D Melville
The blog is dedicated to Joshua Kirby (1716–1774),
his life, times, friends, and anything else I find interesting about
mid-18th century England.
Kirby was from Suffolk, an artist and author, writing on perspective
in art. He was the author of Brook Taylor’s Method of Perspective
Made Easy, which ran through three editions, and the lavishly produced
Perspective of Architecture. He was tutor in perspective to the Prince
of Wales (the future George III), and Clerk of Works at Kew and
Richmond. He was a friend of Thomas Gainsborough and William Hogarth.
Categories used most frequently by the blogger:
People Kirby London Subscribers Places Oddments Gainsborough Ipswich Joshua Kirby Office of Works and Kew Artists books Suffolk Hogarth Thomas Gainsborough Perspective Brook Taylor Mathematical Instruments Office of Works Family
12 May 2020
The Honourable and Reverend Henry Aston, Rector of Shotley in Suffolk, subscribed for two copies of Kirby’s Historical Account. However, beneath the sober clerical garb beat the...
19 October 2017
When George Warren died, he was replaced as carpenter at Kew by Kemble Whatley. Their situations were quite different. The Warrens were a local family with extensive ties to the area...
7 March 2017
Edward Venn (1717—1780) was a doctor in Ipswich. His father, Richard Venn (1691—1739) was a vicar, as was his father before him and so on in “an unbroken succession...
25 January 2017
In 1751, Elizabeth Pratt (1728—1759), the daughter of Joseph Pratt (1697—1768), Master Bricklayer to His Majesty’s Works, and Elizabeth Churchill (1707—1768),...