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John William Allison (1866-1934) John William Allison (1866-1934) Little is known about John Williams or his sister Ann Mary (Annie) Williams. John Williams was born in Hull in 1866 and studied art at Hull Royal College and also for a brief time in Italy and Paris. He was Headmaster at Putney, Penzance and Portsmouth Schools of Art and also a member of the Board of Examiners for the Royal College of Art. He also regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute. He died in 1934.
These two oil paintings are of prize-winning St. Bernard dogs. The top painting of the 'Prince of Florence' was used as the cover illustration to the book The Wonder Book of Animals (1908). The origin of the Saint Bernard Dog is inextricably bound to the mountain pass and the monastery which bear the same name. The dog was first bred by the monks of the St. Bernard Monastery in Switzerland, from whom the dog borrowed its name. It is believed that the unique lifesaving work of the dogs began about the year 1700 however the famous barrel of brandy attached to the collar of a St Bernard is said to be a legend invented by storytellers.
This painting is one of eight that were bequeathed by Dr Rhoda Allison in 1991.
Exhibition and publication details Golding, H. (ed.) (1908) The book of animals : for boys and girls (The wonder book of animals). Ward Lock: London. 256 pp. Thackray, J. C. A. (1995) A catalogue of portraits, paintings and sculpture at the Natural History Museum London. Mansell: London. 70pp.
References and further reading Denlinger, M. G. (1966) The New Complete Saint Bernard. Howell Book House: New York. 350pp. Fleischli, J. H. (1936) The Saint Bernard. Judy Publishing Co.: Chicago. 80pp.
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