Joseph Else RBS, ARBS, FRBS
Born 8 February 1874
Died 8 May 1955
Active: 1890 - 1949
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor, modelling teacher, principal of art school
Born in Nottingham. He was the son of William Else (born c.1828 in Campton, Leicestershire), a leather cutter presumably working in the shoe industry. In the early 1890s Joseph was working as a lace designer. He studied at Nottingham School of Art between 1890-1900 and in the early 1900s attended the Royal College of Art, London. Else seems to have divided his time between London and Nottingham until 1915 when it is presumed that he was called into active war service.
From about 1919-38 Else taught modelling and sculpture at Nottingham School of Art where he was also principal from late 1922. His most important commission was for an extensive scheme of sculptural decoration for the exterior of Nottingham Council House (c.1927-9). This includes the lions guarding the entrance, the frieze above the Ballroom windows (representing ancient local industries such as bell-founding and alabaster) and for twenty-one figures depicting the arts and public service on the main pediment.
One of Else's students, William Henry Woods, who took evening modelling classes for two years in the early 1930s, has provided the following recollections of his teaching practice:
"[Else was] a big man, six foot three and brawny. He taught by example mostly, but would give hands-on instruction when needed. He worked on his own pieces with the students, but also had his own room at the end of the sculpture room where he carved in stone... there were never more than three students in the class. They...[began] with a life-sized bust of a model, making an armature and blocking in with big pieces of clay, then smaller pieces pressed on with the thumb and finished with wooden modelling spatulas. The sculpture room was open for students at any time of the day and evening... Not all the work was from life. From time to time they could work from imagination [Woods modelled an otter]... Nobody appears to have studied stone or wood carving at that time. The clay models were boxed with walls and the plaster mould would then be cast (dismantleable) in the usual way. The clay would then be discarded and the mould tied together with a release agent painted over it and a positive cast in plaster made from it....He used a commercial brand of dark patina coating to simulate old bronze."
This account was written up for the project by Ian Woods (William Woods' son).
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.
Torso
1921 (Presumed)
Design for War Memorial
1921 (Presumed)
The Prodigal
1921 (Presumed)
Marble Bust
1921 (Presumed)
Thomas Barrett, Esq., ARE
May 1921
Youth
1921 (Presumed)
William Kiddier, Esq.
1921 (Presumed)
The late William L. P. Rodway, Esq.
1921 (Presumed)
Portrait
1921 (Presumed)
Design for War Memorial
1921 (Presumed)
Preliminary Rough Sketch for Portion of War Memorial, No. 360
1921 (Presumed)
Norman
1921 (Presumed)
Portrait
1921 (Presumed)
Mrs R. Atkinson
1921 (Presumed)
The Dawn of Forebeing
1921 (Presumed)
Vita
1921 (Presumed)
Design for War Memorial
1921 (Presumed)
St Luke
1934 (Presumed)
The Valkyrie
1949 (Presumed)
Torso
1949 (Presumed)
Melpomene
1949 (Presumed)
Locations
Address 516 King's Road Chelsea London England | View on map
1901 (Circa)
listed as 'boarder' with fellow art students: William W Stephens age 21 born Cheltenham; Henry J Pike age 24 born Southampton and William R Alexander age 24 born Scotland
Address 6 Albert Grove Nottingham England | View on map
1910 (Circa)
Address The Manor Middle Street Nottingham England | View on map
1911 (Circa)
Address 70A Beaufort Street Chelsea London England | View on map
1911 (Circa) - 1915 (Circa)
Address 6 East Forest Road Nottingham England | View on map
1918 (Circa) - 1932 (Circa)
Address 18 Newstead Grove Nottingham England | View on map
1933 (Circa) - 1938 (Circa)
Studio located at The Studio, Beaumont Road West Kensington London W England | View on map
1909 (Circa)
Else was in studio A
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Exhibition of Works by Local Artists (Nottingham Castle Museum), 1921
'Portrait'
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1909 - 1938
Exhibited 16 times, eighteen works in all (reliefs, statuettes, portrait busts and in 1919 a model for a war memorial at Ryde, Isle of Wight)
Exhibited at Sculpture by Mr Else (Nottingham Castle Museum), 1921
1921
Exhibited at Nottingham Artists To-Day, 1949
27 June 1949 - 7 August 1949
Else lent his own works to the exhibition.
Lectured on The Beauties of Ancient and Modern Sculpture, 1928
1928
Taught Modelling Class (Nottingham Municipal School of Art and Design), 1919-1925
1919 (Presumed) - 1925 (Circa)
Taught Sculpture Courses (City of Nottingham School of Art), 1925-1940
1925 (Presumed) - 1938 (Circa)
From 1928-1929 J. Else is listed as teaching modelling and sculpture as part of the architecture course at the school.
No tutor was listed for the sculpture course in the 1939-1940 prospectus.
Institutional and Business Connections
Associate member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
14 May 1923 - 1938
Elected to membership of Nottingham Society of Artists
1926 (Circa) - 1939 (Circa)
Listed as a member in the 'Local Artists Exhibition'(Castle Gallery)in 1926 (not listed as a member in avaliable catalogues from before this date). There were no exhibitions from 1939 to 1948 and members of the society are not listed in the exhibition catalogue from 1949 onwards.
Fellow of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1938 - 1955
Died in 1955.
Member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1910 - 1955
Member of council Royal Society of British Sculptors
March 1925 - 1938
Served as a Member of the Council from 1925 to 1927, from 1932 to 1934, from 1936 to 1938, and from 1940.
Principal of Nottingham School of Art
30 July 1923 - 31 August 1939
From Christmas 1922 Else was acting principal; the date of the permanent position in recorded in the 1922 'Annual Report of the Castle Museum and School of Art Committee'. His salary in 1923 was £800 per annum. He retired on the 31 August 1939.
Studied at Nottingham School of Art
1890 - September 1900
See 'Register of Full-Time Teachers, Nottingham School of Art' (c. 1889-1921), index no. 4. See also Hall, 'Artists and Sculptors' (1953), p. 92.
Studied at Royal College of Art (including National Art Training School)
September 1900 - September 1901
See 'Register of Full-Time Teachers, Nottingham School of Art' (c. 1889-1921), index no. 4.
Teacher of modeling at Belfast School of Art
Dates to be confirmed, also taught Anatomy at Belfast
Teacher of modeling at Nottingham School of Art
1919 (Circa) - 1938 (Circa)
Start date is listed in 'Register of Full-Time Teachers, Nottingham School of Art' (c. 1889-1921), index no. 4. His annual salary is listed as £450 in 1923. However he is listed in the 1911 Census Returns as a teacher of modelling at the 'Municipal School of Art'.
Vice-president of Nottingham Society of Artists
1933 - 1935
Listed as Vice-President in the 1933 and the 1935 exhibition catalogues 'Local Artists Exhibition'.
Personal and Professional Connections
Nominated by Ernest George Gillick
5 July 1909
For membership of the Royal Society of British Sculptors [5 July 1909, Royal Society of British Sculptors: Minutes of Council Meetings, no.1].
Nominator of James Arthur Woodford
For membership of the RSBS
Seconded by Edouard Lanteri
5 July 1909
For membership of the Royal Society of British Sculptors [5 July 1909, Royal Society of British Sculptors: Minutes of Council Meetings, no.1].
Teacher to William Henry Woods
1930 (Circa) - 1935 (Circa)
Woods took evening classes in modelling with Else over a two year period whilst a student at Nottingham School of Art. During this time Woods assisted his teacher in the creation of a frieze for Scarborough Town Hall.
Descriptions of Practice
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
'Art Student'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
'Modelling Master at Municipal School of Art'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
'Designer Lace' employed
Sources
A History of the Nottingham Society of Artists, 1955
1955
p. 8.
Annual Report of the Castle Museum and College of Art Committee, for the year ended 31 March 1938
3 October 1938
p. 10.
Annual Report of the Castle Museum and College of Art Committee, for the year ended 31 March 1939
2 October 1939
p. 4 and p. 11.
Annual Report of the Castle Museum and School of Art Committee, for the year ending 31 March 1922
2 October 1922
p. 6.
Board of Education. Register of Full-Time Teachers, Nottingham School of Art, no. 81070, c. 1889-1921 Nottingham School of Art
Unpaged, index no. 4.
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
2004
Class: RG12; Piece: 2695; Folio 90; Page 6; GSU roll: 6097805
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
2005
Class: RG13; Piece: 71; Folio: 41; Page: 73
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
2011
RG14PN20431 RG78PN1223 RD429 SD3 ED6 SN374
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1925-1926 Commencing September 14, 1925 Nottingham School of Art
14 September 1925
p. 2.
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1927-1928, 1927 Nottingham School of Art
1927
p. 2.
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1928-1929, 1928 Nottingham School of Art
1928
p. 2.
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1930-1931, 1930 Nottingham School of Art
1930
p. 4.
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1932-1933, 1932 Nottingham School of Art
1932
p. 4.
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1933-1934, 1933 Nottingham School of Art
1933
p. 2.
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1934-1935, 1934 Nottingham School of Art
1934
p. 2.
City of Nottingham School of Art. Prospectus for Session 1934-1935, 1934 Nottingham School of Art
1934
p. 2.
Exhibition of Works by Local Artists, 1921
May 1921
p. 33.
List of Members: Royal Society of British Sculptors
2008
Local Artists Index, Nottingham Nottingham Local Studies Collection, Central Library, Nottingham
See numerous card entries for Joseph Else.
Minutes of the Castle Museum and School of Art Committee, 1921
1 June 1921
Accessed from electronic database.
Nottingham Artists To-Day, 1949 Nottingham Society of Artists
June 1949
p. 1 and p. 22.
Nottingham Municipal School of Art and Design. Prospectus for the Session 1919-1920, commencing Monday, September 8th, 1919 Nottingham School of Art
8 September 1919
p. 4 and p. 8.
Photograph of Sculpture by Joseph Else Former Principal, 1928-40 Nottingham School of Art
1928 (Presumed)
Royal Society of British Sculptors Diploma [Associate], 14 May 1923 Nottingham Society of Artists: Joseph Else Material
14 May 1923
p. 1.
Royal Society of British Sculptors Diploma [Fellowship], 8 June 1938 Nottingham Society of Artists: Joseph Else Material
8 June 1938
p. 1.
Royal Society of British Sculptors. Minutes of Council Meetings No. 1, 1905-1913
19 May 1913
5 July 1909.
Citing this record
'Joseph Else RBS, ARBS, FRBS', 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=msib4_1226573126, accessed 29 Sep 2023]
