John Laporte (artist) facts for kids
John Laporte (born March 1761 – died 8 July 1839) was an English artist. He was known for painting beautiful landscapes and for making special prints called etchings. He mostly worked in and around London, England.
About John Laporte
John Laporte came from a family of French Huguenots (a type of Protestant). He might have been born in London or in Ireland. He studied art with an Irish-born Huguenot painter named John Melchior Barralet. This training happened either in London or Dublin.
His Art and Teaching
Laporte became a drawing teacher at the Addiscombe Military Seminary in Surrey. He was also a very successful private teacher. One of his students was Dr. Thomas Monro, who supported many artists, including the famous J. M. W. Turner.
From 1785, Laporte began showing his landscape paintings. He displayed them at important art exhibitions in London, like the Royal Academy and the British Institution. He also painted using oil paints. He was one of the first members of a group called 'The Associated Artists in Watercolours'. He left this group in 1811.
His Published Works
John Laporte also wrote and published several books about art. These included:
- Characters of Trees (published between 1798 and 1801)
- Progressive Lessons sketched from Nature (published in 1804)
- The Progress of a Water-colour Drawing
Between 1801 and 1805, Laporte worked with another artist, William Frederick Wells. Together, they created 72 special prints called soft-ground etchings. These prints were based on drawings by the famous artist Thomas Gainsborough. Laporte made 33 of these etchings, and Wells made the rest.
They first sold these etchings one by one. Later, they put them into books that were colored by hand. These books were called A Collection of Prints, illustrative of English Scenery, from the Drawings and Sketches of Gainsborough. This collection was first released around 1805. It was sold again in 1819, but with fewer prints.
Other artists also made prints from Laporte's paintings. For example, his painting Perdita discovered by the Old Shepherd was made into a print by Francesco Bartolozzi. His painting Millbank on the River Thames was made into a print by Francis Jukes.
John Laporte passed away in London on July 8, 1839, when he was 78 years old.
His Family of Artists
Art ran in John Laporte's family!
- His daughter, Miss M. A. Laporte, was also an artist. She showed her portraits and other artworks at the Royal Academy and the British Institution from 1813 to 1822. In 1835, she became a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, but she left the group in 1846.
- His son, George Henry Laporte, was also an artist. He was known for painting animals and was even the official animal painter for the King of Hanover.
