Timothy Whidborne Explained

Timothy Charles Plunket Whidborne (1927-2021) was a British artist notable for his 1969 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on horseback as Colonel-in-Chief of the Irish Guards, a regiment in which Whidborne had once been a member.^[1]

Born in High Wycombe, Whidborne was educated at Stowe School, where he was a contemporary of George Melly. He served as a lieutenant in the Irish Guards and saw action in Mandatory Palestine.^[2] In 1949, he became a pupil of Pietro Annigoni.^[3] Whidborne exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1954,^[4] and in 1966, The Connoisseur recognized him as a leading mural decorator in England.

In 1983, he was among the artists selected to design alternative stamps for the British definitive series,^[5] but his design was not adopted, and the Machin series remained in use for the Queen's lifetime.

Selected publications

• Pietro Annigoni: Il Periodo Inglese, 1949-1971. Leonardo-De Luca, Rome, 1991. Edited by Luciano Pelizzari, contribution by Timothy Whidborne.
• Woolly the Mammoth. Pheasantry Studios, London, 1993.
• Aspects of Deal. Pheasantry Studios, London, 2002.
• Aspects of Ireland. Pheasantry Studios, London, 2003.
• Aspects Abroad. Pheasantry Studios, London, 2005. (new edition)
• Aspects Diverse. Pheasantry Studios, London, 2008.
• A Cabinet of Curiosities. Pheasantry Studios, London, 2008.
• Aspects of Love and Passion. Pheasantry Studios, London, 2008.
• Aspects of Psychology. Pheasantry Studios, London, 2010.
• Aspects of Art and Ancestry. Grosvenor House, Tolworth, 2019.
• Images: Paintings and Drawings by Timothy Charles Plunket Whidborne. Grosvenor House, Tolworth, 2020.

Notes and References

1. Book: Melly, George.. Owning Up: The Trilogy. 2006. Penguin Books. London. 978-0-14-193830-1. 642.
2. Book: Whidborne . Timothy . Aspects of Art and Ancestry . 2019 . Grosvenor House . Tolworth, U.K. . 9781786234735.
3. Book: Gibson. Wilfrid. Paintings and Drawings by Pietro Annigoni and Some of His Past and Present Students - Exhibition catalogue 25th April to 3rd June 1961. 1961. Federation of British Artists.
4. "The Royal Academy", Stephen Bone, The Manchester Guardian, 1 May 1954, p. 3.
5. [Douglas N. Muir|Muir, Douglas.]