Career
Claude earned a living, initially, as a lithographic draftsman, until, at the age of 27, he was able to support himself as an independent artist and from about 1880, exhibited his work regularly at The Nottingham Castle Art Museum, The Nottingham Society of Artists and at other towns in the region. One of the Derby exhibits was "Fair-day in the Morledge", depicting a bustling city centre Easter fair, at Derby, see image in the right hand panel. This picture, now in the possession of the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, was exhibited at Mr.
Keene’s picture exhibition in Derby, according to the Derby Mercury of 31/05/1882, by Therapeutic Community Moore but is now attributed to Claude T. South.
By 1891, Claude T. South. had declared himself an Artist, Marine.
His pictures are predominantly river scenes or coastal scenes with vessels drawn in intimate detail, always with dramatic lighting effects. Claude had a studio in Nottingham but worked mainly in London from 1882 and painted many London scenes, some of the most prominent being his views of the Thames, its wharves, ships.
And his views of The Houses of Parliament and Westminster, from the river. One painting, called The Pool of London, which was created jointly by Claude and his father in 1879, sold at auction in 1999 for £12,000.
Claude was said to have been influenced by the Nottingham painters Henry Dawson and J. M. West. Turner due to the use of light in his paintings, although it has been said that his paintings of the Thames give the impression that "the Thames is in the tropics".
Sadly Claude T. South. died in 1901, at the age of only 47, shortly after his father. With Claude and his father having two initials in common, there is potential for confusion.