William Acton (painter)

William Hamilton Mitchell Acton (16 August 1906 – 31 August 1945) was an Anglo-Italian painter.

William Acton, Margot Bendir, Elizabeth Ponsonby, Harry Melville, Babe Plunket Greene at David Tennant's party 1928

Biography

William Hamilton Mitchell Acton was born on 16 August 1906, the son of Arthur Acton (1873–1953), an art collector and dealer, and Hortense Lenore Mitchell (1871–1962), the heiress of John J. Mitchell, President of the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank. Harold Acton was his older brother.

He attended Chateau de Lancy, Geneva, and Eton College;^[1] at Eton his contemporaries were Robert Byron, Brian Howard,^[2] Alfred Duggan and Anthony Powell, who remembers William fondly in his memoirs.^[3]

In 1922, a reproduction of his painting Nature Morte appeared in the Eton Candle. At Eton he was among the founders of the Eton Society of Arts in February 1922 with Brian Howard, Henry Yorke, his brother Harold, Robert Byron, Alan Clutton-Brock, Hugh Lygon, Anthony Powell and Colin Anderson.^[4]

Cimitero Evangelico agli Allori

In 1925, Acton moved to Christ Church, Oxford, with many of his friends, but remained for only one year.^[1] Brian Howard wrote a satirical profile of William Acton in his Continuation of Oxford Portraits of 1925-6 which appeared in the Cherwell. Other profiles were: David Herbert, Mark Ogilvie-Grant, René Crevel, Henry Thynne, 6th Marquess of Bath and Charles Plumb. In the previous issue the profiles had been Robert Byron, Harold Acton, John Sutro, Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne, Edward Henry Charles James Fox-Strangways, 7th Earl of Ilchester.^[2] At Oxford William Acton's friends were Hugh Lygon, Robert Byron, Brian Howard, Michael Parsons, David Plunket Greene, Roy Harrod, Evelyn Waugh and John Sutro.^[5]

After college the Acton brothers were part of a circle including Diana Mitford and her first husband, Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne, John Betjeman, Roy Harrod, Henry Yorke and his wife, Robert Byron, Evelyn Waugh, Randolph Churchill and Diana Churchill.^[6] William Acton sketched the Mitford sisters.^[7]

Not long after being demobilised from service in the Pioneer Corps during World War II, William Acton died on 31 August 1945 aged 39 after a short illness and is buried with his family at Cimitero degli Allori.^[1]

Several works by William Acton have been sold at auctions, including "Armiola" sold at Christie's in 2016 for £16,250 (£22,366 in 2023 sterling).^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Bachoo Dinshaw, granddaughter of Seth Edulji Dinshaw
• 
  Markie Dinshaw, granddaughter of Seth Edulji Dinshaw
• 
  Georgia Doble, wife of Sacheverell Sitwell
• 
  Armiola
• 
  Loelia Ponsonby
• 
  Deborah Mitford
• 
  Diana Mitford
• 
  Jessica Mitford
• 
  Nancy Mitford
• 
  Pamela Mitford
• 
  Unity Mitford
• 
  Gertrude Lawrence

References

1. "Private William Hamilton Mitchell Acton". Christ Church. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
2. Lancaster, Marie-Jaqueline (2005). Brian Howard: Portrait of a Failure. Timewell Press. p. 122. ISBN 9781857252118. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
3. Powell, Anthony (2001). To Keep the Ball Rolling: The Memoirs of Anthony Powell. University of Chicago Press. p. 50. ISBN 9780226677217. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
4. Clark, Adrian (2010). British and Irish Art, 1945-1951: From War to Festival. Hogarth Arts. p. 70. ISBN 9780955406348. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
5. Fielding, Daphne (1954). Mercury Presides. Eyre & Spottiswoode. p. 105. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
6. Wilson, A.N. (2011). Betjeman. Random House. p. 77. ISBN 9781446493052. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
7. Thompson, Laura (2015). Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters. Head of Zeus. p. 72. ISBN 9781784970888. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
8. "William Acton (1906-1945) Armiola". Christie's. Retrieved 21 January 2018.