Died 1931

Sinclair was a painter of landscapes and marines in oil and watercolour. This prolific artist does not appear to have exhibited, although much of the work was inscribed and dated giving some indication of the period of his work and the location of the subjects. Most of the landscapes are views in Wales and Scotland and the majority date from the early 1880s. The marine subjects include views of the London and Liverpool docks. Many of his paintings were signed with a monogram.

The following is not based on our own research but may be of interest:

“However, although we can't prove it, as yet, it is our contention that Max Sinclair is actually H. Max Krause. H. Max Krause was born in Biesdorf in Germany in 1861, to Franz (Francis) Emile Hermann Krause 1836-1900 and Johann Henrietta Amelia Stock daughter of a German painter J. F. A. Stock. The family moved to the UK and settled in Lancashire and the 1881 Census found the 20 year old Max living at 28 Bignor Street, Cheetham, Prestwich, Lancashire with his parents and 5 siblings. He and his brother, the artist Emil Albert Krause, later Emil Albert Stock, after he changed his name by deed poll in 1916 due to anti German feeling, were both taught by their father. ( Emil Albert is frequently called Emil Axel due to confusion between him and a Danish artist)

In 1885, Max married Mary Jane Mansell (1861-1930) and he is listed officially as Frederick (Friedrich) Heinrich M. Krause in the marriage register. To our knowledge, he painted under the names Max Krause, H. Max Krause, H.M. Krause, H. M. Crouse and M. Crouse (as in the watercolours that we have currently listed), so using different names is not unusual and there is some similarity in how they both form letters. (Also, there is absolutely no official record of an artist by the name of Max Sinclair in the late 1800s in birth records or the Censuses of the period and the similarity of his paintings, colour palette, technique and locations, and those of both Franz Krause and Max Krause are unmistakable. We came across a mention in a Victorian newspaper cutting that Max Sinclair was the only pupil of the Master Franz Krause, so it seems fairly obvious to us that he and Max Krause are one and the same.)

In the 1911 Census, he was living at Ashleigh, Dane Road, Sale, Cheshire and was listed as a German, naturalised British Subject in 1886. Although even that is in doubt, as in 1916 he was accused of being near a prohibited area in Southport as he was not a British citizen as other family member were. Later he and Mary Jane moved to Southport, where two of his brothers were set up as carvers, gilders and frame makers, and in 1930 Mary Jane died at 197 Portland Street, Southport, leaving her assets of £366 to her husband Henry Max Crouse, artist. Max himself died a year later“.

The above information was found on the following website:

https://www.antiquesatlas.com/antique/max_sinclair_oil_the_ruined_church_dated_1881/as237a1741

We think that this information is interesting, but cannot guarantee that it is correct.