Cuthbert Hamilton

1884 - 1959

Cuthbert Hamilton studied at the Slade School of Art in London, between 1899 and 1903, a contemporary Slade student to Wyndham Lewis. After a spell of teaching at Clifton College to 1910, Hamilton collaborated with Lewis on the decorations for Madame Strindberg's Cabaret Theatre Club in 1912-13. Hamilton then joined the Omega Workshop, along with Lewis, Frederick Etchells and Edward Wadsworth. During his time here, Hamilton designed and painted pottery. He also exhibited at the major exhibitions at this time including the Post-Impressionist and Futurist Exhibition of October 1913. After the split with Fry, Hamilton became a Rebel, signing the Vorticist Manifesto in BLAST. He contributed a startlingly modernistic illustration to BLAST 1, a painting called 'Group'. During the war, Hamilton became a special constable. He was able to continue working in pottery, and with William Staite Murray, founded the Yeoman Pottery. He was to work with Murray here between 1915 and 1919. The illustration of the bowl below is from this time. After the war, Hamilton exhibited paintings and pottery, once again alongside Lewis, at the Group X exhibition in 1920. He died at Cookham in 1959.

Sources: mainly Vorticism and Its Allies by Richard Cork, with additional notes from Mr D Walker, at the Shibusa Gallery.