From the Victoria County History of Leicestershire Victoria County History of Leicestershire, Vol V, 1955 Edition, and an important article by Walter Shaw Sparrow in a 1933 issue of the periodical The Connoisseur has come much additional information on the artistic careers of the twins.
    The family tradition that they were pupils of Sir Joshua Reynolds is, however, improbable and was very likely inferred from the fact that in 1775 they both entered the Royal Academy Schools during Sir Joshua's Presidency of the Royal Academy. In that year they each exhibited three pictures at the Free Society, London, their address being 83 Oxford Street.
    Such early exhibiting must indicate that they had already had some training before entering the Royal Academy Schools. In 1776, they showed three pictures each at the Society of Artists while John had one, and Thomas two, landscapes exhibited at the Royal Academy. The next year only Thomas exhibited, showing at the Royal AcademyA View of Staunton Harold, his address now being 347 Oxford Street.
    It then appears that they both left London and there was an interval of several years before they again exhibited there. Up till then, their works had been landscapes or portraits. (Thomas certainly painted or drew several members of his family.) However, in 1783 Thomas showed three pictures at the Royal Academy, his address was then Derby. John re-appeared at the Royal Academy in 1787 and 1788, on each occasion with two horse paintings, in the latter year one beingA Favourite Horse of Mr. Bakewell. His address was now Loughborough. (Robert Bakewell (1725 - 1795) was a pioneer livestock breeder and a Leicestershire man. A painting by John of him on horseback with cattle in the background is in the Leicester Museum, and is probably an early painting. See below.)

Robert Bakewell, Pioneer Livestock Breeder

    Thomas married in 1792 and thereafter lived in Shropshire. He does not appear to have exhibited after his marriage whereas John was still painting in the last year of his life and indeed was most prolific, his speciality being horse studies. He was well supported by patrons among the Leicestershire squirearchy and also had much grander connections, noble patrons including the Duke of Bedford, Lord Mount Edgecombe and the Earls Spencer, Derby and Egremont. In 1797 he painted for the latterThe Mare Johanna with a Portrait of Mr. Thomas Birdwhich is believed to be still at Petworth House, Sussex, together with a series of paintings depicting various breeds of cattle. Two of these have views of Windsor Castle in the landscape backgrounds and probably represent Royal livestock.
    TPB states that John was employed by King George III and this seems the appropriate point to include an amusing anecdote added to one of the two manuscript copies of the History used by the Editors though the handwriting cannot be identified nor is there any indication as to when it was added.

One day during the time of Mr. Boultbee's residence in Windsor Park the King (George III) told him that he was suffering from toothache and that he feared he would have to have the tooth removed. Mr. Boultbee sympathised with the King, saying that he could well understand his suffering as he himself had lately been troubled in the same way.     About a fortnight afterwards the King decided that he must undergo the operation and the Royal dentist was sent for. The King took his place in the chair and all was in readiness. Suddenly he seized the dentist's hand and shouted "Stop! Mr. Boultbee has a bad tooth, he shall have his out first!" Messengers were sent to find Mr. Boultbee and after some delay he arrived hot and flurried at the Castle when the King explained that he was to have his tooth out first. It was in vain for Mr. Boultbee to explain that he was in no pain and had not been for some time, that in fact he did not require a dentist at all. All was useless, the King became very excited, and in the end the unlucky artist had to sit down and have a perfectly good tooth removed. He vowed afterwards that he would never condole with anyone in pain again.     (This sounds like the voice of Uncle Joe and here he definitely is again in a further Royal anecdote mentioned by Walter Ernest Boultbee in a pencil note in JB's copy of the History.)     I remember Uncle Joe telling us on the visit to Bidford of some tale about the King coming to visit John one morning and finding him in bed, or something of that sort -- you may remember the tale. What the King said to him and a rather smart reply he made. "No, I don't."writes JB firmly. (This story cannot have been told to Walter Ernest later than 1865, the year when Joseph Bage died.)

    Returning to John's history and art, in 1812 he moved from Chester to Liverpool where he exhibited eight pictures at the Liverpool Academy in that year, one beingPortrait of the Earl of Derby's Racehorse and Sire Sir Peter Teazle. Another famous racehorse he painted Derby winner Highflyer is shown below.

Highflyer

    His son John (1785 - 1843) evidently inherited his talent though we know no more than that he had three pictures in the 1812 Liverpool Academy Exhibition followed by one in the next year --Wounded Stag taking the Water.
    TPB names various paintings by the elder John, that ofRichard III at Bosworthwas engraved.Gulliver among the Houhnymsis still in the family, a large rather dark painting, as are also several horse paintings though none with figures. The horses are always most beautifully done, usually with a romantic landscape background with John's characteristic pink-tinged clouds. His figures are not really his strong point, though interesting they are somewhat wooden. John's paintings still come up for sale occasionally, now commanding high prices. There are likely to be still many more in smaller English country houses where the late 18th or early 19th century squire had wished to record his favourite hunter. Though not in the first rank, epitomised by Stubbs, John nevertheless has a firm position among English sporting painters.
    A newspaper item headedWhere have all the Boultbees gone?appeared in theLoughborough Echoon May 28, 1976. The item lamented the lack of paintings by John Boultbee in Leicestershire. Only one was found, the one noted above that is in the Leicester Museum. The writer was Clifford Owen, Deputy Director of Leicestershire Museums, Art Galleries and Records.
    We think it will be agreed from the above that TPB's and JB's criticisms of John's art and his diligence in pursuing it was somewhat wide of the mark. We reproduce below a representative series of his paintings. Some of Thomas' family portraits are shown on preceding pages.

A Flea-Bitten Grey and a Spotted Terrier

The Broken Horned Beauty NT Shugborough Hall, Staffs

Horned Cattle

Two Greyhounds	A Pointer in a Landscape

A Kennel Huntsman with his Hounds, Beeston Castle beyond (1803).

Charles James Packe, the Younger, shooting at Prestwold, Leicestershire, accompanied by his servant Bonum.

A Dark Chestnut (1788)

Hunters

Rams

If anyone knows the current whereabouts of any of the Twins' works please e-mail me at
Ditch@Boultbee.Freeserve.co.uk