Charles Johnson Payne

1884 - 1967

England A sporting painter and sketch artist, author and illustrator of several books including A Half Century of Memories (1949), Osses and Obstacles (1935) and Four Legged Friends and Acquaintances (1951). Born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, the fourth son of eight children of a boot maker, Payne was accepted by the army in 1901 or 1902. He became a gunner with the Royal Garrison Artillery but left in 1906 due to an illness. His first recorded works date from his army period, mainly full-length, semi-caricature portraits and about this time he began hunting in the Aldershot area. In 1908 Messrs Fores became his agent and in 1912 Payne moved to Oakham, Rutland and began to hunt in the shires. This inspired his most widely known work, The Finest View in Europe. During the 1st World War he joined The Graphic as a European correspondent and later joined the RNAS as a mechanic. In 1917 he became a lieutenant in the RNVR in the camouflage department where "dazzle painting" had been invented by Norman Wilkinson. This inspired Payne's naval paintings. After the war he was a frequent contributor to The Sporting and Dramatic News until 1932. During the 2nd World War he worked for a time on aerodrome