Frederic Leighton was one of the artists who participated in the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition in 1861. The exhibition, held between 6 May and 27 July at the National Gallery in London, was notable for the absence of several senior painters, such as John Everett Millais, giving artists like Leighton greater visibility. At the time, 30-year-old Leighton was still an emerging artist, despite having gained early recognition in 1855 with his painting Cimabue’s Celebrated Madonna (which was purchased by Queen Victoria).
Prior to the exhibition's public opening, Leighton had arranged a private studio viewing, attended by a large number of guests. He received considerable praise for his work and was hopeful of achieving similar success at the Royal Academy, where his paintings were later exhibited. However, when Leighton finally saw his work at the Academy, he was appalled by the way it was displayed. Very upset, he immediately wrote to his mother (as seen below), complaining about his pictures being "badly hung", with one painting "over a door, the others above the line".
Incidentally, complaints about the Royal Academy’s hanging practices were not uncommon. The most prominent places in the exhibition rooms were generally reserved for works by Royal Academy members, with paintings of Academicians (full members) often hung 'on the line', i.e. at eye level. Outsiders (non-Academy members) often found their paintings 'skied', i.e. hung high up on the walls, or placed in poorly lit corners or above doorways. Probably the best-known example of an artist who had complained about one of his paintings being hung too high was Thomas Gainsborough in 1784 (he was, interestingly enough, a founding member of the Royal Academy); when the Hanging Committee refused to hang the painting lower, Gainsborough withdrew all his works from the exhibition and never exhibited at the Academy again.
Paris. Monday.
Dearest Mother,
I must wind up with bad news, which I hope you will bear well: my pictures are badly hung, ill lighted, and almost entirely ignored by the press. Of course this is au fond, a bitter disappointment to a man of my temperament, especially after all the praise my work got before the Exhibition. However, I shall wear a brave face, and who knows but that some good may arise to me out of this? My little energies will be sharpened up and my tenacity roused. I trust in some future day, as long as hope lives. God bless you, Mammy; best love to dear Gussy [his younger sister Augusta]. From your affectionate son,
Fred.
May 1, 1861
Dearest Mammy,
Life being a pump handle, first up then down, you won't be too much surprised to hear that after the real success my pictures had on "private view" they are with one exception (the landscape) badly hung, "The Vision" over a door, the others above the line, which will make it impossible to see the finish or delicacy of execution which is an important feature in them. I have not seen them myself, but am told this by those who have. Don't take on, dear Mammy, nor let Papa worry himself about it. Things come right in the end, and I know that many people will be much annoyed at this treatment of me. Millais, like a good fellow that he is, spoke up for me like a man, though he himself feels so differently on art from what I do. My good friend [Charles Hamilton] Aïdé is furious. After all perhaps, though badly hung, the pictures may still be seen well enough to be judged, that is all I really want, then perhaps some of the papers will speak up for me. I am glad I let so many people see them at the studio, those at least know what the pictures are like. Of one thing be sure: if my works have real value, public opinion will in the long run force the Academy to hang me—but enough of this subject. ...
Despite his work being poorly displayed, the 1861 Royal Academy exhibition brought Leighton wider recognition among critics and the public. The following years saw his reputation grow, which led to his becoming a member of the Royal Academy himself — first as an Associate in 1864, and next as a full Academician in 1868. In 1878, he was even elected President of the Royal Academy, a position he held until his death in 1896. Leighton was at the height of his career in the late 1870s and 1880s, but it was not until 1895 — the final year of his life — that he painted Flaming June, now considered his most iconic work.
Note: There is no record of a painting called The Vision, as mentioned in Leighton's letter. Perhaps it's a painting that he later renamed, or maybe the painting has been lost?
Source letters:
The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton by Mrs. Russell Barrington (1906)
-Image top: Portrait of Frederic Leighton, painted by his friend George Frederic Watts in 1871
-Image bottom (collage): Paintings that were among Leighton's exhibited work at the Royal Academy Exhibition in 1861— clockwise: Garden of an Inn, Capri; Lieder Ohne Worte, and A Dream
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