Portrait of Henry Stacy Marks, R.A., 1877

Walter William Ouless RA (1848 - 1933)

RA Collection: Art

Henry Stacy Marks, RA (1829-1898) - known to his friends as 'Marco' - was a member of the St John's Wood Clique, a group of London artists who shared an interest in historical genre painting. Initially Marks specialized in everyday scenes set in medieval England but from about 1870 began painting birds, frequently sketching at London Zoo.

Although there was often a humorous element in his work, Marks bitterly resented being referred to as a comic artist. Writing after his death, George D. Leslie commented that in fact 'gravity was the prevailing tone of Marco's character' and that 'Mr. Ouless, in his

wonderfully successful portrait' has given Marks 'the usual grave and thoughtful expression that was habitual to him'.