Leghe Suthers (1856-1924)

1856 - 1924

John Lees Suthers was born at Chadderton, Lancashire on 26 April 1855, the son of cotton manufacturer, Charles Suthers. John took on the alias “Leghe” around 1883 when he began painting at Newlyn, Penzance.

He studied in Antwerp and afterwards in Brittany in 1882 where he met Stanhope Forbes, who mentioned him in a letter to his mother in 1884, therefore placing him in Newlyn in 1883. Leghe did not officially join the Newlyn School, an art colony of artists based in or near Newlyn and it is thought he stopped painting there around 1900. He is known to have lived at Trewarveneth Farm, Newlyn but his exhibiting address for entries to the Royal Academy at this time remained at Southport, Lancashire.

In 1900 he moved to Porlock, Somerset (which he then used as his exhibiting address), to join his friend, the artist, Fred Hall. His death is recorded by the family as being in Williton, Somerset, near Porlock. He died on 11 April 1924, aged 67, unmarried.

Leghe Suthers is known to have painted genre and figurative subjects, exhibiting 11 works at the Royal Academy including “Venetian Red”, “a pound of leg” and “Romanies”.

Other works known by the artist include subjects such as “Newlyn from the bottom of Adit Lane”, “Musicians outside an Inn” and “Village Lane with vegetable merchant”.

His work was included in both the “Painting in Newlyn 1880-1930” travelling exhibition in 1985 and the Cornwall County Council centenary exhibition “A Century of Art in Cornwall 1889 -1989”

Many of his works ... show more

John Lees Suthers was born at Chadderton, Lancashire on 26 April 1855, the son of cotton manufacturer, Charles Suthers. John took on the alias “Leghe” around 1883 when he began painting at Newlyn, Penzance.

He studied in Antwerp and afterwards in Brittany in 1882 where he met Stanhope Forbes, who mentioned him in a letter to his mother in 1884, therefore placing him in Newlyn in 1883. Leghe did not officially join the Newlyn School, an art colony of artists based in or near Newlyn and it is thought he stopped painting there around 1900. He is known to have lived at Trewarveneth Farm, Newlyn but his exhibiting address for entries to the Royal Academy at this time remained at Southport, Lancashire.

In 1900 he moved to Porlock, Somerset (which he then used as his exhibiting address), to join his friend, the artist, Fred Hall. His death is recorded by the family as being in Williton, Somerset, near Porlock. He died on 11 April 1924, aged 67, unmarried.

Leghe Suthers is known to have painted genre and figurative subjects, exhibiting 11 works at the Royal Academy including “Venetian Red”, “a pound of leg” and “Romanies”.

Other works known by the artist include subjects such as “Newlyn from the bottom of Adit Lane”, “Musicians outside an Inn” and “Village Lane with vegetable merchant”.

His work was included in both the “Painting in Newlyn 1880-1930” travelling exhibition in 1985 and the Cornwall County Council centenary exhibition “A Century of Art in Cornwall 1889 -1989”

Many of his works

remain in private collections and can be viewed at the Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance