The Times/1926/Obituary/Mr. Humphry Ward: Art critic and writer

Mr. Humphry Ward
Art critic and writer

The death of Mr. Humphry Ward, already briefly announced in The Times removes one who had long served this journal, not only as art critic, but as a scholarly and well-informed writer on a great variety of subjects. His association with The Times was maintained to the last, and there are few men now left whose memories of it go further back. His last illness, which continued for several weeks, cost him much suffering.

Thomas Humphry Ward was born at Hull on November 9, 1845 His father was the Rev Henry Ward, who was afterwards vicar of St. Barnabas, King's square, Goswell-road. When J. R. Green, the historian, took orders, his first clerical employment was as curate to the vicar of St. Barnabas, and he became an intimate and lifelong friend of the whole family, especially of Mrs. Henry Ward, whose memory is enshrined in his letters. Years after her death he wrote of her as "the greatest and best person I have ever met, or ever shall meet in this world," and the only sermon of his that ever was published was that which he preached at St. Barnabas, after her death in 1862. His last letter was written to her son Humphry.

From Merchant Taylors' School Ward obtained a scholarship at Brasenose College, Oxford. Placed in the first class in Lit. Hum. in 1868, he was elected a fellow of his college in 1869, and became one of its tutors in 1870, holding that office for ten years, In 1872 he married Mary Augusta, the eldest daughter of Thomas Arnold, a younger son of the famous Dr. Arnold of Rugby and a brother of Matthew Arnold, the poet and critic. Of Mrs. Ward's literary work and renown, of her wide social, philanthropic, and political activities, it is needless to speak here.

Even as an undergraduate he had given proof of a literary dexterity and felicity quite out of the common. In 1867 and 1868 there appeared a little periodical publication entitled the Oxford Spectator, in which the manners and customs, the foibles and vagaries, of the Oxford of that day were touched with a satiric humour , at once gentle and genial, after the manner of the original Spectator. The papers were anonymous at that time, but when republished in a volume in 1869 the initials of the authors were appended to their several contributions and their identity was thereby disclosed. There were three schoolfellows who had been at Merchant Taylors' together. One was R. S. Copleston, of Merton, Bishop of Colombo and afterwards of Calcutta, who died in 1925; a second was E. Nolan, of St. John's whose early death extinguished the rare promise of his youth, and the last survivor was Humphry Ward, of Brasenose, who was afterwards to show in many a contribution to The Times that he had not studied Addison for nothing, His literary style was always terse, flexible, lucid and virile. His range of topics was side, and his treatement of them well-informed.

In 1880 Ward left Oxford and settled in London, joining the staff of The Times. For many years he served as art critic ad for that reason it may be thought that his contributions were mainly concerned with art and its history and with cognate topics, But that was by no means the case. He was an all-round journalist in the best sense of the words—that is, he was exceptionally well informed, his knowledge of men and affairs was wide and varied, and he wielded a ready and a versatile pen. To knowledge, judgment, and discretion he added an individual felicity of style and turn of phrase.

Before he left Oxford Ward had already projected a comprehensive work on the English poets, consisting of selections from their writings, with introductions dealing with each poet by some of the most critical writers of the day, and with a general introduction from the pen of Matthew Arnold. This was published in four volumes in 1880, and reissued in 1918, In 1884 he published a graceful memoir of his uncle, Humphry Sandwith, one of the heroes of the Crimean War. In 1885 he edited "Men of the Reign," which was founded largely on previous issues of "Men of the Time," but the material that this supplied was carefully revised by the editor and much fresh material was added. In 1886, with the help of various writers on hart, he superintended the publication of a sumptuously illustrated work on "English Art in the Public Galleries of London." In 1887 he edited the twelfth edition of "Men of the Time," which was in his skilful hands a great improvement on its predecessors; and in the same year he brought out in two volumes a work entitled "The Reign of Queen Victoria: A Survey of Fifty Years of Progress." The high authority of his work is attested by the names of its contributors, each of home dealt with a subject peculiarly his own. Among them were Sir William Anson, Lord Wolseley, Lord Brassey, Lord Justice Bowen, Lord Courtney, Sir Henry Maine, Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, Sir Robert Giffen, Sir Lowthian Bell, Matthew Arnold, Professor Huxley, Mr. R. Brundenell Carter, Dr. Richard Garnett, Mr. William Archer, and Sir Walter Parratt. The editors' own principal contribution was a chapter on art. In 1904 Ward published in collaboration with Mr. W. Roberts, an elaborate monograph on Romney, with a catalogue raisonné and many illustrations in photogravure.

Ward's later years, inevitably over-shadowed by the death, in 1920, of his wife, were solaced by the devoted companionship of his unmarried daughter. At the Athenæum, to which he had been elected as far back as 1885, he occupied himself in rearranging the pictures and printed and when Mr. H. R. Tedder died, to Ward was naturally entrusted the task of writing the centenary history of the club. This book, though based to a certain extent on material collected by Tedder, was really Ward's own work, both in design and execution A review it appeared in the Times of February 28 last.

Besides being an accomplished critic of art, well read in its history, and well equipped with a knowledge acquired by study and travel of the works of the Old Masters, Ward was also well endowed with the taste of the connoisseur and the instincts of the collector. In private life and in society he was a charming companion, widely read and highly cultivated, a constant and never-failing friend, a man of large but unobtrusive benevolence. H e was not a great talker, it was his wont rather to stimulate good talk than to dominate it; but he could hold his own in any company, and could make a point of turn an epigram with the best, By a wide circle of his friends hi death will be mourned as of one who added to his gifts of wide and catholic culture the crowning grace of a tender and generous heart.

Mr. Humphry Ward leaves one son Arnold Sandwith Ward, who had a brilliant career at Eton and Oxford, and was formerly M.P. for West Herts, and two daughters, Mrs. G. M. Trevelyan, who wrote the biography of her mother, and Miss Dorothy Ward.