Sydney Adamson, 1872 – 1914

RH garden, Sydney Adamson, watercolor on paper, no date
"Beating the Charge with All My Might", Sydney Adamson illustration to Winston Churchill's The Crossing, Collier, 1904
Adamson's illustration of The Forbidden City for a 1900 issue of Leslie's

Sydney Adamson (1872-1914) was a Scottish illustrator, war correspondent, and genre painter. He traveled the world in the early 20th century, documenting his experiences with sketches, drawings, and also with the written word. His dispatches from far-flung locales like Mumbai, Odessa, and Fez turned eager American and European audiences into armchair tourists. Adamson enjoyed significant success as an illustrator: one of his most important commissions were the illustrations to Winston Churchill's best-selling 1904 novel, The Crossing.

Adamson worked primarily for major American and British periodicals, accompanying U.S. troops to the Philippines and to China from 1899 – 1900 for Leslie's magazine. He also exhibited regularly in the U.S. and abroad. In March 1902, The Washington Post covered an exhibition of Adamson's drawings, praising his pictures of "camp and soldier life." His painting, "Victory for the South," apparently received a great deal of attention, and Adamson was present at the exhibit on March 3, 1902 to explain his drawings and wartime experiences. 

"Our Artist in the French Trenches: A Scene He Witnessed Near the Fighting in Soissons", Sydney Adamson, The Graphic, April 24, 1915, p.527
Mark Twain's 70th Birthday at Delmonico's, Sydney Adamson, Harper's Weekly (vol. 49)

The Graphic, a British publication, includes an Adamson sketch from the French trenches near Soissons published on April 24, 1915. Adamson is also quoted describing the horrors of the cold, fog, constant shellfire, and the scarcity of charcoal at the front.

As a well-respected artist and journalist, Adamson moved in elite transatlantic social circles. He is pictured in a photograph from Mark Twain's 70th birthday party at New York's iconic Delmonico's restaurant on December 5, 1905, and he covered the event for Harper's Weekly, contributing an elegant drawing. Twain himself had invited all 170 attendees on the guest list.

There is no date on Adamson's gorgeous watercolor of Reid Hall's garden and courtyard, but it is likely from the early World War I era, when he was in France covering the war. Like many other artists at the Girl's Art Club, he drew inspiration from the gardens. The focal point of his watercolor is the iconic gate, with the rue de Chevreuse building looming behind.

Adamson apparently died in 1914 but the cause of death is unknown. This only adds to the poignancy of his Soissons trench illustration for The Graphic, as it became a posthumous tribute to his talent as an artist.


Sources

Adamson, Sydney. Illustration, "Mark Twain's Seventieth Birthday." Mark Twain's Seventieth Birthday: Souvenir of Its Celebration. Supplement to Harper's Weekly, December 23, 1905. n.p. Google Books.

Adamson, Sydney. Illustration, "Our Artist in the French Trenches: A Scene He Witnessed Near the Fighting in Soissons." The Graphic: An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper, April 24, 1915, p.527.

Adamson, Sydney. Illustration, "Strange Spectacle in China's Forbidden City." Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, vol. 91, no. 2357, November 10, 1900, p. 343. Accessible Archives. 

Churchill, Winston. The Crossing. Illustrated by Sydney Adamson and Lilian Bayliss. London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1904. HathiTrust.

"Notable Art Exhibits: Adamson's War Drawings and Miss McParlin's Miniatures." The Washington Post, March 2, 1902, p. 16. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.