# Charles Pears > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Charles_Pears > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Charles_Pears.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Pears > Source revision: 1347944582 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|British artist}} {{Use British English|date=January 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox artist | image = Charles Pears in 1948.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Pears in 1948 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1873|09|09|df=y}}{{cite web|title=PEARS, Charles|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U241659|work=Who Was Who|publisher=A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007|accessdate=5 August 2013}} | birth_place = [Pontefract](/source/Pontefract), Yorkshire | death_date = {{Death date and age|1958|01|28|1873|09|09|df=y}} | death_place = [Truro](/source/Truro), Cornwall{{cite news|title=Mr. Charles Pears|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=oxford&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS169826878&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|accessdate=5 August 2013|newspaper=The Times|date=30 January 1958|page=10}} | spouse = | field = Naval and [marine art](/source/marine_art) | training = | movement = | works = | patrons = | influenced by = | influenced = | awards = | elected = | website = | bgcolour = }} [[File:INF3-34 Battleship in Suez Canal, HMS Howe Artist Charles Pears 1939-1946.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Battleship {{HMS|Howe|32|6}} in [Suez Canal](/source/Suez_Canal) by Charles Pears]] '''Charles Pears''' {{post-nominals|post-noms=[RI](/source/Royal_Institute_of_Painters_in_Water_Colours) [ROI](/source/Royal_Institute_of_Oil_Painters) [RSMA](/source/Royal_Society_of_Marine_Artists)}} (9 September 1873 – 28 January 1958) was a British painter, illustrator and artist. His work was part of the art competitions at the [1928 Summer Olympics](/source/1928_Summer_Olympics) and the [1932 Summer Olympics](/source/1932_Summer_Olympics).{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/920519 |title=Charles Pears |work=Olympedia |accessdate=27 July 2020}} ==Biography== Born in [Pontefract](/source/Pontefract), Yorkshire, he studied nearby at East Hardwick and Pomfret College,Benezit, Emmanuel (2012) ''Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators'', p202, Oxford University Press where he started a lifelong appreciation of [Canaletto](/source/Canaletto). Active from 1890, he worked as an illustrator throughout his career. His early illustrated works were included in periodicals such as ''[The Yellow Book](/source/The_Yellow_Book)'', ''[Punch](/source/Punch_(magazine))'', ''[The Graphic](/source/The_Graphic)'' and ''[Salt-Water Poems and Ballads](/source/Salt-Water_Poems_and_Ballads)'' by [John Masefield](/source/John_Masefield). Pears is best known as a marine painter, where he often signed his work as ''Chas Pears''. Pears was the first elected President of the [Royal Society of Marine Artists](/source/Royal_Society_of_Marine_Artists). His works were exhibited from 1904 to 1939 in London having moved there, and he also wrote a number of books on small boat cruising. A commissioned officer in the [Royal Marines](/source/Royal_Marines) during the [First World War](/source/First_World_War), Pears worked also worked as an official [War Artist](/source/War_Artist) during both the First and Second World Wars. His Second World War poster entitled ''"[MV ''San Demetrio''](/source/MV_San_Demetrio) gets home"'' was issued by the [Post Office Savings Bank](/source/National_Savings_and_Investments),{{cite web | url = http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/21435 | title = Art.IWM PST 16448 – San Demetrio Gets Home | year = 2012 | work = [Imperial War Museum](/source/Imperial_War_Museum) Collections Search | publisher = | accessdate =22 June 2012 }} with the original artwork presently part of the collection of the [National Maritime Museum](/source/National_Maritime_Museum). From 1913 to 1936, Pears was a prolific poster artist, working for [London Underground](/source/London_Underground).[http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/artist/artist.html?IXartist=Charles+Pears Artist – Charles Pears] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051321/http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/artist/artist.html?IXartist=Charles+Pears |date=4 March 2016 }}, London Transport Museum website. Retrieved 4 September 2012. He also created posters for the [Empire Marketing Board](/source/Empire_Marketing_Board), the [Metropolitan Railway](/source/Metropolitan_Railway), [Southern Railway](/source/Southern_Railway_(UK)), [London, Midland & Scottish Railway](/source/London%2C_Midland_%26_Scottish_Railway), [London & North Eastern Railway](/source/London_%26_North_Eastern_Railway) and [Great Western Railway](/source/Great_Western_Railway). He latterly created works for [British Rail](/source/British_Rail)ways. Pears moved to [Saint Mawes](/source/Saint_Mawes), Cornwall in semi-retirement, and died in [Truro](/source/Truro) on 28 January 1958.{{Cite web|url=http://www.smallcraft.net/research/the_sailors/charles_pears/|title = Small Craft: Late 19th & Early 20th Century British Yachting - the Sailors: Charles Pears}} Today his artworks are held in the collections of the [London Transport Museum](/source/London_Transport_Museum), [National Maritime Museum](/source/National_Maritime_Museum), [National Railway Museum](/source/National_Railway_Museum),[http://collectionsonline.nmsi.ac.uk/detail.php?t=people&type=all&f=&s=Pears%2C+Charles&record=0 Collections Online – Pears, Charles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113171014/http://collectionsonline.nmsi.ac.uk/detail.php?t=people&type=all&f=&s=Pears%2C+Charles&record=0 |date=13 January 2014 }}, Science Museum Group. Retrieved 4 September 2012. [Imperial War Museum](/source/Imperial_War_Museum),[Imperial War Museum](/source/Imperial_War_Museum) [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=Charles%20Pears&items_per_page=50 Collections Search for "Charles Pears"], ''iwm.org.uk'' Retrieved 8 March 2013. and [Tate](/source/Tate).{{cite web|title=Charles Pears|url=http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/charles-pears-2200|publisher=Tate|accessdate=5 August 2013}} He is commemorated in a prize at the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the Charles Pears Memorial Award. ==Publications== *''Toby and his Little Dog Tan'' (Hodder & Stoughton, 1903) *''From the Thames to the Seine'' (Chatto & Windus, London, 1910) *''From the Thames to the Netherlands: A Voyage in the Waterways of Zealand & Down the Belgian Coast'' (Chatto & Windus, London, 1914) *''South Coast Cruising – from the Thames to Penzance'' (Edward Arnold, London, 1931) *''Yachting on the Sunshine Coast'' (Southern Railway Company, 1932) *''Going Foreign'' (Edward Arnold, London, 1933) == References == {{reflist}} == External links == {{Commons category|Charles Pears}} * {{Art UK bio}} * [http://cornwallartists.org/cornwall-artists/charles-pears Charles Pears entry at the Cornwall Artists Index] * {{LCAuth|n2008047146|Charles Pears|4|ue}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Pears, Charles}} Category:People from Pontefract Category:British marine artists Category:19th-century English painters Category:English male painters Category:20th-century English painters Category:1873 births Category:1958 deaths Category:19th-century English male artists Category:Art competitors at the 1932 Summer Olympics Category:Art competitors at the 1928 Summer Olympics Category:British railway artists Category:20th-century English male artists --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Charles Pears](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Pears) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Pears?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.