George Morland 



Towards the end of his tenancy in Charlotte Street, however, 

 his constitution had so suffered from dissipation that he lost a good 

 deal of his old joie de vivre, and having become corpulent and losing 

 his nerve, he could no longer enjoy the horse-exercise which had 

 formerly been his greatest pleasure and the means of mitigating 

 the effects of his excesses. Even when his wife was with him, and 

 there were still servants in the house, he took to living in one room 

 and cooking his own food, waited upon only by Brooks or some 

 other personal attendant. One of his most interesting pictures 

 represents the artist in his studio as he lived in this way. Morland 

 sits before his easel, in an old riding coat with top boots, painting 

 a scene of English rural life, with sketches and unfinished canvases 

 tacked to the wall behind him, and leaning against it on the floor. 

 By his side is a three-legged table with the fragments of a meal, 

 and on the floor a wine flask and whisky bottle with an overturned 

 glass. Two dogs are in the room, one of them at Morland's feet, 

 the other watching with interest the progress of some succulent 

 sausages which are being fried by a man of dissolute appearance, 

 who is probably Brooks, the ex-shoemaker. Over the fireplace, on 

 the chimneypiece, there are some charcoal sketches of animals and 

 men's faces, and the floor near by is littered with faggots, a grid- 

 iron, a broken plate and jugs, a stool with a loaf of bread, a bellows, 

 a churchwarden pipe, and other " properties " of the bohemian 

 life. It is a realistic picture, and gives the best possible idea of 

 Morland's character and life. 



Charlotte Street at last became too hot for the artist, and he 

 was compelled to leave it permanently. It is said that Brooks had 

 wished to betray him into the hands of his creditors, but it is 

 difficult to believe this, as the man had been faithful so long, and 

 as far as we know had no motive for infidelity. The probability is 

 that when Morland gave up a permanent place of residence he had 

 to dispense with a manservant, or found it dangerous to be 

 accompanied in his wanderings by a man so familiar to his creditors. 

 Whatever be the facts of his case, however, it is certain that 

 Brooks went out of Morland's life at this time, and left the artist to 

 find companionship with chance acquaintances who were seldom to 

 be trusted. 



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