born and educated in Dukinfield, near Ashton Under Lyne, Cheshire. During his last year at school he attended evening classes in freehand drawing from geometrical models (model drawing) at the Mechanics' Institute. Pearson worked from the age of 13 at Newton’s Mill in carding room as a ‘doffer’.

In October 1891 Pearson moved with his family to the USA and worked in Mills in Pawtucket, RI and New Bedford, MA. Whilst in the latter location, he attended evening classes in model drawing and art classes at Swaynes Free School. The teacher was Arthur Cumming who had trained at Exeter School of Art and the National Art Training School (Royal College of Art). By 1893 Pearson was back in England and worked at Castle Mill in Stalybridge. For four years he took evening classes at the School of Art in Ashton Under Lyne (Higginbottoms School of Art) until he obtained an Art Class Teacher’s Certificate from the Board of Education. Pearson was then awarded a scholarship by Lancashire County Council to the Royal College of Art where he studied between 1899-1902 (or possibly until 1904).

By June 1905 he had been appointed Head of the Drawing and Painting Department at Leeds School of Art. Pearson exhibited twice at the Royal Academy (in 1917 and 1933) and was an associate of the Royal Watercolour Society. On 8 May 1920 there was an opening of an exhibition of work by Pearson at Leeds Arts Club that prompted Jacob Kramer (a student who was strongly supported by Haywood Rider, head of Leeds School of Art) to urge patrons to buy works from the show. Kramer coupled this with remarks on the doubtful importance of exhibiting at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. (This incident, and its context, is discussed in detail by David Manson in 'Jacob Kramer', Bristol, 2006, see p.p. 111-112.)

Amongst Pearson's other students were Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. He is said to have assisted both of them in obtaining the necessary drawing qualification that enabled them to study in London. When Pearson left Leeds in 1921 he was given a book of Masefield poetry by his students and Hepworth and Moore were among the signatories. (This was gifted to the archive of the Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green by Fiona Pearson.)

From 1921-38 Pearson was Head of Halifax School of Art and lived at Haugh Shaw House, Halifax, Yorkshire. He also lectured in the local community and did the art criticism for the local paper. In 1938 he retired to Newport, Essex and died in Saffron Walden in 1963.

This entry is largely drawn from information supplied to the project by Fiona Pearson.

Citing this record

'Walter Buckley Pearson', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=ann_1308491698, accessed 31 Mar 2023]