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The only-known picture of Aubrey Stanhope, in which he looks suitably enigmatic. Can anyone add to his life story?

By remarkable coincidence, soon after this article was posted, this signed 1920 painting by Aubrey Stanhope was sold on the internet auction site ebay. It is possible it depicts Stephen Cox, the 'Old Showman' mentioned in this article

AUBREY STANHOPE is one of those 'celebrity' residents who appears to have been quite well-known in his time, but whose star has dimmed to little more than a pinprick as the years have passed.

This is what was said about him in an article in the Derby Evening Telegraph in May 1946.

Aubrey Stanhope is a man of diverse talents. His hairdressing salon in Stenson Road, near the Cavendish, Derby, is testimony to this, for there he is surrounded by examples of his work in three different artistic spheres - music, poetry and painting.

Large oil paintings hang in the shop, prominent among them a portrait of Mr. Norman Hibbert, for many years the organist and choir-master of St. Werburgh's Church, Derby. In the shop window is a painting called 'The Old Showman' which depicts Mr. Stephen Cox - it was he who with his monkey perched on his shoulder was a familiar figure in the Morledge in Derby many years ago.

Mr. Stanhope does most of his painting in the morning before opening up his shop. He has never had a single lesson, but the distinguished Derby artist Ernest Townsend once suggested to him that he should take up painting as a career.

As a poet he is quite prolific. Almost 8,000 copies of his recently published Floral Lyrics have already been sold, and he has recently completed two books of verse for children.

One of the proudest possessions in his hairdressing shop is a letter of deep appreciation he received from Mrs. Roosevelt when he sent her a copy of his poem written in memory of her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt, former President of the United States.

Then there is his love of music - he is a former member of Derby Cathedral Choir, and a number of his songs have been published.

Aubrey Stanhope was featured again in the Derby Evening Telegraph on 31 August 1962. He was by then living at 316 Duffield Road, Derby, and had retired from hairdressing two years earlier. Although hampered by arthritis, he had just completed a fine portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, and another of the television and radio broadcaster Fyfe Robertson.

Auction records suggest that Stanhope's paintings came to the market occasionally in the course of time, but not at the behest of the artist while he was still alive. Stanhope had received a request from Fyfe Robertson to buy his portrait, but responded quite acidly: 'He will not have it. I keep all my pictures. I would not let a single one go.'

Nevertheless, his portrait of Sir Winston Churchill did eventually come to the market. The 19 inch by 16 inch signed oil on canvas was sold by auction at Sotheby's New York branch in 1999 for an undisclosed sum.

Aubrey Stanhope does not feature in John Fineran's splendid Who's Who of Artists in Derbyshire, but his published poetry and music does figure in the British Library Catalogue. Apart from his Floral Lyrics (Derby, 1944) they list his much earlier poetry title An Ocean Reverie and other Poems (Derby, 1924).

At the time it was published Stanhope gave his address as 5 Derwent Street, Derby, and the book carries a touching dedication 'to the memory of my dear little sister Betsy Anne, who died 6 March 1906 at the age of 7'.

The British Library catalogue also lists two musical works attributed to Aubrey Stanhope - the curiously-titled Saviour Whose Precious Blood For All (Foden & Son, Derby, 1924) and Vesper (1948).

A search of census records reveals a little more of Aubrey Stanhope's background. He was born George Aubrey Stanhope at 2 Camp Street, Derby, in 1897. His father Ernest, born in Belper, was a carpenter. His mother's name was Ella. It is not known when he died, but we do know he was alive in 1962, at that time aged 65.

So there is Aubrey Stanhope. The only known photograph of him is featured here. He certainly sounds to have been something of a curious personality. But does anyone know anything more about this 'man of diverse talents'?

If so, please post your comments here by clicking the 'edit' or 'discussion' links at the top of the page.

You and Yesterday registered user 'Kernowabc' responds to the appeal with the following reminiscences added on 20 August 2007:

I remember Aubrey Stanhope in the 1950s. At that time he ran a hairdressers in the Cornmarket, above a shop on the right hand side as you looked up to the Market Place. All the Teddy Boys would go there for their D/A cuts. He had an assistant called Fred Slater - I think that was his name anyway - and when Aubrey retired Fred opened a hairdressing shop at Allenton. I always thought that Aubrey was Jewish.

STANHOPE SELLS ON EBAY!

By a remarkable coincidence, soon after this article was posted on this site, a signed 1920 painting by Aubrey Stanhope was sold on the internet auction site ebay. The old man depicted could well be Stephen Cox, one of the portrait subjects mentioned in this article. It is certainly not the organist Norman Hibbert, for he was born in Derby in 1889, and would have been only 31 when the portrait was painted.

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