I like a lot of different styles of painting. I have had an active interest in art for the past few years, and my tastes are still evolving as I learn and live with my growing collection. I do not collect as an investment but for the fun of it and to feed my enjoyment for doing research and learning. Here are some of my favorites. By the way, I am NOT the wildlife artist of the same name.

    Charles L. Saunders was born in 1855. He exhibited 7 times at the Royal Academy and 64 times at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. He lived most of his life at Conway and painted landscapes in North Wales. Saunders died in 1915.

    Vsevolod Sozonov was born in 1899 in St. Petersburg, Russia. His father was a professor of chemistry and his mother was a doctor. Sometime after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Sozonov, his mother and a few friends escaped from Russia to Estonia and Holland and then to London where his father had found a job as a chemist. Sozonov studied at an art school in St. Petersburg and for two years at the Royal Academy Schools in London. He later went to work for a commercial art studio in London and traveled to Paris and Antwerp on commission from his studio. In 1924 he exhibited at the New English Art Fair in London and later with the London Group and Mrs. Marchant's Goupil Gallery. He had a solo exhibition at the Red Fern Gallery in 1934 and another in Viga in the same year. The first painting he sold in London was to Charles Aitken a director of the Tate Gallery. His work was later added to the collection of the Birmingham Municipality and the Contemporary Art Society. Sozonov was married to a well known Russian soprano, Maria Marova, who also lived in London. He continued his studies in Paris, Venice and London. Sozonov's biography appeared in the March 1939 edition of The Artist. Sozonov died in London in 1966.

Self portrait, Vsevolod Sozonov, 16" x 13", oil on board

    I found this unframed painting, "Near the Post Office", at a local thrift shop for $3.77, including tax. I think it is London scene from the 1920s or 1930s, judging by the image and the board that it is painted on. He seems to have consistently signed his work similarly to the piece in my collection.

Signature

    There are several mentions of English and London scenes in the auction records of Sozonov's work, so that may have been one of his focuses. There are a few scratches and scrapes on this piece, but I really like the motion in the scene and the gray day it portrays. I had almost given up on finding treasure that day and was literally on my way out of the door, when I saw it leaning, half hidden among some other items. Woo and Hoo. The remnants of a label and the penciled title are verso. It is somewhat maddening the the label was removed. I made a place on my wall for this one!

"Near The Post Office"

Remnants of a label, verso

Title, verso, with manufacturer's label

    Watts titled the painting, verso. "N. B." stands for "North Britain and this term was used from the 18th century until the early 20th century. I was able to very easily locate other examples of Watts' work and signature. He signed both "D. Watts" and "David Watts".

D. Watts signature

    Dorothy F. Sweet is listed in The Dictionary of British Artists 1860-1940.

Inscription

Watermark

    Margaret Graeme Niven was born in 1906 in Buckinghamshire, a daughter of William Niven, a well known etcher. Margaret Niven studied under Bernard Adams at Heatherleys School of Fine Art. She was a landscape, portrait and flower painter, working in oils, watercolors, and ink washes. She was elected a member of the ROI in 1936, on the recommendation of Herbert Davis Richter. She remained a member, and sat on the council of the society, for the next 60 years. She exhibited her work at the Royal Academy, the RBA, RP, Leicester Galleries and Wildenshtein's and she is represented in a number of English public collections. 

    Niven wrote note about this painting verso:

Niven note

    The note reads, "This was painted by Margaret Niven on a visit to Dale Park with her artist friend Olive Snell (Mrs. Piler) who spent her time reading in the swing hammock seen through the open door! Dale Park was Olive's country home. The exhibition picture for this "Heatwave at Dale Park" 20" x 15", was shown at the M.S. February 1961, price 25 gns.". The title of this painting is also written verso.

"A Hampshire Farm", Margaret Graeme Niven, 7" x 10", oil on thick paper

   
    This painting is titled verso.

"Ovington Mill near Winchester", Margaret Graeme Niven, 7" x 9", oil on paper

    This painting is titled, verso. Niven died at 3 Broomhill, Sandhills, Godalming, Surrey on 30 March 1997.

    Bernadette Koranteng was born in 1958 in Jarrow, England. She attended Gwent College of Art and the Royal Academy of Art. She has exhibited at the Royal Academy Schools, National Portrait Gallery, Mall Gallery, and other prominent galleries and venues. She has a web site. She also teaches, and holds classes at The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle upon Tyne.

    This small watercolor is signed F. C. Leighton. The Leighton family have been Baronets of Wattlesborough for several generations. Baldwin Leighton was Baronet from 1805-1871, according to Burkes Peerage. He was the only son of Baldwin Leighton 1747-1828. He married Mary Parker on 9 February 1832. She was a well known, and talented artist. Their oldest daughter was named Frances Christina Leighton, who married Rev. E. G. Childe on 23 April 1862. I have to wonder if this might be her work. Frances completed an oil painting of her uncle, John Parker in 1858. He was also a well known artist.

Wattlesborough Castle and Hall

    I found this very similar photograph of Wattlesborough Hall. Wattlesborough Castle was apparently built in the 13th century and a Georgian farm house was added on to the ruins of it in the early 1700s, when it became known as Wattlesborough Hall.
    The painting was framed in Pompano Beach, Florida and purchased from a dealer in Santa Clara, California, so has had an interesting journey.

Signature and inscription

    Trevor Lawrence was born ca 1944, possibly in Chertsy, Surrey. He had a reputation for being an eccentric artist, and mostly sold his work mostly in coffee shops and at street fairs. I have found mention of works of his dated as early as 1974. His work was included in the collections of numerous show business folks, including David Bowie and Jack Palance. He seems to have painted in mostly abstract or surreal styles. I'd call this one a mix of both styles.  

unnamed, Trevor Lawrence, 9.25" x 6.5", oil, 1983

    This is the second of the pair of Lawrence paintings that I purchased. I try to broaden my horizons by acquiring new forms of art. This is pretty broad for me! Collectors of his work seem to be fairly fanatical about Lawrence's art. He also worked as an actor and musician. His newer works appear to be much more brightly colored and actually have a nice use of light in them. Examples may be found using Google searching. These are pretty dark and dreary, but very active. They came in very deep, dark colored wooden frames, like shadowbox frames, but with the paintings mounted at the front of the frames. For such small works, they have a noticeable presence.
    Trevor Lawrence died in Weymouth July 2012 and his obituary appeared in the Dorset Echo on 20 July 2012:

Weymouth mourns artist Trevor

TRIBUTES have been received for a much-loved Weymouth painter and musician who has died suddenly.

Trevor Lawrence, 67, was described by friends as one of Weymouth’s ‘characters’ who will be sorely missed.

London-born Mr Lawrence was an actor in his younger days with appearances in TV series such as Doctor Who – and he also became friends with rock star David Bowie after appearing in a film with him.

In Weymouth, where he had lived for 20 years, he was better known as a painter of mysterious and surreal scenes, as well as entertaining pub crowds on the piano, and keeping up a healthy swimming regime off Weymouth beach.

His paintings, which he produced in the early hours of the morning, commanded hefty price tags.

Mr Lawrence, who lived with his mother Joyce in Newberry Road, died peacefully in his sleep.

Martin Leighton, of the Leighton Art Gallery on the harbourside, which has been exhibiting Mr Lawrence’s work for the past five years, said his death had come as a shock.

He said: “He was in the gallery and was chuffed to bits that one of his paintings had gone for £1,800. The next day he was gone. It’s very sad, he was a real character.”

Mr Leighton added: “He had a few niggling complaints one gets in older age but there was no heart trouble as far as I know, his death came out of the blue. It was a complete surprise.

“He kept active and enjoyed life and knew many people. He played the piano and harmonica in the pubs, just had a jam when he felt like it, but he didn’t drink or smoke.

“He was easy going with a great sense of humour.”

Mr Leighton described Mr Lawrence’s acrylic on canvas paintings as ‘unique’. He said: “You couldn’t fail to recognise one of Trevor’s works. No-one painted like him. “His work had actually been growing in popularity.” Mr Leighton said he has a collection of Mr Lawrence’s work still to sell which he expects to be snapped up quickly.

In the past Mr Lawrence’s work has been bought by celebrities including David Bowie, Jack Palance, Clive Owen and the late Claire Rayner.

In an interview with the Echo in 2010, Mr Lawrence said: “A lot of artists just do one type of scene, but all mine are different."

“I actually hate painting, but it is my wife. It doesn’t mind if I go off with other ‘mistresses’, such as my piano playing and swimming in the sea, but she always wants me to return to her at night.”

The funeral of Trevor Lawrence will be held at Weymouth Crematorium on Friday, July 20, at 1.45pm.

Signature

    Dorothy Colles was born in 1917 in Cairo, Egypt, a daughter of Morris Colles. She is a well listed artist. Biography coming....

    Joseph Henry Vignoles Fisher who was born in England in 1864. It seems that either there are a lot of forgeries of Fisher's signature, or that he signed in several ways, "Vignoles Fisher", "JHV Fisher", "V. Fisher", etc. The line across the top of the painting is the mat line from the original French mat. Not sure if the rest of the painting faded or the mat discolored the painting. Probably the former, though the blues in the main part of the image look pretty good. No discoloration or fading anywhere else on the painting and I was generally pleased with it when I got it out of the frame as the glass was pretty dirty and it looked like there was foxing on the paper. Luckily it was all on the glass, though this painting would definitely benefit from a light cleaning. I lined the mat with acid free paper and reused it so the line does not show in the re-framed painting, but I wanted to show the whole painting here.

Inscription on old dust paper backing

    The image above shows the inscription on the dust paper backing with title and the name of Vignoles Fisher. The image below shows the inscription I found on the back of the painting itself. The watercolor was painted on heavy watercolor paper, with pin holes at each corner, and taped to the mat at all four corners.

Inscription on back of watercolor

    I suspect the inscription and signature on the back of the painting were written by Fisher. On either side of the inscription is a dedication to Mary from Mollie in pencil.

Dedication on back of watercolor

Dedication,title, and signature

    Fisher married Rose Ethel Goodman. He died on 6 October 1945. I will include a more in depth biography for him, when I have time.

    Byron Winston Warmby FRSA was born in 1902. He was a painter in oils and watercolors. He studied art at the City of Sheffield College of Arts and Crafts from 1920-1926. According to Who's Who in Art, he was a member of FIAD in 1943. I have not been able to find out what this abbreviation stands for. Today it is used by a group of international film distributors. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Artists in 1944. He was a member and honorary president of the Sheffield Society of Artists 1947-1948.
    Warmby is mentioned in The Year's Art 1940  publisher J. S. Virtue & Co.,  The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940 by Johnson, Dictionary of British Artists Working 1900-1950 by Waters, Davenports Art Reference and Price Guide, and Who's Who in Art  1968, 1977. He exhibited at least once at the Royal Academy, though he was not a member there. He exhibited at least twice at the Royal Society of British Artists in Birmingham.

    I was really attracted to the watercolor. I like the Autumn colors and historical subject matter. The Sheepwash Bridge is a famous bridge with a stone enclosure nearby where sheep were washed prior to shearing. I found many images of this bridge on the Internet and this scene is very typical,with onlookers standing on the bridge watching swans and ducks in the river. The river is the River Wye.
    Byron Warmby died in 1978.

    Charles Gilbert Heathcote was born into a prominent family in 1841 at Conington Castle, Huntingdonshire in the South Midland District of England. He was the son of John Moyer Heathcote and Emily Frances. John Moyer Heathcote was also an artist and was acquainted with many prominent artists of his time including Peter DeWint and David Cox. Charles Heathcote was a prolific watercolorist, completing over 500 watercolors, mostly plein aire works, but his work was largely unknown because he kept it in large portfolios in the the library of the family home. He educated at Trinity College Cambridge and became a Fellow of Emmanuel College where he was also a Tutor. Charles was Stipendry Magistrate of Brighton and Chairman of the Board of the Municipal Science and Art Schools of Brighton. Along with his father he exhibited his watercolors at Peterborough School of Science and Art from 1874 to 1887 but neither Heathcote sold their works.
    Heathcote traveled to at least 22 countries and painted in many of them, though the majority of his works are of English scenes. A large selection of his works were exhibited at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee in July and August of 1984, a century after his works were last shown at Peterborough. This watercolor was part of that exhibition. He is mentioned in Mallalieu's British Watercolour Artists up to 1920.
    Charles Gilbert Heathcote died in 1913.

    Eric Haysom Craddy ARWA was born in 1913. He won a choral scholarship to the Bristol Cathedral School and then attended the Bristol School of Municipal Art where he studied under Reginald Bush. He was apprenticed as a designer at Mardon, Son, & Hall where he worked on cigarette cards and retired in 1973. He became a member artist of the Bristol Savages in 1937 and served as that organization's president for three terms. He exhibited regularly at the Royal West of England Academy and was elected an Associate in 1947. He worked in oils and watercolors and specialized in marine scenes. On the back of "Harmony" it is noted that this is a "Bristol Savages Evening Sketch", fully signed, and dated 1972. The Bristol Savages traditionally meet on Wednesday evenings and must complete a painting that evening for it to be an "evening sketch". I suspect the second painting is also an evening sketch.

unnamed, Eric Haycom Craddy, 10" x 14", oil

    He is mentioned in The Savage Spirit and Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide.

    Craddy died at the age of 94 on 1 May 2007 in Bristol.

    James Orrock was a well known British art collector, illustrator, landscape and watercolor artist. He was born in Edinburgh in 1829 the son of a prominent dentist. He was educated in medicine, surgery, and dentistry at Edinburgh University and Leicester Dispensary winning two gold and one silver medal for his studies. He worked as a dentist, setting up a practice in Nottingham. He studied painting under James Ferguson, William L. Leitch, and John Burgess and later attended the Nottingham School of Design where he won a medal. Orrock arrived in London by 1866 and became an associate of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 1871 and a full member in 1875. Between 1858 and 1882 he exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy and Royal Academy.

    Orrock was a well known collector and proponent of British art. He had a large collection of British art and opened his home as a semi-public museum. His work as an advocate for and collector of British was so notable that a hefty two volume biography of him was written in 1903. I have a copy of this set.

    John C. Syer 1846-1913 was a son of well known painter John Syer and brother of painter James Syer. While this painting is signed J.Syer, it was identified as being by the younger John Syer by the seller. John Jr. is not considered to have been the equal as an artist of his more famous father. Still, this is a nice country scene. Syer served in the navy until 1870 later settling at Whitby and exhibited paintings in Bristol and York. Mallalieu describes John Jr. as a marine painter and James as a painter of marine, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish landscapes. I am really not certain at this point which of the three J. Syers is the painter of this watercolor. All three are well listed artists.

    William Widgery was born in 1822 or 1826 in Uppercot, North Molton, Devon, England. He worked as a plasterer and stone mason before becoming a self taught painter in oils and watercolors of landscapes, marine scenes, and animals about 1850. He began by painting copies of popular engravings in his free time and was encouraged by his friends and a local Exeter innkeeper named Thomas Hex to become a full time artist. He was very successful as an artist and a biography written about him in 1881 claimed that he had painted 3000 paintings and sold them all, many right off the easel, before they were dry. This painting came from a folio of his paintings, some signed and some unsigned. This one is not signed. The owner of the folio estimated the paintings were done about 1860 and guessed that this one was a coastal scene of Italy or Switzerland where Widgery is known to have visited at least two times. I have not seen other marine paintings by Widgery for comparison, but the landscapes in the folio were very similar to other Widgery works that I have seen.
    Widgery is well listed in British art reference books covering the time when he was active. Widgery died in Exeter in 1893. He was the father of well known British painter Frederick John Widgery who was also Lord Mayor of Exeter. Both Widgerys and also a daughter of William were very popular local artists.

    George Harlow White was born in England in 1817. Harlow was a painter in watercolors and artist in ink and pencil. His mother, Elizabeth Harlow White, was an artist and her brother was George H. Harlow RA. White attended the Charterhouse School, London, started painting in 1830, and was employed as an artist after that time. He immigrated to Canada in 1871 where he is rumored to have bought a bush farm in Oro Township north of Toronto. More likely he settled near there but traveled the surrounding counties and provinces working as an artist. He made many pencil drawings and watercolors of pioneer life during his time in Canada, for which he is best known today, though he painted for many years in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. It is thought that he lived in Toronto for a time before returning to England in 1878. He was elected a member of the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) in 1873 and was elected an honorary non-resident member of the Royal Canadian Academy (RCA) in 1880. He showed his work at both societies well into the 1880s.

    This painting is titled in pencil on the back of the mount. The writing is very light and I used Gimp to bring it out as much as possible. I have interpreted the title as best as I able. Corrections welcome. Update: Thanks to Stephen Miller for his correction on my reading of the title.

    This painting is signed G. Harlow White RCA so can be dated to between 1880 and 18 December 1887 when Harlow died at the Charterhouse, London. The label on the back of this painting shows that it came from the estate of well known Canadian artist and art critic John Thrift Meldrum Burnside. Harlow is well listed in British and Canadian reference books.

    Francis Abel William Taylor Armstrong RBA RWA was born on 15 February 1849 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire County, England a son of Francis Armstrong and Elizabeth Ann Leonard. He received a private education. He was an illustrator, etcher and painter in watercolors and oils. I originally identified this painting as "attributed to" FAWT Armstrong as it did not strongly resemble other works that I had seen by this artist and I had not been able to find an example of his signature. Since that time though I have found another example of Armstrong's work that is exactly the same size, similar in color palette, style, and subject, and signed similarly so I am now comfortable declaring this painting as his work. The other work was guaranteed to be Armstrong's work by a well known auction house. Armstrong's works are frequently reproduced as prints.
    The Victoria and Albert Museum has a dozen or so of Armstrong's paintings in their collection. Drawings and sketchbooks by Armstrong were donated to the Museum by his children, after his death. An etching by Armstrong is offered for sale in Rambles and Rides Around Oxford by Herbert Hurst (1885). He was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1895, to the Bristol Savages in 1905 and to the Royal West of England Academy in 1908. Armstrong moved to Bristol, England in 1905. He was Artist's Chairman of the Royal West of England Academy at the time of his death in 1920. He exhibited at the Frost & Reed Gallery, Bristol (1895), 126 works at the Bristol Fine Arts Academy (1896), 54 works at the Royal Society of British Artists (1909), 40 works at the Ryder Gallery (1910), etc.  Armstrong exhibited widely, including in London, Paris (Paris Salon), Berlin and Dusseldorf. Several of his works, including oils, watercolors and etchings were part of the permanent collection of the Bristol Art Gallery in 1911. One of his claims to fame is his participation as an illustrator to the well known novel Lorna Doone.
    Armstrong is mentioned in Who's Who (1902, 1904) by Addison, British Etchers 1850-1940 by Guichard, Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920 by Mallalieu, Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940 by Johnson, The Savage Spirit by Hudson and Davenports Art Reference and Price Guide.
    I was informed by a biographer of Armstrong's that the painting in my collection is a view of the Bristol Channel from somewhere in the hills between Portishead and Clevedon. This is one of my favorite paintings.

    Armstrong died on 1 December 1920.

    Charles Stuart Millard was born on 22 June 1837 in Weston, Ontario, Canada. Millard was primarily a landscape painter in watercolors and oils. He was one of the founding members of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1872 in the company of such notable artists as Thomas Mower Martin. He was also a founding member of the Royal Canadian Academy. Millard moved to England before 1879 when he was employed as an instructor at the South Kensington Art School, London. Millard was later appointed to the Cheltenham School of Art where he served as Headmaster for many years. Millard spent the remainder of his life in England. He was a close friend of Thomas Collier RI, and it is from Collier's letters to Millard that Adrian Bury obtained much of the personal information about Collier for his definitive work on that artist. Millard even appears in one of Collier's paintings.
    "Rest" is one of a pair of Millard paintings that were part of the estate of well known Canadian artist, art collector, and critic John Thrift Meldrum Burnside. I suspect that this painting was created by Millard before he moved to England in the late 1870s. The painting below of a Welsh landscape came from a seller in England and was probably a later work by Millard. This one is signed verso, so perhaps he did not want to detract from the image. This came from a set of his paintings, some signed on front and some on back, and all appearing to be Welsh landscapes. Several of Millard's watercolors are in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection.   

    Robert Thornton Wilding was active as an artist from the late 19th through early 20th century. Luckily he dated is works and I have seen works dated as early as 1892 and as late as 1928. He was best known for painting marine watercolors, though he also did some cottage scenes and landscapes. The painting above is one of the most elaborate cottage scenes by him that I have seen. This image does not do it justice and I will get a better one as time permits. Wilding is not well listed but was very prolific. I think he is under rated.
    He is mentioned in The Dictionary of Neglected Artists working 1880-1950 by Jeremy Wood. Wood  notes that his style and subject matter are similar to that of Thomas Bush Hardy and that his best work could be mistaken for Hardy's work. I have seen one claim that Wilding was Hardy's nephew, but have not been able to confirm that. My email to the gallery owner making this claim was not answered. Wood notes that Wilding did not exhibit, probably a contributing factor to his relative obscurity. Wilding was living in Wimbledon, South London in the early 1920s according to Wood.
    I like Wilding's work and also have a small landscape by him. After his signature on that painting he added ARA for Associate of the Royal Academy. In the record of another auction I see that he added FRA after his signature, which was perhaps meant to mean Fellow of the Royal Academy, though I do not think such a designation exists. When I contacted the library of the Royal Academy I found that Wilding had never had any affiliation with that society. The scamp. One collector that I know detests Wilding as he apparently also actively counterfeited the works of other artists. I have seen one work signed "T. B. Hardy" that is attributed to Wilding. I do not know how this attribution was made.
    He typically signed his work R. T. Wilding. He is also listed in Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide. This painting came in a nice period American frame with label intact. I have not had it out of the frame yet, so the picture has some glare from the glass.

    Buddig Anwylini Pughe was born in 1857 in Aberdovey, Merionetshire, Wales the daughter of Dr. John and Catherine Samuel Pughe. She was a painter of landscapes and portraits in watercolor and oils. The Museum of Wales spells her middle name as Annylini. Her other work that I have seen is much grander. This work is painted on a card and has darkened somewhat as a result. It took me a long time to like this painting. It is one of those paintings that looks better the further you get from it. It also came in a frame that it took me awhile to like, thickly but smoothly painted in white and lavender with gold inner detailing and sized to fit the painting with no mat. This hung in my closet for several months, but now is in my dining room.
    Miss Pughe studied at the Liverpool School of Art and also in Paris and Rome. She painted in France, Spain, and Italy. She was a member of the Liverpool Academy of Arts. Miss Pughe exhibited widely between 1882 and 1938 at the Royal Academy, Walker Art Gallery, Royal Cambrian Academy, Royal Hibernian Academy, Royal Institute of Painters of Water-Colours, Royal Society of Artists Birmingham, Royal Scottish Academy, and more. The Museum of Wales seems to have some of Miss Pughe's paintings and also one or more of her scrapbooks. She is well listed, mentioned in Welsh Painters by Rees, The Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Wood, The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940 by Johnson, etc.
    Miss Pugh died in 1939 in Liverpool, England.

    Edmund Morison Wimperis was born at Flocker's Brook, Chester, England on 6 February 1835, eldest son of Edmund Richard Wimperis, cashier of Messrs. Walker, Parker, & Co.'s lead works at Chester, and Mary Morison. He came early in life to London, and was trained as a wood-engraver and draughtsman on wood under Myles Birket Foster. He did much work for the 'Illustrated London News' and other periodicals and books. He was considered to be an indifferent figure draughtsman, and confined himself mostly to landscapes when he adopted painting as his profession. He was a member of the Society of British Artists from 1870-1874. He began in 1866 to contribute to the Institute of Painters in Water-colours landscapes in the manner of Birket Foster or of David Cox in his tamer moods, for which he is best known. His work was seen to be old-fashioned in technique. Late in his career he started to paint and sketch with Thomas Collier. This association is considered to have freed him to paint more freely with less of the engraver's attention to detail. The painting above, though painted during his association with Collier, I think mixes both the more antiquated style he learned from Foster and the breadth of nature that he learned from Collier. I have seen other of his works painted around the time of this painting that are the stormy, dark wide landscapes minus people that he is better remembered for. Later in life he also painted in oils.  
     Wimperis was elected an associate of the institute in 1873, a full member on 3 May 1875, and vice-president on 1 April 1895. He took an active part in the affairs of the institute, and in those of the Artists' Benevolent Fund. In 1879–80 it appears that he accompanied his two sisters Fanny and Jenny when they joined another sister, Susanna, married and living in Dunedin, New Zealand. He stayed there for several months, exhibiting at the Otago Art Society in 1880.
    He was married on 11 April 1863 to Anne Harry, daughter of Thomas Edmons of Penzance, and left a family of two sons and two daughters at his death, which took place at Southbourne, Christchurch, Hampshire, on 25 Dec. 1900. His children were all talented artists of one sort or another. Wimperis is listed in all of the major British art reference books that cover the period that he was active and his work is held by most of the prestigious British museums.

    This is the watercolor that no one seemed to want. It was offered by a knowledgeable and reputable seller in Portugal on ebay starting at about $1000 to "buy it now", which is about right for a nice work by this artist. It was noted that it came from a private collection and several other good works by different well known artists from this collection were also offered by the seller. I have done business with this seller in the past and trust their judgment. It did not sell and the seller offered it several more times, each time at a lower reserve. There were numerous bids, but none met the reserves. I had bid on it at a much lower price a couple of times but did not meet the reserve, and when the seller did get down to the price at which I had been bidding, I decided to pass on it, and eventually someone purchased it for $365. It is laid on a card and was not framed, though it did come with a nice French mat, which may be why it did not sell. A few weeks later it was back on ebay, now passably framed but with the same French mat, offered by a new American seller for a starting price of much less than what it had last sold for. The "buy it now" price was $550. I was the only bidder this time and got it for the much lower starting price. Go figure. It may be that these English works don't sell well in the US and shipping costs to and from the UK are so high right now, that it is is a barrier to UK bidders. It is very much in the style of Wimperis, bears his monogram, is in fine condition, and probably not worth faking, so I am pretty comfortable that it is genuine, but maybe someone knows something I don't.
    I was amused to note that the new seller had copied my biography for Wimperis from my web site for his ebay auction.

    Robert William Arthur Rouse R.B.A. was born in 1867 in Kennington, Lambeth, Surrey. He was a landscape painter, etcher, and illustrator. He was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1889. He exhibited at the Royal Academy (45), Royal Society of British Artists (64), Walker Art Gallery Liverpool (15), Royal Institute of Oil Painters (13), and many other prominent galleries. This is a nice little painting, very detailed. The blue paint in the center of the painting over the bridge may or may not be intentional. I am not sure if this is the result of an accident or is meant to be a pennant or smoke. Hard to say, though it appears to be intentional. The brown areas in the right center of the painting that could appear to be stains actually seem to be clouds of smoke from the smoke stacks there. The words "The President Thames B" are written on the back in pencil and I assume that to be the title of this painting. I can not make out any writing after the final letter "B" though it may have faded or been rubbed away.
    The first of several HMS Presidents was the USS President, a 44 gun Frigate, captured by the British from the Americans in 1815. The ship was renamed HMS President and broken up in 1818. The USS President was one of the original six US frigates; Constitution (44), President (44), United States (44), Congress (38), Chesapeake (38), and Constellation (38). This ship is probably the training ship which was commissioned under the name of HMS Buzzard in 1887, became a drill ship in 1904, and renamed HMS President in 1911.  She was used by the London division of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and was typically moored in the area shown in the painting. She was apparently decommissioned in 1921 which helps to date this painting to 1911-1921. Thanks for Alan Jarvis for this link.
    R.W.A. Rouse is mentioned in all of the major British art reference books that cover the period when he was active. Rouse died in 1951 in Oxford.

    Clifford Montague was a British painter of landscapes and seascapes in oils and watercolors. Much information  about him is given in a Pontgarreg, Wales newspaper, The Gambo. Montague was born in March 1858 in Tilehurst, Berkshire, England.  He received his training at the London School of Arts. He is typically described as having exhibited between 1883 and 1900, though I have seen one work of his dated to 1916. It may be that he stopped exhibiting in 1900 but continued to paint. He exhibited at the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham (19), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2), Manchester City Art Gallery (2),  Royal Hibernian Academy (1), and Royal Scottish Academy (1). Montague is often described as a Birmingham painter but he also lived in Berkshire in 1861, Kent in 1871, Devon in 1881, Penkridge in 1891, and Cardiganshire, Wales in 1901. He gave his occupation as "Artist" in 1881, 1891, and 1901. Montague was a well known landscape artist and received commissions to paint in Britain, Ireland, France, and the Netherlands. One of his favorite subjects was mills. Montague is mentioned in The Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Wood, The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940 by Johnson, British Watercolour Artists up to 1920 by Mallalieu, and Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide.
    Montague married a woman from Holsworth, Devon named Jane in 1883. They had nine children and two of their sons died in WWI. Montague moved his family to Pencwm House, Post Bach, Ceredigion, Wales in 1913 and to Bryndewi House, Pontgarreg, Ceredigion, Wales in 1914. Clifford Montague died there in June 1917 at age 59. His death is recorded in the records of Newcastle in Emlyn, the district which contains Ceredigion. He is buried in Dewi Sant Church, Blaencelyn. Montague never made a great deal of money during his life time, and his family could not afford a tombstone for his grave.
    Once again, I forgot to photograph this painting when I had it out of the frame to replace the old backing, but this image is not too bad. The horizontal line in the middle of the painting is glare from some part of the camera. The whitish spots in the center of the painting are actually leaves and as they appear in the painting. This little painting is in really great shape and in the original frame and mat. I decided to save the mat as it is unusual, but backed it with heavy acid free paper and remounted the painting to the acid free paper. The mat is whitish, discolored with age, with a gold inner mat which is shown, but then a second inner mat of thin black paper was added, possibly to enhance the black bird that is keeping company with the two white birds in the lower right. It looks to me like that artist used the color of the paper the painting is painted on in the sky.   

    Thomas Phillips was a landscape painter who lived in Liverpool, England in 1886. He also lived in Seacombe in 1894 and in Liscard, Cheshire in 1904. Not much is known about him, but he exhibited 54 paintings at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and 11 paintings at the Royal Cambrian Academy. He exhibited from1886 through 1913, according to The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940 by Johnson. His work was very nicely done.

    Percy Lancaster was born in Manchester, England on 28 November 1878. He was educated in that city and trained as an Architect, but later turned to painting and studied at the Southport and Manchester Schools of Art. He painted landscape and figural subjects in both oil and watercolor and also produced some etchings of fine quality. It has been noted that he was one of the rare artists who was able to do landscapes and portraits with equal skill. Mallalieu notes that he was a landscape painter in the style of Cox and Collier. Lancaster was elected and Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers in 1910, and a full member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1914, and of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 1921. This painting probably dates from between 1914 and 1921.
    Lancaster is recorded as living in Southport and his work is represented in the South Kensington Museum, London; and in Manchester, Liverpool, Hull, Oldham, Huddersfield, Preston, Leicester, Eastbourne, Newport, and Portsmouth. He died in Southport on 2 November 1951.

    Anita Waite was a Nottingham artist who exhibited at the Nottingham Museum and Art Gallery 33 times between 1909 and 1924. According to The Dictionary of British Watercolor Artists 1880-1940 by Johnson, she  held the designation of A.N.S.A., which I think may stand for Associate of the Nottingham School of Art. Just a guess, as Johnson does not include an explanation of this abbreviation. Ms. Waite does not appear in any other art reference book that I have searched and I have found no references to her using the major Internet search engines, or genealogical  search tools. I would appreciate any additional information about her.

    Henry John Sylvester Stannard was a Bedfordshire Landscape Painter, son of Henry J.Stannard, and father of Theresa. Stannard. He specialized in watercolor, and painted landscape and rustic subjects. He was born in London on 12 July 1870.
    Stannard was educated at the Bedford Modern School and the National Art Training School, South Kensington, where he won his Art Teachers Diploma at the age of 16. He was a member of many Art Societies and was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1896. In addition to his reputation as an accomplished artist at this time, Stannard also became well known as a lecturer, teacher and judge of art exhibitions. His international career began after he received interest and patronage from the British Royal family. He painted many pictures of their Sandringham estates and he received many personal commissions from them. Stannard was painter to Queen Alexandre (wife of King Edward VII).
    Despite his fame, Stannard still supported local exhibitions including the Bedford Society of Artists and his father's exhibitions in Harpur Street. He was the founder of the Harpers Art Society, Bedford in 1895, and the inventor of the Sylvester Stannard Straining-Board for Watercolour Paper. He.spent most of his life in Flitwick, Bedfordshire. In 1939 he founded the Midland Sketch Club. It was at the 1950 annual exhibition of this club (in the Bunyan Room of Bedford Public Library) that Stannard exhibited his last works.
    His most characteristic works are cottage and village scenes painted in the tradition of Birket Foster. Exhibited widely: Royal Academy 35 works,  Royal Society - British Artists 70 works, Royal Cambrian Academy 1 work, Royal Institute 29 works, Birmingham 6 works, Royal Hibernian Academy 1 work, Manchester 8 works, Liverpool 13 works , and elsewhere. Stannard died on the 21st January 1951 at Bedford Hospital.
    He is mentioned in Mallalieu's British Watercolour Artists up to 1920, Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, Wood's Dictionary of Victorian Painters, and many other art reference books.

     This is one of his later works.

"A Brook by the Roadside Nearing Windsor", John Fullwood, 10.75" x 13", watercolor.

    John Fullwood was a successful landscape painter, etcher and illustrator. He was born in England in1854 and studied in Paris and Birmingham, England. His paintings were displayed at the Royal Academy on 21 occasions and by the Royal Society of British Artists on 99 occasions. From about 1874 to 1900 Fullwood was based in Birmingham and lived in Broad Street. He displayed no less than 67 paintings at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists exhibitions. Around 1900 Fullwood moved to Sussex and worked there for about 10 years. He also had a house at Twickenham and considered the display of his paintings in major London galleries as the most important part of his career. John Fullwood died at Twickenham on 9th September, 1931, at the age of 76. He was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists and one of the oldest members of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. He is listed in Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, Mallalieu's Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists, Wood's Dictionary of Victorian Artists, and other reference works and his works have sold at auction many times.
    Below is an example of one of Fullwood's copper plate etchings, a signed artist's proof, from my collection.

Hampton on Thames, John Fullwood, 10" x 14", copper plate etching

"Moorland Landscape" L. or J. Carlisle, 5 7/8" x 10 7/8", gouache.

    This artist's work is often attributed to John Carlisle (1866-1916), a listed British painter. I greatly doubt that this is correct. I have been able to locate only two images of works that can definitely be attributed to John Carlisle (1866-1916) and the signatures and style are very different from those of this artist. This artist's first initial sometimes resembles an "L" and other times a "J", and it is uncertain which it is. There may even have been two artists painting in a similar style, both named Carlisle or one imitating the other. Two of the paintings that I have seen clearly signed "L. Carlisle" had some kind of sheep, goats or musk oxen in the painting, and the style was a bit different, with the paint much more thickly applied than average works by Carlisle. These are the only Carlisle paintings I have seen with animals in them. Most are empty, mountainous landscapes which prominently feature heather.
    Since not much is published about John Carlisle (1866-1916), I am including a brief biography for him. John Carlisle was a British landscape painter in watercolor and gouache. He lived in London and Dorking and later at Keats Cottage, Hampsted.  He exhibited from 1866 to 1916 and painted in Devon, Wales, Scotland, and Guernsey, as well as in the south of England. He traveled in Italy and exhibited at many of the mainstream British societies and galleries (sixty-two paintings exhibited at Walkers Gallery in London). His biography appears in Mallalieu's The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920.

"Scotch Heather" John Carlisle, 5 7/8" x 10 7/8", gouache.

   
    There is some minor damage to the painting in the first image, a couple of pinholes that can be easily repaired, in the upper left corner of this painting. The gallery owner who sold this painting to me actually owned it about 30 years ago when he was living in Scotland but later sold it. He opened a gallery in Massachusetts many years later and happened upon it again and repurchased it. He believes it was matted to cover the damage when he first owned it. A few weeks after I purchased this painting, I found the perfect mate to it in mint condition.  On the paper backing of the frame of the second painting was the notation "Scotch Heather, Glasgow Scotland" in ink. Under that written in pencil was the year 1921. Also on the margins of paper backing that is stuck to the frame, in pencil, a faint inscription, very hard to read but what appears to be "Priest Bottom ...... Scotland 1921". Also on the paper backing was the label of "L. S. Ayres & Co., Indianapolis, 6310, Pictures". The number 6310 is written in pencil and is likely the frame style. There is nothing written on the back of the painting, itself, however.
    The second painting is basically identical to the first painting minus the pond. It does appear to have been painted in different season, though, maybe late Summer, whereas the first one is a Fall scene. These are very common themes for Carlisle. They were probably cranked out in pairs "to pay the bills". I have seen two or three nearly identical pairs. Still, they are attractive I think, and everyone should have a set. I suspect that this artist catered to the department store and tourist trade.

   George Stanfield Walters  was born 5 December 1837 Liverpool and died 12 July 1924 in London. He was the son of Samuel Walters and grandson of Miles Walters, and all were maritime painters. He studied under his father, later becoming his assistant before moving to London in 1865 and branching out on his own.
    Walters painted in both oil and watercolor, but is better known for the latter, and his oils are seldom seen. He specialized in landscape and marine subjects and often painted coastal scenes on the English South and East coasts, including Wales. Many of his works depicted the canals and waterways of Holland and Venice. These were often painted with warm and soft color tones, and his liking for eventide allowed him the opportunity to paint very peaceful views, using the setting sun to enhance the overall effect, giving a warmth and a serene feeling to many of his paintings.

    The painting "The Shack Rock" has a lot of light foxing across the sky area, but seemed worth saving. Hopefully, there will someday be an effective way to remove foxing and this little painting will come back into its own. Nanotechnology, maybe? When I removed it from the frame I found it had been laid onto heavy card stock, but I was able to free it. There was a brass plaque on the old frame, which I saved, and it read "The Shack Rock by G. S. Walters". I also found the same inscription on the back of the painting with the additional text "South Wales".

    He was a prolific artist and his works were well received. He was elected a Member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1867 and exhibited at least 408 works at their Suffolk Street Galleries. Examples of his paintings may be seen in the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. He exhibited from 1860-1923, including; 408 Royal Society of British Artists, 74 Royal Institution,  48 Royal Institute of Oil Painters, 19 Royal Academy, 19 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool , 17 Dudley Gallery & New Dudley Gallery, 12 Manchester City Art Gallery, 6 Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham, 5 British Institution,  2 Arthur Tooth & Sons Gallery, 2 Grosvenor Gallery, and 1 Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours

    He is mentioned in many art reference books.

    Richard Malcolm Lloyd was born 4 July 1859 in London and died in that city on 1 July 1945. He was a British watercolor painter of marine, coastal, and landscape scenes who was active in London, Kent, Sussex, and Northern France between 1879 and 1904. He resided at Catford Bridge, Kent and also in Central London. He is mentioned in Mallalieu's British Watercolor Artists up to 1920 and Wood's Dictionary of Victorian Painters. He exhibited at The Royal Society of British Artists, The Dudley Gallery, The Royal Academy, The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.

    When I re-matted and backed "Rye from the Hill", I found the title inscribed on the back. The painting also had an old gallery label with the title and artist noted, and another label from an earlier owner noting the the painting had been a wedding gift from "Will and Minnie Abbot, London, Ontario. July 11, 1927".
    Lloyd's first name is given as Robert in all reference books,but his name was actually Richard, not Robert, and he was known as "Uncle Dicky" to his family.

   Walter Brookes Spong was born in the London, England in 1851 and died 2 March 1929 in Nice, France. He was well enough known at the time of his death that his obituary appeared in the New York Times where he was described as an English stage and watercolor painter. He is often listed as an Australian artist because he moved to Australia in 1886 and was prominent in the art community there. While living in Australia, Spong was the chief scene painter with the Brough and Boucicault  Comedy Company and may have accompanied that group to Australia. Spong was a Foundation member of the Australian Artist's Association in 1886 and the Victorian Art Society.

    Spong married Elizabeth Twedle, and their daughter, Hilda (1875-1955), was a famous actress in theater and movies, appearing in Australia, Europe, and America. W. B. Spong was a friend of noted Australian artist Arthur Streeton, and others. A letter from Arthur Streeton to Tom Roberts (Croll, Smile to Bulldog, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1946) refers to the sale of two pictures by Spong at the Royal Academy exhibition, London, 1898. Spong is mentioned numerous times in Visual Ephemera:  Theatrical Art in Nineteenth-Century Australia by Anita Callaway.

   Spong returned to London in 1898. W. B. Spong is listed as a scene painter in the records of the Royal Adelphi Theater, London in 1900. Spong is listed as a scene painter in the records of various Australian and English theater productions and theaters over several decades. The earliest such mention that I have found is for a theater in Bristol in 1870.

    His works have been exhibited at the Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Royal Institute of Watercolour Painters, Royal Academy (8), Walker Gallery (66), and Institute of Watercolors in London, among others. His works are represented in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Manly Art Gallery, The Mitchell Library, Sydney as well as corporate and private collections in Australia, the UK, and the US. Spong is referenced in Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, The Encyclopedia of Australian Art, Australian Watercolour Artists, Wood's Dictionary of Victorian Painters, and many other art reference books.

    Hilda Spong sponsored  a retrospective of her father's work at the Anderson Galleries in New York City in 1921. A young artist named Howard Leigh was the second artist at the show. Leigh was an interesting character and painted a picture of Hilda Spong at the show which she claimed was the best portrait of her to date. With truth stranger than fiction, I found two watercolors dated 1943 and 1945 by Leigh for my collection in an antique shop about one mile from my home, even though Leigh moved to Mexico in 1937 and died in 1981. The show was reviewed in the New York Times on 18 October 1921. This was the second show for Leigh at the gallery. The portion of the article regarding Leigh is included with his biography:

SPONG COLLECTION SHOWN

Water Colors Seen at Reception Given by Artist's Daughter.

    A large collection of very pleasing water colors, the work of Walter Brookes Spong, are being shown at the Anderson Galleries. There are 114 paintings by Mr. Spong, made in fifteen different countries, work which was his recreation in the intervals of scene painting and made in the places to which he was taken by his regular profession. It has been a successful hobby, for the artist has had his pictures hung in the Royal Academy on the line, and at the Institute of Water Colors. Mr. Spong has passed the three-score-year-and-ten mark and with the list of his paintings writes a little account of his busy life. Much of his work was done in England, where with one company on tour he painted fresh scenery in every town he visited. He painted the scene for "Trial By Jury," in which Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated for the first time; the scene for the first act in "Ingomar," in which Mary Anderson made her first appearance; went to Australia with Robert Brough and Dion Boucicault, and, coming back to London, painted, among other things, the scenery for "The Belle of New York," in which Edna May appeared. It was through the advice of two American women, Mrs. and Miss Isabel Bateman, for whom he painted scenery for their productions at Sadler's Wells Theatre, that he sent his first picture which was accepted at the Academy.
    The greater number of Mr. Spong's paintings are scenes in England. There are also, a number of very interesting ones from the vicinity of Naples, scenes in Belgium that no longer exist, Australia, Ceylon, Egypt, Wales and Brittany. The pictures are all about the same size, not large, charming in color, altogether agreeable and characteristic of the countries they represent. They are from the portfolio of the artist, those shown in other exhibitions having been sold. The exhibition will be open to the public until Oct. 29 from 10 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.

    Spong's obituary from the New York Times, 5 March 1929:

    Herbert Arnold Olivier R.I. was born 9 September1861 in Battle, Sussex, England and died 2 March 1952 at Hayling Island, Hampshire, England. He was a London based portrait and landscape painter who studied at the Royal Academy Schools, beginning in 1881, and where he won the Creswick Prize in 1882. He exhibited extensively, including the RA starting in 1883, the R. P., the R. I. and the Paris Salon. He taught at the Bombay School of Art in the 1880s. He went to Kashmir with the Duke and Duchess of Connaught in 1884, which may be where this painting was done. In 1885 he showed 66 of the paintings from his trip to Kashmir at the Fine Art Society. The number "63" is written on the back of this painting in pencil. These works were considered "effective, though hard and coarse in colour" by critics. He had a one man exhibition at the Grafton Galleries in 1908 and was appointed an Official War Artist in 1917. He was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1887 and to the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolors in 1929 where a major retrospective exhibition of his work was held in 1935. He was an uncle of Sir Laurence Olivier, the actor.

    He is mentioned in Mallalieu's British Watercolour Artists up to 1920, Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, Wood's Dictionary of Victorian Painters, Tate Gallery Catalogues: The Modern British Paintings, Drawings,and Sculptures, and other reference books. He may have been the H. A. Olivier whose work was reproduced in 20 color plates for The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Historical and Descriptive, Cassell & Co. Ltd, London, 1908. His work is published in The Modern British Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture, Chamont, London 1964. In later life his work tended toward large ceremonial works using oils. Numerous of Olivier's works are part of the British Government Art Collection.

    W. Stewart was likely an English or Scottish painter. Not much is known about him. Prior to my interest in his work, I did not buy watercolors because they are more fragile than oils or acrylics, but I really (REALLY) liked these and they were a bargain, to boot. They probably date from the 1880s or 1890s and are in their original frames. Very nice. The detail and color of these 100 year old water colors is amazing. I just hope I can keep them this nice! See my W. Stewart site for more paintings by this artist and more information about my research on him.

unnamed, W. Stewart, 8.5" x 16.25", watercolor.

    Another W. Stewart painting. This one is also in the original frame with a brass plate inscribed "W. Stewart". Very Victorian! I call this one "Fishing Fleet in the Morning".

unnamed, W. Stewart, 6" x 10", watercolor

"Three Trees at Pluscarden Priory", Stewart Carmichael, 14.5" x 18", watercolor, signed, monogrammed, and dated 1932.

"Chalfont, St. Giles", Thomas Edward Francis, 6.75" x 9.5", watercolor, 1910.

"Anne Hathaway's Cottage", T. E. Francis, 8" x 10", oil on board.

    Stanley Orchart was born in the UK in 1920. He was a landscape artist who worked in watercolors, oils, pen and ink and lithographs. Orchart studied at Leeds School of Art. His work was frequently reproduced as prints. Though often described as working in East Anglia, he also painted in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. He was best known for his portrayals of the English countryside in both oils and watercolor. It has been noted that he was in demand for commissions and that Her Majesty the Queen Mother was a major patron of his work, but this has not been confirmed. Stanley Orchart lived in Great Staughton, Bedfordshire, and spent most of his life working in his home county of Bedfordshire and East Anglia. Orchart died in 2005.

 

unnamed, Julius Delbos, 14" x 19", watercolor

    He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art, Mallett's Index of Artists, Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers, Jacobsen's Biographical Index of American Artists, Dictionary of British  Artists 1880-1940, and other art reference books. His auction records in Davenports are extensive.

Julius M. Delbos

    Delbos worked in oils, watercolors, pencil, and pen and ink. His work was often used for post cards and in various types of magazines. I have not yet been able to discover where Delbos received his early training as an artist, though he was residing at Bowden College, Cheshire in 1906. A book, Historic Cambridge, illustrated by Delbos and containing pencil sketches of all 26 of the colleges of Cambridge University was published in 1923. This is earliest mention I have found of his work as an artist. He exhibited six paintings at the Royal Academy as early as 1926.

"Arcadian Fountain", Julius Delbos, 21" x 15", watercolor

    Yeah, you guessed it, I like his work. I think he is an under-appreciated artist. My very first attempt at purchasing a good watercolor was a Delbos painting. Below is an example of a pen and ink drawing by Delbos that was reproduced on a post card. This card was unused but dates from the 1930s.

"Round Church Str. John's Chapel", J. M. Delbos, 4" x 6", post card

    Julius M. Delbos died in Dover, New Jersey on 3 January 1970. His papers, dated 1904-1970 are part of the Archives of American Art, held by the Smithsonian. His obituary appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday, 6 January 1970:

Julius Delbos Dies at 90

Julius Delbos, an artist who specialized in water-colors died Saturday at Dover (N. J.) General Hospital.  He was 90 years old and lived at the Mary Heart Nursing Home in Succasunna, N.J.

Mr. Delbos was a member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Arts Club, the Century Association and the Salmagundi Club. His works are in the collections of the Corcoran Gallery and at the White House and Hyde Park.

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"Campo San Barbana", Venice", William Arnold Stewart, 14"x10", watercolor, dated 1925.

    William Arnold Stewart, 1882-1953, was born in Ilkley, Yorkshire, England and studied at Bradford Technical College and the Royal College of Art. He was the chief textile designer for Lister and Co., Bradford. He traveled to, and painted in, Palestine, Egypt and Venice.

    Stewart moved to Egypt in 1911 where he accepted a teaching post at the Department of Arts and Crafts in the Egyptian Ministry of Education. He was later the Principal of the School of Arts and Crafts. He worked for noted Egyptologist G. A. Reisner, reconstructing some of the furniture of Queen Hetepheres that was found at Giza. He was a noted Egyptologist in his own right. He was appointed Supervisor of Technical Education to the Palestine Government in 1930 and was later made the Controller of Light Industries.

    He retired in 1947 and returned to England, where he died in 1953.

    The Calton Gallery, Edinburgh, had an exhibit titled "William Arnold Stewart Festival" in 1986 and a book was generated to commemorate this event. This may be the same man. I located a copy of this book in the inventory of a bookseller in France. The description the bookseller sent me of it was that it was "11 pages with few images", so this may have been more of a biographical effort, rather than a collection of his works, and as the book was rather pricey, I did not acquire it.

    He is mentioned in Who Was Who in Egyptology, Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, and The Dictionary of National Biography, Missing Persons.

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"Hay Making", David Law, 9" x 13.75", watercolor

    David Law RBA RPE, born 25 April 1831 and died 29 December 1901 at Worthing, was a landscape painter and etcher. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and was apprenticed early to George Aikman, steel engraver. In 1845 he was admitted to the Trustees' Academy where he studied under Alexander Christie and Elmslie Dallas until 1850. He became a 'hill' engraver in the ordnance survey office, Southampton, and it was not until twenty years later that he resigned and became a painter. His daughters, Annie and Beatrice Law, were also well known landscape painters.

    His plates, after Turner and Corot and some modern landscape painters, had many admirers, and from 1875 through 1890 were in great demand, when reproductive etching was fashionable. Law became most famous for landscape etchings, particularly river views of the Thames. A number of his etchings were commissioned by leading art journals of the day. His best and most vital etched work was done from watercolors by himself.

    Law was one of the founders of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers in 1881. He was an active exhibitor, and showed at the Royal Academy, Royal Institute of Painters, Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, Society of British Artists, Fine Art Society, Dowdeswells Galleries, Agnew and Sons Gallery and Dudley Gallery. He also exhibited at the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Water Colours, Royal Hibernian Academy, Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, Royal Society of Artists in Birmingham, Manchester City Gallery and Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

    David Law is mentioned in The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940, the Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood, British Watercolor Artists up to 1920 by Huon Mallalieu, Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, and Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, by George C. Williamson.

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unnamed, Georgiana Helen Scott, 7.25" x 8.25, watercolor.

    Georgiana Helen Scott was born in London, England in about 1851 and came to New York with her father, artist William Wallace Scott (1822-1905) about 1865. She lived with her father and stepmother in New Rochelle, New York in 1880 and in Manhattan, New York in 1900. Her nickname was given as "Georgie" in the 1900 census. Her actual age is hard to determine as she seems to have grown younger with each census. In 1880 her age was 26 (1854), but in 1900 her birth date was given as September 1860, and her age at the time of her death was given as 96 (1851). I have not been able to locate Georgiana in the 1910-1930 censuses, though she may be the Georgiana H. Scott who is living with her nephew, George W. Stone, a music teacher in the 1920 federal census of Nantucket, MA.
    Georgiana studied painting under her father. She showed two paintings at the National Academy of Design (NAD) in NYC, in 1878 and 1895. The painting shown in 1895 was #475 in the West Gallery of the NAD and was titled "Miniature Portrait of a Child". Her address in 1895 was care of her father at 1 Madison Avenue, NYC.
    She is mentioned in Who Was Who in American Art by Falk, Jacobsen's Biographical Index of American Artists V. 1 Book IV, Dictionary of Women Artists Born Before 1900, Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, and other reference books. She is often described as a "miniature painter" but as this and other works show, she painted in watercolors, as well. Jacobsen notes that her paintings were held in private collections in NY and Westchester County. New Rochelle is in Westchester County, NY.
    Georgiana died in on 2 March 1947 in New Rochelle, NY and her obituary appeared in the New York Times on the day after her death:

Georgiana H. Scott
Special to the New York Times

    New Rochelle, N. Y., March 27 - Miss Georgiana Helen Scott, retired miniature painter, whose pictures on ivory are in many New York and Westchester County collections, died here today in her home at 44 Church Street. Her age was 96.
    Born in London, Miss Scott was a daughter of William Wallace Scott and Caroline Scott. Her father was a painter of oil portraits and miniatures, and in her youth Miss Scott received lessons from him. She came to this country in 1865 and painted until the age of 85, when her eyesight began to fail. She was blind at her death.

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unnamed, Thomas Collier, 10" x 14", watercolor and gouache on paper

    Thomas Collier Jr., was born 12 November 1840 at Glossop, Derbyshire, the son of Thomas and Martha Siddall Collier. His father was a prosperous grocer and tea dealer. Little is known of Collier's youth. He attended the Manchester School of Art before moving to northern Wales in 1864 to paint in the footsteps of his idol, David Cox. Collier next moved to London around 1870, where he was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-colours in 1870. He was not a prolific exhibitor, but collectors and critics then and today consider him one of the masters of the English landscape watercolor. Collier was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in acclaim of a painting he sent to the Paris International Exhibition of 1878. Hardworking, shy and often in poor health, he was enabled by a family stipend to work without concern for popular tastes and travel to observe the English countryside (especially in Suffolk). In 1879 Collier built a large house and studio in Hampstead (Longdon) where he spent the rest of his life tirelessly perfecting his studio craft and receiving prominent artist visitors.

"The Gravel Pit, Hindhead", Thomas Collier, 12.5" x 20", watercolor

    According to Mallalieu, Hardie, and others, Collier was the best and most important inheritor of the styles of well known British watercolor artists David Cox and Peter DeWint. His works were largely neglected until the mid 20th century, when his skill was the subject of articles by several prominent art historians and critics. Though better known today, as a result, his work is still under appreciated and continues to be less valued by collectors. 
    In 1944 Adrian Bury published The Life and Art of Thomas Collier, which contains 84 plates of Collier's paintings, his photograph and biography. This book was published in a limited run of 500 copies, and I am fortunate enough to have copies #107 and #349 in my library. The second of the two paintings above bears the inscription on back "T. Collier Fittleworth Common", which was obviously added in recent years. Bury's book shows that this identification is incorrect however, as a nearly identical rendering of this scene is included in his plates, and is entitled "The Gravel Pit, Hindhead". The painting in the plates is smaller, only 9.5" x 13.5", from a slightly closer perspective, and may have been a study before completing the larger work. The smaller painting was held by the Leeds Art Gallery in 1944.
    Collier is mentioned in the Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood, British Watercolor Artists p to 1920 by Huon Mallalieu, Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, by George C. Williamson, Hardie's Watercolour Painting in Britain,The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940,  and numerous other reference books. Examples of his works are held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, and numerous other prominent museums and art galleries.
    Thomas Collier RI died 14 May 1891 at Hampstead and is buried at Highgate Cemetery, Highgate in his family's plot.

"View in Wales", attributed to Thomas Collier, 6" x 9", watercolor

    This little painting is signed with a monogram, a "T" superimposed over a "C", and was offered to me as "attributed to" Thomas Collier. Someone has written on the back "Original watercolour painting by Thomas Collier RI 1840s 'View in Wales' " and "One of the supreme watercolour painters of England". Bury reports in his catalog of Collier's works that he did sign with the monogram "TC", but does not give an example. Bury, himself, had one of these monogrammed works in his collection. I have seen similar brush strokes in some of Collier's looser paintings, especially in what looks like a fence in the center of the picture. There is some very similar work in "A Countryman's Anthology" by George Emslie which contains 12 plates by Collier, most of which seem to appear in Bury's book. I'll leave it to those who know Collier's work better than I to judge if this "TC" is Thomas Collier. At any rate it is a pleasant little painting.

Thomas Collier 1840-1891

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unnamed, Dorothy Bishop, 11" x 15", watercolors

    Dorothy Bishop (nee Livermore) was a watercolor artist and painted florals and landscapes. She was a student of Sylvester Stannard in the 1950s while living in Bedfordshire, Sussex, England. She was elected a full member of the the Society of Women Artists (SWA) and exhibited extensively (121 works) there from 1951 through 1996, and also exhibited at the Royal Academy. Bishop died, perhaps in early 2006, and a great number of her works came onto the market afterward. Many of these paintings are not signed, including the two above, which were purchased from her estate. I have seen many such paintings on the market since mid 2006. One seller theorized that she did not actively sell her works so did not sign many. I think it more likely that these works came from her sketch books. This may be supported by the fact that signed examples of her work may be found. Some of her signed and unsigned works are much more sophisticated than the two shown above.

"The Old Abbey", Dorothy Livermore Bishop, 15" x 11", watercolor on paper

    Bishop does not appear to be listed in any of the major art reference books. There is a Dorothy Bishop RBA mentioned as an exhibiting artist in 1938 in The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940, but I think this is a bit early to be our Dorothy. This same Dorothy Bishop, an engraver, also exhibited 2 works at the SWA in 1950. Both times she resided at 4 Abinger Road, Bedford Park, London W8, while our Dorothy resided at 410A Bedfordshire Lane.
    "The Old Abbey", shown above is signed and titled verso. "Boats on the Sand", shown below, is signed "Dorothy Livermore"on front, but is also signed and titled verso.

"Boats on the sand", Dorothy Livermore Bishop, 11" x 15", watercolor on paper

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(Mittha Run?), Samuel Maurice Jones, 10" x 15", watercolor on board

    Samuel Maurice Jones RCA was born at Mochdre in Denbighshire, Wales in 1853 and was an illustrator and landscape painter in oils and watercolors who exhibited in many of the major UK art galleries.  Jones was the fourth child of the Rev. John Jones, a Calvinistic Methodist minister, and his wife, Hannah. He was an early product of public art education in Wales. Jones trained under John Cambrian Rowland at the Caernarfon School of Art, before moving to London, where he studied from 1870 to 1873 under William Collingwood, Associate of the Society of Painters in Watercolours. He was a founding member of the Royal Cambrian Academy, and, in 1882, became the first Welsh-born Academician to be granted an Associate Membership. He was prominent in launching a campaign in the Welsh language on behalf of visual culture, a campaign which remained close to his heart throughout his life.
    In 1891 Jones was commissioned by O. M. Edwards to contribute a series of paintings on the theme of Welsh houses for his new periodical 'Cymru'. The series of illustrated essays proved to be extremely popular and were later published in the book 'Cartrefi Cymru' (1896). I have a copy of this book and it contains about 15 illustrations, some signed with the monogram "SMJ". He also provided illustrations for Gwaith Alun, by Alun aka John Blackwell. This was a book of Welsh poetry published in 1909 that circulated widely then and today.
    Jones is mentioned in the Dictionary of British Artists Working 1900-1950 by Waters, Clarence Whaite and the Welsh Art World: The Betws-y-Coed Artists' Colony 1844-1914 by Lord, The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940, the Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Wood, Welsh Painters by T. M. Rees, and other reference books.
    Samuel Maurice Jones died in Llandudno, Wales on 30 December 1932. Samuel's son, J. Maurice Jones, donated his father's papers to the National Library of Wales in 1967.  Several of Jones' paintings are featured on Gathering the Jewels, a Welsh web site devoted to preserving Welsh art.
    This painting is in a beautiful original frame, bearing the perfectly preserved framer's  label verso which reads "Hugo Lang & Co. Ltd., 19. Whitechapel, Liverpool, Ref B4989". The reference number is written in pencil. The back of the painting was still sealed with the original framer's tape. When I took the painting out of the frame, I found the following inscription on back "Ref B4989, 1/2 Mittha Run", At least I read it as "Mittha Run", though that is only my best guess, as it is not clearly written.
    On a personal note, I was happy to finally add a painting by a Welsh artist to my collection. According to a family tradition passed down for three centuries, my paternal ancestor was a Welsh carpenter who fell in love with a Welsh noblewoman. She returned his love but they were forbidden to marry as he was a commoner. He built a chest in which he hid his love and smuggled her out of the country and they came to America some time in the 1600s. I have proved my ancestry back to William Daniel, a carpenter, who was born about 1680 and was living in Essex County, VA by 1707. I believe that his paternal grandfather, also a carpenter, was in Virginia before 1660, but won't give his first name, since I have not yet been able to prove the connection.

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unnamed, J. N. Nash, 5" x 7", watercolor, dated 1939

    This artist is most likely British, as I purchased it from a British art dealer in Oxfordshire, England. I am real winter person and like days like this, so it is nice to escape into a painting like this on one of our steamy summer days, though I do like those days, too. Like I say, I like really hot weather and really cold weather and everything in between, as long as I can be outside. I find this to be a visually rich, but relaxing painting, even though it is fairly tiny. The back of the painting itself contains the notation "J. N. Nash 1939" and there is a typed label on the backing material that says "Water drawing for Mrs. Graham, J. N. Nash 1939". It came unframed but in a nice original "French Mat". I do not think that this is the well known British artist, John Northcote Nash, as the signature does not match the ones in my book of signatures. Any information on this artist would be appreciated.

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"Burton Bradstock, Dorset", 9.5" x 13.5" Mrs.Celia Southall, watercolor, dated 1917

   Mrs. Celia Southall was an active painter from about 1917 until about 1949. In 2007 a portfolio of about 100 watercolors painted between these two years was purchased by an art dealer in Essex, England. Mrs. Southall appears to have been an amateur painter as she is not listed in any art reference book. The quality of her work varies greatly over the span of the three decades that she was active. Since I like to do research, I picked up a few of these paintings.

     

"Derelict Farm, Temple, Guiting", 9" x13.5", Mrs. Celia Southall, watercolor, dated 1947

 
    One of the paintings bears the stamp of the extinct and obscure "Banbury Sketch Club", and the seller told me that several of the others did as well. Notes on the backs of some of the paintings indicate that Mrs. Southall exhibited her work at this club. I have found no other reference to this club, though notes on the back of one of the paintings indicate that there were at least a dozen members in 1921. She traveled widely, painting in many parts of the UK, France, Switzerland, and Italy.  Most of her paintings are signed with the monogram "CS" followed by the date, though many are also signed "Mrs. Southall" verso.
    I suspect that Mrs. Southall received her training well before 1917, the date of her earliest known works, as these early works are well done and fairly complex. Where she received her training as an artist is unknown. In 1921 Alice Margaret Celia Southall received some type of recognition from Birmingham University, though this may be a coincidence, and not our Celia, at all. I believe that Mrs. Southall was the widow of Thomas Southall, and daughter of Samuel Price. Thomas and Celia were married in Birmingham in 1893. Thomas Southall was deceased by 1929, and possibly many years previous. Mrs. Southall was the compiler of a History of the Southall Family that is currently held by the Museum of Wales. My current feeling is that she passed a genteel widowhood in travel and other hobbies, including painting.

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"The River Conway, near Bettwys-y-Coed", Mrs. Gladys Lines, 17" x 13", watercolor

    Mrs. Gladys Lines, nee Entwistle, was born in 28 February 1894 in Adlington, Lancashire, England. She married Leslie Lines, a mathematics teacher, on 4 July 1924 at Conway, Caernarvonshire, Denbighshire. She seems to have painted under both her married and maiden names, but was best known under her married name. She studied at St. Annes on Sea School of Art and was a teacher of art at Colwyn Bay, Wales. I suspect that she was also a teacher at Penrhos College, a girls' school in Colwyn Bay and I am trying to confirm that. The inscription on the back of this painting shows that it was given as a gift to a Miss E. Evans in August 1949 by her coworkers at The Ministry of Food Grading Branch, and contains the signatures of many of those coworkers.
    She is known to have exhibited between 1920 and 1927 and showed two paintings at the Royal Cambrian Academy. She is mentioned in The Dictionary of British Artists by Johnson.

    

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unnamed, G. Hanmer Croughton, 6.5" x 4.75", watercolor

    George Hanmer Croughton was born in April 1843 in London, England. He was a painter, photographer, and illustrator. He studied at the National School of Arts at South Kensington under Thomas Sydney Cooper, and in Antwerp and Paris. He was a member of and held several positions with the Rochester Art Club, Rochester, NY starting in 1892, including vice president and president. He exhibited at the International Expo in London in 1863 where he won a medal, at the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Exhibit in 1864 where he won a medal, one floral watercolor at the Society of British Artists in 1874, and at the Cotton Centennial Exhibition, New Orleans in 1885 where he won a medal.
    He was married in September 1865 in Bath, England to Charlotte Morgan. They had five daughters and one son. None of his daughters married and his son was committed to an insane asylum before 1920. Two of his daughters became writers. He emigrated with his whole family to the US in 1886. He was a frequent traveler to Europe and I found two references to trips made on the Lusitania.
    Croughton had an early interest in photography and in 1876 an article written by him was published in the British Journal of Photography. He spoke about his article topic at the Edinburgh Photographic Society on 2 February 1876. He was a frequent speaker and writer on the subject of photography for several decades both in the UK and the USA. He was a member and President of the Rochester Camera Club. Croughton also worked as a photographic paper manufacturer in Rochester in the early 1900s before devoting himself entirely to photography and painting. I have seen several references to his work as an art critic, probably of photographic art.
    He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art by Falk, Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Wood, Mallett's Index of Artists, and Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide,
    Croughton died at this home in Rochester, New York on 15 April 1920. His death was reported in the New York Times on 17 April 1920. His obituary noted that he was a photographer and painter of portraits and miniatures and that he had painted miniatures of the British Royal Family.