Journal

even from an early age he had a more imaginative and adventurous approach
to art than Charlotte, whose enormous output of drawings and paintings was
often copied from prints. In a letter to Patrick dated 23 September, 1829,
when the children were staying with a Mr. Fenell in Cross-Stone, Charlotte
wrote:
Branwell has taken two sketches from nature, & Emily Anne and
myself have likewise each of us drawn a piece from some views of
the lake which Mr. Fenell brought with him from Westmorland. 8
All the Brontë siblings, however, copied prints, particularly those by John
Martin whose sensational spiritual landscapes inspired their writings as well as
providing them with stimulating subjects to copy. Patrick apparently owned at
least three, possibly five framed engravings of Martin’s works, suggesting
such dramatic scenes may have fired the imagination of the whole family.
Branwell’s magnum opus during the period of Bradley’s instruction was
probably his masterly copy of John Martin’s Queen Esther.
Another much-loved print was an engraving by William Woollett of Benjamin
West’s heroic portrayal of ‘The Death of General Wolfe’ which apparently
hung on the wall of Branwell’s bedroom. 9 Regarded as a radical painting
when first exhibited in 1770, West’s painting depicts the figures in
contemporary dress rather than in the classical tradition.
Through art periodicals, magazines and journals, Branwell as a young boy
would have been very familiar with the tradition of English portraiture
established by Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Romney but it is hardly
surprising that John Martin’s paintings stirred his imagination and vividly
appealed to his sense of manliness and heroism in a way that conventional
portraiture probably never did.
By 1833, Branwell, aged 16 and the only son of the family, was forced to
make serious decisions about his career. With his knowledge of classical
languages and his phenomenal translating ability it would appear that after a
university education, he was destined for the church. Whether the life of a
clergyman, exemplified by his father, failed to appeal or whether Patrick’s
financial situation was the reason, Branwell, instead of attending university,
decided to become an artist, although he was equally passionate about poetry
and music. (He played both the organ and flute and was a devotee of English
church music.) Ellen Nussey in her Reminiscences mentioned that
Branwell studied regularly with his father, and used to paint in oils,
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