The following information is from Dr. Mike Trew (July 2024):

This is but a brief synopsis of the research I have undertaken into finding the true identity of the artist who signed his work Francis E. Jamieson, along with close on 20 pseudonyms.

The first and possibly the most telling aspect is that FEJ never existed - there are no birth, marriage, or death records for him in the GRO database and he does not appear in any census. So the tale about him being born in Derbyshire and later moving to London is total bunkum.

Also, the need for so many pseudonyms is perplexing, especially as some pseudonyms are the names of artists who did exist - namely Aubrey Ramus and 'Phil-Hipps' (see below) - to name but two.

The FEJ 'myth' was likely begun, c1910, in Islington, London, by Barnett Aubrey Ramus (1881-1956). He preferred to be known as 'Aubrey' and produced many coastal and marine watercolours. Possibly, brother Isaac Fernleigh Ramus (1879-1945) also an artist had an input too. This would explain the observation made by the 'Antiques Atlas' which refers to the FEJ watercolours as having two quite distinctive styles and subject matter. Both brothers later emigrated to Canada.

It is likely that Alfred Edmund Phillips aka 'Phil-Hipps', b.1887, who lived most of his life in Kentish Town, barely two miles away from Islington and who must surely have known Aubrey Ramus, took over the mantle of perpetuating the FEJ myth in later years and it was he who drove in his car around the south of England between the wars pretending to be the artist and selling 'his' work. As with Aubrey Ramus, 'Phil-Hipps' was not a pseudonym for FEJ but the other way around.

So, the art world has been fooled for over a century!!

Francis E Jamieson
1895 - 1950, fl 1910-1950

Francis E Jamieson was an English painter who, after a holiday to the Highlands of Scotland, became obsessed with painting highland landscapes and became one of the most prolific artists of his time.

The paintings of FE Jamieson were so fashionable he was contracted to paint exclusively for various furniture stores painting scenes on furniture.

Jamieson is believed to have painted under eleven different artist names so he could sell more of his paintings undetected by his employers. These aliases include J McGregor, Graham Williams, Henry Stewart, and W Richards. There are other pseudonyms that include Aubrey Ramus, Stanley Penn, A de Perrin and others.

The popularity of Jamieson remains strong to this day and his canvases are in great demand.

Source:
Submitted by Marica Henne whose source was www.premierpaintings.com.

Francis E Jamieson, , a.k.a. Aubrey Ramus, was an English painter who, after a holiday to the Highlands of Scotland, became obsessed with painting highland landscapes and became one of the most prolific artists of his time.

The paintings of FE Jamieson were so fashionable he was contracted to paint exclusively for various furniture stores painting scenes on furniture.

Jamieson is believed to have painted under eleven different artist names so he could sell more of his paintings undetected by his employers. These aliases include J McGregor, Graham Williams, Henry Stewart, HB Davis and W Richards. There are other pseudonyms that include Aubrey Ramus, Stanley Penn, A de Perrin and Phil-Hipps.

The popularity of Jamieson remains strong to this day and his canvases are in great demand.

PP

Source: Submitted by Marica Henne whose source was www.premierpaintings.com.