John Doman Turner

Who was John Doman Turner?

John Doman Turner was a British painter and member of the Camden Town Group.

Born in Streatham, Turner received artistic training by correspondence from Spencer Gore while working as a stockbroker's clerk. This correspondence still exists, and has been used by subsequent artists, for example Esther Freud in her novel The Sea House.

His works include the Walberswick Scroll, of the Suffolk village of Walberswick. A major exhibition of his work was displayed in the University of Hull in 1997.

During the early 1990s Southampton Art Gallery acquired a very nice example of the work of John Doman Turner titled 'The Joy Wheel' Mitcham.

Every year the fun fair arrived on Micham Common and just a few years before the outbreak of the 1914-18 war JDT went along and painted the interesting water colour held at the world renown gallery.

He also painted other works of Mitcham around the same time which come from the same collection. He actually lived in Downton Road Streatham, and the house still remains much as it did then.

It is noticeable from his water colours and his sketch book that he was interested in history.