A.S.Howell

A.S.Howell II 1877 - 1959 - Albert Sidney Howell was born in Bristol, the son of a picture restorer, gilder, and picture frame maker, who in his spare time also traded as a Barber. His father used his other virtuoso talents as a singer and professional performer of the pianoforte in and around the Music Halls in the Bristol area - one of his favourite venues being at the Colston Hall. ( Link to Albert photograph)

A superb photograph showing Albert with two 'Shields' he has painted Bristol c.1908.

There is no record for which Switchback of the time these particular shields were destined, but it is known, he had numerous orders from Marshall Hill and Anderton & Rowland.

Albert was educated at St.James Boys School in Bristol, he progressed to a very high standard in his art work and between 1897 and 1899 went on to gain numerous first class certificates at the Merchant Venturers College also in Bristol. It wasn't until the early 1900's that he got directly involved with fairground art when he started working with another artist of that era, William Spilsbury who traded in the Hotwell's district in Bristol. His premises were near to Anderson's the renowned designers and wood carvers. Following Spilsbury's death in 1907, Albert continued with the family business and by 1908 his decorative art skills specializing in wild animals and jungle scenery were in great demand by the West of England showmen. It was this connection that introduced him to Charles Spooner and later George Orton the well known fairground amusement manufacturers located in Burton upon Trent. Albert was first recorded as working for Orton's in Burton during 1911, possibly his first job was the interior decoration of the Tom Clarke living waggon, ( now preserved at the Avoncroft Museum of Buildings, Bromsgrove). He continued to work for this firm and finally moved his family from Bristol to Burton in 1913. Albert had a new workshop constructed for him in the Crecent Works, where he would design and paint the huge rounding boards for the new Electric Scenic Railways - in this photograph below right, he is seen circa. 1920 with one of his designs, with up to 2000 sq.ft. of decorative art work for each ride, it was a tremendous task for any artist.

Albert has endorsed the rear of this photograph with -

" a specimen of some of my work."

It wasn't only animal head paintings that Albert specialised in; this example of a 'Vikings' head study, seen below, was produced by him at a time when he had virtually retired from Orton & Spooner after nearly forty years. During that era he had seen many changes in the fairground world, from the giant 'Scenics' to the more moderate Noah's Arks.

Albert's speciality in animals for his fairground rides also transposed into his private 'fine line art', examples of this work still exist today. Apart from animals and jungle scenery, he also had a great love of Scottish Mountain scenes, at times concentrating on the native cattle and pine trees. He always preferred to use the powerful medium of 'oils' - rarely using water colour or chalk/crayon. There is no definitive record of the number of paintings he actually produced, although a large number are held in the A.S.Howell collection. Together with those painted by his son Sid, the ' fine line ' collection in family hands, must exceed over one hundred and fifty different works, most have never been available for general viewing before.

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