Frank Owen Salisbury Project

Frank’s life and achievements

Why was Frank a celebrity in his day?

In the first half of the 20th century, Frank was the ‘painter laureate’, demanded by royalty (King George V and VI), prime ministers (including Churchill – 11 times!), captains of industry and military personnel from generals to foot soldiers. He entertained George V and Queen Mary at his house.

 
         Winston in his ‘Siren Suit’.            King George VI in his coronation robes
The portrait hangs in Chartwell                                                            

He was commissioned to paint great public events including coronations, Jubilees, wartime panoramas, and the burial of the unknown warrior.

 
Ceremony of the Burial of the Unknown Warrior. George V stands at the foot of the coffin

These magnificent showpiece paintings now reside in palaces and institutions such as the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, the Foreign Office and the Royal Exchange: places it’s difficult to get to. However he presented signed prints of two of them to Harpenden’s then Urban District Council, and they hang in the town hall offices where they can be seen on request

The coronation of George V in Westminster Abbey: this print hangs in Harpenden Town Hall, a gift to the Council from Frank

He also became the portraitist of choice in north America. He spent many months over a period of years year in Chicago, New York and Washington. He painted 5 US Presidents, including Roosevelt (whose portrait still hangs in the White House), and the grandees of US business including John D Rockefeller and J P Morgan. He was a skilled stained-glass artist, having been apprenticed from the age of 15 to his brother who ran a stained-glass workshop in St Albans. His windows can be seen in the Methodist church and the chapel in the Oval (a children’s home in his day) in Harpenden as well as in many other churches in England including four in Wesley’s Chapel in London.

 
Harpenden Methodist Church East Window

 Information sources

In addition to Angela, we were assisted by the Harpenden Local History Society which has substantial records, such as newspaper cuttings, copies of some of his pictures, and significant information about the wider Salisbury family who made a considerable contribution to Harpenden life for over a century. Frank’s biographer Nigel McMurray also collaborated enthusiastically in the project, while Frank left a highly readable autobiography, with many personal observations on his beliefs, his sitters and his career.

The presentation

This was first delivered at the opening of the Local History Society’s new museum in April 2024. A further milestone was achieved when we presented it in the local Methodist Church Hall, to an audience that included Frank’s grandson and great-granddaughters whom we discovered thanks to the copyright permission process. The occasion was also the first meeting between the cousins - Angela (Frank’s great-niece) and Richard (Frank’s grandson). Richard has subsequently died, so the meeting was timely indeed. The presentation has been delivered twice more to local audiences. We also plan presentations to local schools, to a members’ meeting of the local history society, and to a members’ meeting of both local Arts Societies which will also showcase the oral history captured from Angela.

Displaying Frank’s Work

Most of Frank’s work is invisible to the public, as it remained with the sitter in the case of portraits, or in the institution that commissioned the large pageant works. However Frank’s estate has granted us copyright permission, and the chasing of images through various image owners (including the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery and Bridgman) has enabled us to mount the display which accompanies the presentation. Copyright permission cost on average £100 per image. It was only with the help of a generous grant from The Arts Society that we were able to fund the expense.

The Trail

The pictorial trail guide has been distributed at the presentations and is available from the local history museum. It provides a brief but informative illustrated introduction to Frank’s life story.

The Outcomes

The community has benefited as hundreds of residents will have seen the presentation and the display in 2024 and many more in 2025. As a society, we have collaborated closely with the Local History Society, to the benefit of both. We believe Salisbury's family have benefited too, having visited Harpenden, attended the presentation, seen the display and offered their future support. Angela and her cousin Richard met for the first – and sadly, only time - on that occasion. Richard and his twin daughters (Frank’s great granddaughters) were very touched to see Frank’s early homes and his stained-glass work and mural in Harpenden’s churches.