British Art: March 2009

1887

oil on canvas

Augustus was the grandson of William Mulready. He was a genre painter and a member of the Cranbrook Colony and did works drawing attention to the poor. But at this time they still had to be 'pretty' for public consumption, rather than realistic. Noti=ce the posters, including the Queen's Jubilee of 1877.

active 1863 - 1905.

oil on canvas

A picture from a thank goodness bygone age. The travelling bear both delights and terrifies. These bears were taught to 'dance' by applying heated metal plates to their feet whilst music was played. The RSPCA was formed in 1824 partly to outlaw such practices though it took a long time. As this picture vividly displays, such practices along with rat-killing, cock-fighting etc. were long and widely supported (as is fox hunting today in many country regions).

signed and dated l.r.: George Smith 1876
oil on canvas
61 by 51 cm., 24 by 20 in.

[Disconsolate]

1885

oil on canvas

fl. 1871 - 1888.

http://www.artnet.com/artist/672268/john-c-lawrence.html

Not a great painting, by an obscure artist, but very telling in its own way. Like a Dicken's story. Matches at the time were nick-named Lucifers and were highly explosive. This picture shows a street sweeper in the background and contrasts these young people with the London School Board poster. This referred to the passing of W. E. Forsters's Education Bill of 1870 (perhaps when it was painted) which allowed elementary schools to be formed from the rates (though they weren't entirely free until 1891).

I can't find any details of the artist.

This is oil on canvas and seems to have been exhibited about 1900.

[Early Morning on the Thames, Chelsea]

'74

oil on canvas

1812-1882.

http://www.artnet.com/artist/13427/joseph-paul-pettitt.html

1887

oil on canvas

http://www.artnet.com/artist/154366/henry-redmore.html

including works currently for sale

[Guarding the Baby]

oil on canvas

fl. 1850 - 1865.

Illustrator (Punch, Illustrated London News) and genre painter.

oil on canvas

http://www.artnet.com/artist/561832/alfred-de-breanski.html

including works currently for sale

1847

oil on canvas

http://www.artnet.com/artist/13318/sidney-richard-percy.html

including works currently for sale

1859
oil on canvas
exhibited at the RA the same year
he was living in Oxford at the time

[Weaving Baskets on Perlieu Common, near Southampton]

oil on canvas

[Market Scene, with a performance of Punch] 1856
oil on canvas, laid down on panel
.
1833 - 1867.
An artist who exhibited 19 works at the RA between 1854 and 1867. He is hardly known now but was born in Worcester and is known to have briefly gone to the Birmingham School of Art but returned to Worcester to follow the master J. Kyd. Most of his works seem to be set in and around Worcester and this scene is probably set in the town. He did travel to Italy but died there in 1867. His oil paintings are very rare.
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=2491&page=1
http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.com/2008/08/edward-thompson-davis.html