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Reference: NLW Drawing vol. 50 and 51
Who Was Ellis Owen Ellis?
Ellis Owen Ellis ('Ellis Bryn-Coch') was born in Aber-erch, Caernarfonshire and started painting whilst working as a carpenter's apprentice. His career as an artist was supported by Sir Robert Williams Vaughan of Nannau (1768-1843) and Sir Martin Archer Shee (1769-1830) who was responsible for introducing him to many important artists. Ellis concentrated on Welsh subjects and produced illustrations for books on Welsh history, ballads and portraits of famous Welsh people. Also, between 1858 and 1860 he produced a series of cartoons for Y Pwnsh Cymreig.
Illustrations for the ballad Betti o Lansantffraid
He considered himself a serious artist and many of his works are very confident and pioneering. About 1844 he produced illustrations for an edition of the Welsh ballad Betti o Lansantffraid by Jac Glan-y-Gors (1766-1821). It is a poem about a woman from a traditional Welsh background who had turned her back on her roots after moving to London. This theme is also apparent in Jac's most famous creation, Dic Siôn Dafydd. The drawings illustrate different periods in Betti's life, from her upbringing in Llansanffraid, through her time spent as a maid in London where she meets Dic Siôn Dafydd's cousin, through her period as a 'lady', until her return to her family.
Read the Ballad of Betti From Llansanffraid
Old King Solomon once said, before all the great people, that there was a time for every activity in the world. Some had time to be hypocrites, to make a fuss and bellow without need, and a type to ponder and measure the song of Besi of Llansantffraid.
O! ra ti ti, ra ti ti ra ti,
O! ra ti ti ra ti ti ra.
Betti's bright eyes were always on the look-out for a sweetheart, and there were plenty of young men who desired and ventured a kiss with her; Huwcyn Shon the clog maker and Tomos the thresher were very keen, as well as a gentlemanly young tailor, a shopkeeper, and Robin the carpenter.
O! ra ti ti, &c.
But Betti was a snob and she left them all, her heart was set upon London so that the world could see her fairness; she got a place with a milkman, where she was for two short periods, and the first bit of English that she learned was "Do you want any milk below?"
O! ra ti ti, &c.
A cousin of Dic Shon Dafydd was making it big in the wine trade, and when he saw Betti with her milk churns, he really wanted to have her. Since she was looking for a gentleman she looked with favour on the man, and agreed to work for him as his maid - an arrangement which suited them both.
O! ra ti ti, &c.
Now, if she went to that place as a 'maid', and we must stick to the truth - though it be shameful thing to say - it wasn't long before she lost that name; she started to wear silks, wigs of all colours to better herself, if only you could see the gold on her head as she drove along in a sedan chair.
O! ra ti ti, &c.
In the theatre Bet was at home in the boxes, though she used to wear footless stockings, and her vision was completely clear, and her dress fragrant in the wind, the great lords, fine ones with their opera glasses were even more foolish when they saw Betti, "What a heavenly, lovely lass!"
O! ra ti ti, &c.
Before long she started for Wales after getting hold of the man's money because pride made her long to show herself off; she wore all sorts of jewels and trinkets of all kinds, never was such a noblewoman seen on the pavements of Shrewsbury.
O! ra ti ti, &c.
Some from around her home shouted some really nasty words in jest and with poisonous intent made fun of her that she was without an ounce of grace; one called her "Cadi", and another asked "Isn't she Bess?" "But gentleman, I am a lady,/ Pray look at my curricle dress!"
O! ra ti ti, &c.
She's too proud, the people said, and so full of airs and graces, and her old lovers were full of intent, to pull her back down; "Don't you remember bundling on the bed and kissing tenderly with me?" "Oh! shame on the booby penmynydd, / Are these your manners to me?"
O! ra ti ti, &c.
After parading about she returned to London, and before long her lover became bankrupt, a natural consequence, isn't it? When poverty and the prison come by love is very disappointing, it doesn't remain, and I think, if you judge rightly, that that is a weakness in love.
O! ra ti ti, &c.
But Bessi returned to Wales once again to give Madlen and Sian a shock, she was met with tears and wailing, and she wore crow-black clothes, saying that her husband had died and changed her name with her age. Do you have need of a widow who's never ever been married?
O! ra ti ti, &c.
J. Jones, Printer, Llanrwst
Location : NLW BC 2. 15, Sal 3. 66
Illustrations for the ballad Life and Times of Richard Robert Jones
Ellis used a style that was influenced by the neo-classsicism of John Flaxman (1755-1826). This can be seen best in another series of drawings that Ellis produced for a ballad, Life and Times of Richard Robert Jones, based on the story of the character also known as Dic Aberdaron (1780-1843). Dic was famous as a linguist and eccentric. Here Ellis uses classical style and images to convey Dic's talent and inspiration. Here is the list of drawings prepared for the ballad :
p. 1 - Funeral of R. R. Jones at St. Asaph; p. 2 - Ty Main, birth place of Jones; p. 3 - Genius of the Greek pointing to Dick the standard of the Lexicon; p. 4 - R. R. Jones at his father's house; p. 5 - Statue of Roscoe after 'Chantry' author of Jones' life etc; p. 6 - R. R. Jones shipwrecked on the coast; p. 7 - R. R. Jones reading Greek before his tutors at Oxford; p. 8 - R. R. Jones' dream at the Bishop's Palace, Bangor; p. 9 - Homer's ghost appearing to Jones with the genius of the Greek; p. 10 - The coronation of Jones by the Geniuses in the mountains of Wales; p. 11 - The genius finding him dead; p. 12 - R. R. Jones in his study at a garret in Midghall St. Liverpool.
Other works by Ellis Owen Ellis
The vast majority of his work that has survived is kept here in The National Library of Wales. The only important work of Ellis's that was kept outside the Library was Oriel y Beirdd ('Gallery of poets'), a portrait of around a hundred of the most prominent poets of the time. This was kept at the Royal Institution of South Wales in Swansea but was destroyed when the city was bombed during the Second World War.
Further reading:
- Paul Joyner. Artists in Wales c.1740-c.1851, Aberystwyth : The National Library of Wales, 1997.
- E. G. Millward (gol.). Cerddi Jac Glan-y-Gors. Cyhoeddiadau Barddas, 2003.