F154: Fan leaf

Thomas Loggan (1706-c.1788)

Fan Leaf with a view of North Parade, Bath

Thomas Loggan, who painted this lively scene of promenaders on North Parade, specialised in the kind of topographical views of spa resorts such as Bath and Tunbridge Wells that could be sold as souvenirs.  As an adult he was only 4 feet 1” tall and was appointed dwarf to the Prince and Princess of Wales; he may have been introduced to fan painting by the painter Joseph Goupy whom he met in their household.  During the 1730s he established himself at Bath and Tunbridge Wells where he painted topographical fans and views, often portraying well-known visitors.  He later diversified into bookselling, bookbinding, the sale of chocolate and a circulating library at Bristol’s Hotwells. 

Sadly, the fan has long since lost its sticks, but the old folds are still visible, where the paint has worn away in lines along the creases.  In 1998, the fan leaf was cleaned and repaired.

Presented by the Holburne Society, 1936.

F154

By the middle of the 18th Century the growing importance of Bath as a health spa was matched by the brilliance of its social life. People flocked to bathe in the water from the springs, and to drink the waters while incidentally enjoying the various entertainments that were being arranged for their diversion. Concerts, assemblies, dancing, card playing were ably organised and controlled by Richard ‘Beau’ Nash for a period of nearly fifty years from the time of his appointment as Master of Ceremonies in 1705.

Meanwhile the architect John Wood was designing and building the new houses in Queen Square and up Lansdown to the Circus, to accommodate each fresh influx of visitors. Wood also put in hand his plan for developing the lower part of the city along similar lines, when in 1740 he began the construction of the imposing hollow square of terraced houses known as South and North Parades, close by the two Lower Assembly Rooms and overlooking Harrison’s Walks. As the name suggested, the broad paved area in front of the Parades provided an ideal outdoor platform for people to promenade, show themselves off in public, meet their friends and exchange gossip, and generally carry on the social life of the spa.

Thomas Loggon (1706 c1778), who painted this lively scene of promenaders on North Parade, specialised in the kind of topographical views of spa resorts such as Bath and Tunbridge Wells which could be sold as souvenirs.