Henry Hugh Armstead RA
Born 18 June 1828
Died 4 December 1905
Active: 1847 - 1905
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor, metalworker, medallist, illustrator
Born in Bloomsbury, London. He was the son of John Armstead, a chaser and heraldic engraver from whom Henry received his early training. He studied first at the Government School of Design at Somerset House and then in private art schools run by Cary and Leigh. Armstead subsequently worked in a silversmith studio where he became friends with John Richard Clayton. He also studied with Edward Hodges Baily.
In the late 1850s Armstead was commissioned to make a statue of Aristotle for the Museum of Natural History in Oxford. After this date his work increasingly shifted from metalwork to sculpture. The commissions he received from the architect, Giles Gilbert Scott for the Palace of Westminster and the Albert Memorial helped Armstead establish his reputation as a sculptor. Armstead subsequently executed a large number of public statues, funerary works and other architectural schemes.
Armstead died at his home 52 Circus Road, St John's Wood. There are some details of his funeral, which was a small, private affair, in notes for the Royal Society of British Sculptors meeting on 15 January 1906 [Royal Society of British Sculptors: Minutes of Council Meetings, Vol. I].
Wealth at death: £14,602 17s. 10d.
Probate date: 27 December 1905
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
A Shield to be executed in Silver in honour of Lieutenant General Sir James Outram
Designs illustrating the History of the Shirley Family
Clay Model for a Group of Sculpture - Eve's Dream
Satan Punished in the Moment of Supposed Triumph
Aristotle
1860 (Circa)
Locations
Address 10 Percy Street Bedford Square London England | View on map
1851 (Circa) - 1853 (Circa)
Address 16 and 16A Great Queen Street Finsbury London WC England | View on map
1851 (Circa)
Living here with his father and brother who were both chasers
Address 8 Grafton Street London England | View on map
1856 (Circa) - 1857 (Circa)
Address 42 St Paul's Road Camden Town London England | View on map
1858 (Circa) - 1863 (Circa)
Living at no 44 St Paul's Road in 1861, so studio may have been at no. 42
Address 57 Camden Square St Pancras London England | View on map
1871 (Circa) - 1881 (Circa)
Home address
Address 52 Circus Road St. John's Wood London England | View on map
1890 (Circa) - 1905
Studio located at Studio, 1 Bridge Place Belgrave Road London England | View on map
1868 (Circa) - 1897 (Circa)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Adjudicated The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundred and Thirty-First (Summer Exhibition), 1899
5 April 1899 - 18 April 1899
Responsible for the arrangement of sculpture. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1899' (1900), p. 29.
Exhibited at The International Exhibition, London, 1862
'Clay Model for a Group of Sculpture - Eve's Dream'
Exhibited at Corporation of Manchester Art Gallery, Eleventh Autumn Exhibition, 1893
'Meditation'
Exhibited at Art Union of London Statuette Competition, 1851
'Satan Punished in the Moment of Supposed Triumph'
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1851 - 1904
Exhibited 40 times, about 82 works in all
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth (Summer Exhibition), 1897
6 April 1897 (Presumed) - 19 April 1897 (Presumed)
Responsible for the arrangement of sculpture after W. H. Thornycroft (owing to Thornycroft's illness). See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1897' (1898), p. 25.
Exhibited at Autumn exhibition of modern pictures in oil and water-colours: the thirty-first (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool), 1901
1901
Hero and Leander (cat. no. 1564, marble low relief, £1,000).
Exhibition committee member for The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundred and Thirteenth, 1881
5 April 1881 - 20 April 1881
Appointed to the committee of arrangement for sculpture. See Royal Academy 'Annual Report, 1881', 1882, p. 32.
Exhibition committee member for The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundredth and Fourteenth, 1882
5 April 1882 - 18 April 1882
Served on the arrangement committee for sculpture. See 'Annual Report, 1882', 1883, p. 27.
Exhibition committee member for The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundred and Seventeenth, 1885
10 April 1885 - 20 April 1885
Responsible for the arrangement of sculpture for the show. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1885', 1886, p. 27.
Exhibition committee member for The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundred and Twenty-Second, 1890
8 April 1890 - 22 April 1890
Responsible for the arrangement of sculpture for the exhibition. See 'Annual Report, 1890', 1891, p. 24.
Exhibition committee member for The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundred and Twenty-Third, 1891
7 April 1891 - 21 April 1891
Responsible for the arrangement of sculpture. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1891', 1892, pp. 25-26.
Exhibition committee member for The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, The One Hundred and Thirtieth (Summer Exhibition), 1898
5 April 1898 - 18 April 1898
Responsible for the arrangement of sculpture. See Royal Academy, 'Annual Report, 1898' (1899), p. 26.
Selection committee member of Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society: First Exhibition, 1888
Institutional and Business Connections
Elected ARA Royal Academy of Arts
27 January 1875 - 18 December 1879
Elected RA in 1879.
Elected RA Royal Academy of Arts
18 December 1879 - 4 December 1905
Died in 1905.
Invited to join Royal Society of British Sculptors
10 January 1905 - 2 March 1905
Amongst those 'Invited to join without the formality of proposal and seconding' [January 10 1905]. Declined to join 'for private reasons' [2 March 1905]. Is perhaps worth noting that letter of invitation [included in minutes] states cost of annual subscription as £1 11s 6d. Was then recommended for Honorary Membership
[Royal Society of British Sculptors, Minutes of Council Meetings, Vol.I].
Lectured at Royal Academy Schools
1879 - 1880
Delivered at least two lectures on sculpture at the Royal Academy Schools in 1879, whilst the post of Professor of Sculpture lay vacant. See Royal Academy 'Annual Report, 1879', (1880), p. 16. Also gave one lecture on 'Some suggestions as to the Method of Study addressed to young Sculptors' on the 23 February, 1880.
Member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1905
Died in 1905.
Member of council Royal Academy of Arts
1880 - 1905
Served as a Member of the Council from 1880 to 1882, 1889 to 1890, 1896 to 1898, and in 1905 until his death. See Royal Academy 'Annual Reports'.
Member of panel at The Glasgow School of Art
1898
Examination Panel for Modelling
Studied at Royal Academy Schools
24 April 1847
See Popp and Valentine, 'Directory of Membership', (1996), p. 4.
Visitor at Royal Academy Schools
1876 - 1905
Listed as a visitor of the Life School. From 1882 Armstead is listed as a visitor to the School of Modelling from the Life. See Royal Academy 'Annual Reports'.
Personal and Professional Connections
Friends with John Richard Clayton
From the mid-1840s. Arsmtead was working for a company of silversmiths, Hunt and Roskell, whose workshop was close to Clayton's firm of stained glass designers
Nominated by George Frederic Watts
22 August 1870
Nominator of Harry Bates
27 March 1888
For RA.
Nominator of Henry Richard Hope-Pinker
14 February 1899
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of William Ernest Reynolds-Stephens
4 April 1899
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominator of William Robert Colton
4 April 1899
For RA.
Seconded by Henry Tanworth Wells
23 August 1870
For RA.
Seconder of Edward Onslow Ford
8 December 1881
For RA.
Seconder of Edwin Roscoe Mullins
27 March 1888
For RA; unsuccessful.
Student of Edward Hodges Baily
Around the mid-1840s
Descriptions of Practice
Listed under Sculptors Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, Coin, Gem, and Seal-Engravers, Mint Masters, &c., Ancient and Modern with References to their Works, B.C. 500 - A.D. 1900, Volume I, 1902 Biographical Dictionary of Medallists
Listed as a sculptor who also produced some 'pattern pieces for the new coinage; these patterns were not adopted'. The patterns are illustrated in Forrer. The artist exhibited a bronze medallion of 'Frau Dr Fischer-Nissen' at the Royal Academy exhibtion of 1899 [summary]. See Forrer, vol. 1 (supplement), (1902), p. 523. Forrer gives a number of sources including V. G. Plarr, 'Men and Women of the Time', London (1899).
Listed under Sculptors Post Office London Directory, 1890 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
1890
p.1997
Listed under Sculptors Post Office London Directory, 1900 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
1900
p.2370
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
'Artist and his brother John (born c.1821) and father John (born c.1791) both 'Chaser'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
'Sculptor'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
'Sculptor'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
'Sculptor Royal Academician'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
'Artist Sculptor RA' employer (three servants working for the family)
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
'Sculptor Royal Academician' working at home (employing three servants)
Sources
A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain, 1660-1851
2009
pp. 22-5
Annual Report from the Council of The Royal Academy to the General Assembly of Academicians for the Year 1880, 1881 Royal Academy Annual Reports
1881
pp. 16, 29, 48
Annual Report from the Council of The Royal Academy to the General Assembly of Academicians for the Year 1890, 1891 Royal Academy Annual Reports
1891
pp. 24, 26-27
Annual Report from the Council of The Royal Academy to the General Assembly of Academicians for the Year 1898, 1899 Royal Academy Annual Reports
1899
pp. 26, 29-30
Annual Report of The Glasgow School of Art 1898
January 1898
Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society: Papers relating to the founding of the Society
1888 (Circa)
\'National Exhibition of the Arts\'. Listed as one of 20 sculptors invited to be part of selection and hanging committee.
Arts and Crafts Society: Catalogue of the First Exhibition.
1888
Catalogue of the Eleventh Autumn Exhibition, 1893
1893
Cat. No. 790, p. 62
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
2005
HO107 Piece: 1508 Folio: 487 Page: 10
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
2005
Class: RG9; Piece: 119; Folio: 114; Page: 35; GSU roll: 542576
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
2004
RG10 piece 235 folio 33 page 12
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
2004
RG11 piece 210 folio 20 page 36
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
2004
RG12 piece 105 folio 12 page 20
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
2005
RG13 piece 118 folio 94 page 8
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
2010
Name: Henry Hugh Armstead
Probate Date: 27 Dec 1905
Death Date: 4 Dec 1905
Death Place: Middlesex, England
Registry: London
International exhibition 1862, official catalogue, fine art department
1862
List of Members: Royal Society of British Sculptors
2008
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2004
Walter Armstrong, ‘Armstead, Henry Hugh (1828–1905)’, rev. Emma Hardy, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30447, accessed 2 Feb 2010]
Oxford Natural History Museum: the Statues in the Court
2008
p. 2
Post Office London Directory, 1890 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
1890
p.1997
Post Office London Directory, 1900 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
1900
p.2370
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, 1866-1906
1906
See entries for 1870, 1881, 1899.
Royal Society of British Sculptors. Minutes of Council Meetings No. 1, 1905-1913
19 May 1913
10 January 1905; 2 March 1905; 15 January 1906; 13 January 1908.
Sculpture of To-day: America, Great Britain and Japan, vol. 1
1921
pp. 102-3
The Builder, Vol. IX, No. 441, 19 July 1851
19 July 1851
p. 446
Citing this record
'Henry Hugh Armstead RA', 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=msib2_1202165577, accessed 29 Sep 2023]
