In August 1793, Joseph Carter and Elisabeth Ann Barlow married at Mary Magdalene Church, Bermondsey, Middlesex; eleven years later, on 4thFebruary 1804 their son Henry Barlow Carter was born. On the baptismal records Joseph is registered as a Gent of Long Lane, Bermondsey. Sadly, much of Henry’s early life has been mis-recorded by various biographers, who have confused him with his uncle, Henry Barlow, also from Bermondsey. It is said without any hard evidence that he (Henry Barlow Carter) served in the Royal Navy (there are no records of him serving, however his uncle served in the East India Company), he probably took an early interest in ships and seafaring life because he lived just a short walk from the Thames, which would have been a hive of shipping activity at that time. Joseph and Elizabeth Ann died in 1834 and 1846, respectively.
After Henry’s baptism there is very little evidence of his early upbringing, but by the subjects of his paintings, it would seem he was much travelled in the 1820’s, just some of his artistic subjects were of London, Menai Straights, Durham and Plymouth. He submitted some of these paintings for exhibition at the Royal Academy, the Society of British Artists, and the British Institute.
On 29 June 1830 Henry married his cousin, Eliza Caroline Barlow at St Mary’s Church in Scarborough. Carter seems to have been smitten by the Yorkshire coast and decided to settle in Scarborough, they had three children, Henry Vandyke Carter in 1831, Eliza Sophia Carter in 1833 and Joseph Newington Carter in 1835. Both his sons were taught by him and inherited Henry’s artistic talents.
Henry made a living teaching art and selling his water colour pictures to the visiting gentry, to supplement his income he was commissioned by SW Theakston to provide illustrations for a Scarborough guide, (this was to be Scarborough’s first fully illustrated guide) plus other illustrated books. He became the resident artist in Theakston’s Library on Longroom Street (now known as St Nicholas Street).
A few years after his wife Eliza’s death in 1857 Henry move to Bath and then onto Torquay, where he named his house Scarborough Lodge. It was here he died on 4 Oct 1868 from bronchitis.
It has been recorded that Henry had ‘a retiring disposition’, this and his love of the Yorkshire Coast stopped him in his earlier life settling in London where, if he had, he could have gained much more respect and acclaim for his artistic talents.
Visit :
Scarborough Art Gallery, The Crescent Many Paintings by Carter Barlow
York Place Carter Barlow Blue Plaque
Read :
Scarborough & Whitby Watercolourists Colin P Bullamore 1976
Scarborough Artists of the 19th Century A & P Bayliss 1997
HB Carter and Sons Gorden Bell 2006
