This week sixth-former Megan Gessey-Jones has been finding out about a painting from the Museum’s collection during her work experience placement, researching the artist and the story behind Lichfield’s iconic Cathedral.
This watercolour painting is attributed to John Carter, an artist from the late 18th and early 19th century. Carter was a draughtsman and an avid enthusiast for the gothic revival. In 1780, he was commissioned by the Society of Antiquaries to do some drawings. An earlier sketch of Lichfield Cathedral was included in his book, Views of Ancient Building in England.
The watercolour is in a frame embossed with gold, perhaps showing the fondness that the family who owned it had for the piece. The angle of the painting gives the Cathedral a sense of grandeur, suggesting the importance of the building to the people of Lichfield, which Johnson himself would have looked upon. It may have contributed to his belief that a ‘genuine civilised life’ could be found in Lichfield. Like his other sketches, Carter paints the surroundings of the building, such as the family in the left-hand corner, along with several couples who are shown walking around the cathedral. The use of watercolour in the painting gives it an airy and joyful feel. This sharply contrasts to the building itself, which is in the gothic style.
This snapshot of the building in the late 18th century only tells a small part of the remarkable history of Lichfield Cathedral. The building was first consecrated in 700AD. The Normans replaced the wooden structure for one of stone, which was replaced again for one in a gothic style which began construction in 1195 and wasn’t completed until the 1330s.
During the British Civil Wars, Lichfield was sieged three times. During the first siege, a Royalist soldier named John Dyott shot the Parliamentarian leader Lord Brooke from the spire. An amazing stroke of luck, well… not for Lord Brooke. Throughout the war, the Cathedral was used to house soldiers. It was seriously damaged, with both the central spire and the stained glass left destroyed. However, with funds, including some from the monarch, the Cathedral was fully restored by the 19th century.
Architect James Wyatt did some restoration work to the cathedral from 1788 to 1795, which involved removing the High Altar. George Gilbert Scott started renovating the front of the cathedral in 1857, which had been covered in Roman cement. Although not as ornate as it is now, Carter captures the beautiful front of the cathedral in his watercolour painting and goes into great detail in showing the statutes that covered the cathedral’s walls.
In 2003, the Lichfield Angel was discovered in the cathedral. It was dated back to the 8th century and is believed to be a depiction of the 
Archangel Gabriel. With a brief 18-month examination period in Birmingham, the Lichfield Angel has remained in the Cathedral, showing the rich and often unpredictable history of the building.
Lichfield Cathedral is the only Medieval three-spired cathedral in the country, and although it has suffered throughout history, the ‘Ladies of the Vale’ remains a beacon of hope and strength for people of Lichfield, arguably including Dr Johnson himself. Carter perfectly captures this in his painting.
As well as having a number of views of the Cathedral in the Museum collection, we are proud to work in partnership with Lichfield Cathedral, most recently supporting the portrait of Samuel Johnson by Joshua Reynolds to come to Lichfield as part of the National Gallery’s COMING HOME project – find out more here