John James Chalon
1778–1854 · Swiss painter active in England, landscape and marine painter
John James Chalon (Geneva, 1778 – Kensington, 1854) was a Swiss painter who spent most of his career in England. Born in Geneva into an old French family that had settled there after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, he moved to England while still very young. He entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1796 and first exhibited in 1800 with 'Banditti at their Repast'.
In 1808 he co-founded the Sketching Society with his brother Alfred Edward Chalon and some friends. That same year he joined the Water-Colour Society, but left it in 1813 to return to oil painting for the Royal Academy. He became an Associate of the Academy in 1827 and a full Academician in 1841.
His output covered landscapes, marine scenes, animal life and figure pieces. He often painted Switzerland, the country of his parents, including mountains and lakes, such as the 'Castle of Chillon'. In 1820 he published a series of Sketches from Parisian Manners. Later works include 'Gil Blas in the Robbers' Cave' (1843) and the 'Arrival of the Steamer at Folkestone' (1844). The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich holds his 'Napoleon on board the Bellerophon' (1816).
In 1847 he suffered a paralytic attack and, after a long and painful illness, died at Kensington in 1854. He was buried in a family vault in Highgate Cemetery.
Works (2)
An 1822 oil painting showing the Fountain of the Innocents in Paris, in the old Les Halles market area. The record describes it only as a genre scene, so it focuses on everyday street life around the square. Its interest lies mainly in documenting a specific corner of the city at that time.
Where to see the work
- Royal Museums Greenwich · 1
- Musée Carnavalet Paris · 1