James Fitton

James Fitton (11 February 1899 – 2 May 1982) was an English painter, lithographer and theatre set designer, and a founder member of the left-wing Artists' International Association.

Early life Fitton was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, on 11 February 1899. He was the third and youngest child of working-class Methodist parents who lived in a typical two-up two-down terraced house in Herbert Street, Oldham. The city was in its heyday, and was well known as the centre of the world's cotton-spinning industry. Consequently, the local landscape was dominated by mill buildings such as the Ruby Mill which backed onto the family home, and Watersheddings Mill, where Fitton's mother worked as a weaver.

The family circumstances were harsh and James Fitton senior began his working life aged seven cleaning mill machinery. One day whilst clearing detritus from underneath the looms, they were turned on and he became caught in the equipment. He survived the accident but lost an ear, and continued to work, becoming a mill engineer. Fitton's mother was a similarly resilient character and was operating six looms on her usual eleven-hour shift just three days before giving birth to James. She resumed her exhausting schedule a few days later.

The plight of the working-class mill-workers in Oldham - working long hours and living cheek-by-jowl in cramped dwellings - left Fitton's father with a sense of injustice. He became actively interested in politics and played a prominent role in the Labour movement in the North-West, for which he paid dearly. Employed at the Asa Lees Textile Machine Manufacturers as a foreman in the iron planning shop, he helped to establish the United Machine Workers Union, of which he was Branch Secretary. Identified as the ringleader of a strike, he was immediately sacked. Subsequently, Fitton's father could only find employment using an alias and was forced to work far from home. He was trapped in a permanent night shift at the National Gas Engine Company in Ashton-under-Lyne and spent his free time arranging Fabian gatherings. Socialist propaganda poured forth from the family home and Keir Hardie, Emmeline Pankhurst, Annie Kenney and others were amongst those attracted to the meetings, sometimes staying overnight. His first solo exhibition was held at the Arthur Tooth and Sons gallery in 1933. Fitton worked in a wide variety of formats, producing cartoons for the Left Review and posters for the Ministry of Food.

Legacy Fitton's work is in the permanent collections of Tate, Four photographic portraits of him, by various photographers, are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

Exhibitions of his work were held at Gallery Oldham in 1983 and at Dulwich Picture Gallery in 1986. 1954: Elected full member of the Royal Academy 1968-75: Trustee of the British Museum 1970-82: Honorary Surveyor of Dulwich College Picture Gallery 1974: Elected Senior Member of the Royal Academy