Richard Dadd
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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Intro
This chapter delves into the fascinating yet tragic life of artist Richard Dadd, exploring his artistic achievements in contrast to his struggles with mental illness and a dark history of murder. As listeners are introduced to unsettling themes, the narrative sets a captivating tone for the Halloween season.
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Episode notes
This one is an art episode, but also a murder episode and also a madness episode. Artist Richard Dadd's life story is quite sad, but his art remained consistently good, even at the lowest points in his life.
Research:
- Boyce, Niall. “Ehibition: Richard Dadd—Painting From His Mind’s Eye.” The Lacet. January 22, 2011. https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2811%2960065-2
- “The Cobham Park Murder.” The Examiner. Sept 9, 1843. https://www.newspapers.com/image/388277729/?match=1&terms=richard%20dadd
- Dadd, Richard. “Halt in the Desert.” British Museum. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1987-0411-9#object-detail-data
- Dadd, Richard. “The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke.” Tate Museum. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dadd-the-fairy-fellers-master-stroke-t00598
- Hall, Samuel Carter. “The Book of British Ballads.” J. How. 1842. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=Tm8sFMykgdgC&source=gbs_navlinks_s
- Hare, Edward. “Creativity And Mental Illness.” British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition), vol. 295, no. 6613, 1987, pp. 1587–89. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/29529224
- Huddleston, S., & Russell, G. A. (2015). Richard Dadd: The Patient, the Artist, and the “Face of Madness.” Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 24(3), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/0964704X.2013.849077
- Kerley, P “Richard Dadd: The art of a 'criminal lunatic' murderer.” BBC News Magazine. Nov. 13, 2015. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34722937
- Lippincott, Louise. “Murder and the Fine Arts; Or, a Reassessment of Richard Dadd.” The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal, vol. 16, 1988, pp. 75–94. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4166579
- Munn, Geoffrey. “New Light on Dadd: George Bailey (1821–1898)by Richard Dadd (1817–86).” The British Art Journal, vol. 24, no. 2, 2023, pp. 75–76. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48760525
- “The Murder of Mr. Dadd – Apprehension of Richard Dadd.” Chester Chronicle, and Chester and North Wales General Advertiser. Sept. 15, 1843. https://www.newspapers.com/image/793241104/?match=1&terms=richard%20dadd
- “The Parricide at Cobham Park.” Essex, Herts and Kent Mercury. Sept 19, 1843. https://www.newspapers.com/image/933363283/?match=1&terms=richard%20dadd
- “Richard Dadd.” Getty Museum. https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/person/103JS7
- “Richard Dadd painting to return to Bethlem Hospital after 170 years.” BBC. January 6, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64155941
- “The ‘Satanic’ in Newspaper Literature.” Leicester Chronicle. Sept. 16, 1843. https://www.newspapers.com/image/816920892/?match=1&terms=richard%20dadd
- Seifert, Ruth, et al. “Mad, Bad or Sad? Prison and Psychiatric Illness.” RSA Journal, vol. 147, no. 5490, 1999, pp. 112–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41378810
- "’Sketch of an Idea for Crazy Jane’ by Richard Dadd.” Bethlem Museum of the Mind. https://museumofthemind.org.uk/blog/sketch-of-an-idea-for-crazy-jane-by-richard-dadd
- “Top 20 finds on the Antiques Roadshow.” BBC. Sept. 19, 2017. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/antiques-roadshow-40/valuable
- Tromans, Nicholas. “Richard Dadd: the Artist and the Asylum,” D.A.P./Tate. 2011.
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