Macbeth

Oil on artist board

Provenance: Sycamore Farm, Portsmouth, VA (Estate of Robert Vick and Charles Sibley)

Note: Listed in "The National Academy of Design Exhibition Record 1861-1900" page 249, number 482.

Painting Size: 6 ½” x 6 ½”
Frame Size: 10” x 10”

Born in Ireland, Duggan was brought to the United States as a young child, probably around 1810. He was a student at the National Academy of Design from approximately 1842-1849. He was a frequent exhibitor at the National Academy as well as at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.

Duggan was known to have exhibited works at the Academy (1844-51) which were religious and historical in nature although he was admired by his contemporaries as a portraitist in charcoal and crayon - undoubtedly the source of his livelihood. Later works exhibited (1855-56) were portraits only. He also sculpted several medals for distribution by the American Art-Union. In the late 1840’s Duggan was a professor of drawing at the Free Academy of New York (later the City College of New York).

Duggan suffered from tuberculosis and retired in 1856 at which time he went to live in London with relatives. In the spring of 1861 he went to Paris for what was intended to be an extended stay but was there only until October when he succumbed to his illness.

Sources:
Falk, Peter, ed. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975
Groce & Wallace, Dictionary of Artists in America, 1564-1860
Mallett, Daniel Trowbridge. Index of Artists

Lake Scene in Western Maryland

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower right and dated “1861”

Painting Size: 8 ½”” x 16”
Frame Size: 12.5” x 20”

Thompson was a landscape, historical and portrait painter, born in Baltimore where he studied law with his father. In 1859 Thompson decided to become and artist and opened a studio in Baltimore. During the first year of the Civil War (1860) he worked as a combat artist for Harper’s Weekly and the Illustrated London News, primarily illustrating battles in Virginia. In 1861, the year this painting is dated, he left to study in Paris at the École des Beaux Arts with Gleyre, Lambinet and Pasini. He also traveled to Italy and Germany before establishing his studio in New York City in 1868. He made several return trips to France, Spain, North Africa and the Mediterranean. In addition to his travel landscapes, many of his exhibited works were of colonial revolutionary subjects.

Thompson was a founding member of the Society of American Artists and a member of the National Academy of Design. He exhibited extensively including at the Paris Salon, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Paris Expo of 1878 and the National Academy of Design.

Sources:
Falk, Peter, ed. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975
Wright, R. Lewis. Artists in Virginia Before 1900

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

Resting Deer in a Forest Landscape

Oil on canvas

Provenance: Thomas McLean Gallery, London (retaining the original label on the back).

Painting: 20.75" x 36"
Frame: 30" x 45"

Redgrave was a genre and landscape painter. For a time he worked with his father who was an engraver before entering the Royal Academy in 1825. He began by painting historical genre in 18th century costume but in the 1840s he was among the first to depict contemporary social subjects in contemporary clothing (“The Seamstress”, “Bad News from the Sea”, “The Governess”). In 1836 he finally gained wider audience with his painting of “Gulliver on the Farmer’s Table”.

Redgrave was involved with the organization of the Government School of Design (1847) as well as the first keeper of paintings at the South Kensington Museum (now known as the Victoria and Albert museum). He was Inspector of the Queen’s Pictures and co-author with his brother Samuel of “A Century of Painters of the English School”, still a valuable book on English art.

Redgrave exhibited some 175 works at the Royal Academy from 1824-1883, the British Institution, the Society of British Artists and others. Several of his paintings are in the Victoria and Albert museum, the National Portrait Gallery (London) and the Shipley Art Gallery (Gateshead).

Retiring from his many offices in 1880 due to ill health, Redgrave’s later work was mostly painted while summering at his country house, primarily landscapes painted in a pre-Raphaelite style.

Sources:
Benezit, E. "Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs"
Johnson, J. and A Greutzner. "The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940"
Wood, Christopher. "Dictionary of British Art. Vol. IV, Victorian Painters"

Beauty and the Beast

Oil on canvas, signed with monogram and titled on the reverse

Exhibited: The Royal Academy, 1899

Miss Suitcliff was a Hampstead painter of genre and portraits who exhibited at the royal academy from 1881-1899 and elsewhere.

Source:

Christopher Wood, The Dictionary of Victorian Painters

Painting Size: 16" x 20" Frame Size: 24" x 28"

Working the Field

Oil on canvas. signed lower right

Painting17" x 24 3/4"
Frame: 28" x 35 1/4"

Ten Kate was known for his landscapes, beach scenes and genre paintings. Born in Amsterdam, he was the son of Johannes Mari ten Kate, under whom he most likely studied. He lived and worked in the Hague and was a member of the Hague Artists’ Society and the Pulchri Studio (latin:"for the study of beauty"), a Dutch art society, art institution and art studio based in the Hague. The countryside around the coastal town of the Hague provided a rural environment and an unspoiled landscape which attracted many young artists of the nineteenth century eager to escape the strictures of academic art guilds.

The London to Oxford Coaches at Mile Marker 24

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower right

Painting: 17” x 32”
Frame: 23 ½” x 38 1/4”

Pollard was an engraver and sporting artist noted for his coaching, fox hunting and equine scenes. As the son of Robert Pollard, a painter, engraver and publisher, James was encouraged to become a painter of horses. He was also tutored by his father’s friend, the engraver Thomas Bewick. Growing up in Islington, Pollard lived on a main coaching route which undoubtedly influenced his choice of coaching scenes as his primary subject matter. In 1821 he exhibited a large work at the Royal Academy “North Country Mails at the Peacock, Islington” and by 1825 he was successful enough to leave his father, marry and set up his own studio. He prospered with numerous commissions. With the demise of the mail coaches in the 1840‘s, Pollard expanded his subject matter to include racing, hunting, shooting and angling scenes. Pollard is also known to have collaborated with John Frederick Herring Senior on several racing pictures in which he painted the backgrounds and crowd scenes and Herring painted the horses.

Pollard exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1821-1839, the British Institution in 1824 and 1844, and at the Suffolk Street Galleries. Many of his works were reproduced in prints which were engraved by himself, his father and others.

Pollard’s work is noted for its historical accuracy, attention to detail and in evoking the spirit of the coaching age.

Sources:
Mitchell, Sally. The Dictionary of Equestrian Artists
Wingfield, Mary Anne. A Dictionary of Sporting Artists, 1650-1990
Wood, Christopher. Dictionary of British Art. Vol. IV, Victorian Painters

"Warmiing Up" Jockey Galloping a Horse with a Plaited Mane

Oil on Canvas , signed"WV"

Painting: 16" x 24"
Frame: 20.75" x 28.5"

"Evening on the Marsh"

Oil on Academy Board, signed and dated "(18)88", dated "Dec. 27,1888" on the reverse and titled by Benson B. Moore also on the reverse.

Provenance: The Washington area painter Benson B. Moore. Moore studied with Weyl at the Corcoran in Washington D.C.

Painting: 11 x 16 in.
Frame: 16 x 21 in.

**Please Note: This item is not currently on view in our gallery. Please call at least 48 hours in advance if you wish to see it.

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

Max Weyl was born Dec. 1, 1837, in Germany and immigrated with his family to Williamsport, PA in 1853. At this time and after his arrival in Washington, DC in 1861, Weyl earned his living as an itinerant watch repairman. At the relatively young age of 24, he had saved enough money to open his own jewelry shop at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

He was self-taught as an artist but was encouraged in the field by Washington artist Charles Lanman, who recognized his potential artistic talent. In 1870, Weyl sold his first painting to Samuel H. Kauffman, publisher of the Star . Kauffman became a regular patron of Weyl.

By 1878, he had achieved sufficient success to list himself as an artist in the city directory and had devoted himself full-time to his art. A year abroad in 1879-80, visiting and studying in Paris, Vienna, Munich and Venice attached him to the Barbizon style and gave him his nickname of the "American Daubigny". His first exhibition and sale of landscapes was in 1879. Eventually, his landscapes of the Potomac River and Rock Creek Park won him much recognition and acclaim.

During the years of 1882-92, he shared a studio with Richard Norris Brooke in Vernon Row at 10th and Pennsylvania, moving to the "Barbizon Studio" building, on 17th and Pennsylvania, from 1892-1903.

Weyl had annual exhibitions and sales at V.G. Fischer Galleries. There was a retrospective at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1907. Weyl died July 6, 1914, in Washington, DC. Today his work can be seen in such varied locations of the Corcoran Gallery, the Cosmos Club in Washington, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Virginia Military Academy.

Sources:
Consentino, Andrew and Glassie, Henry. "The Capital Image, Painters in Washington, 1800-1915"
Falk, Peter, ed. "Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975"
McMahan, Virgil. "The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996"

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, type “local” into the search box.

Bayou Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Provenance: Senator John B. Henderson (1826-1913)

Painting: 23” x 37”
Frame: 27” x 41”

Born 1846 in Upperville, Lucien Whiting Powell served with the Virginia cavalry during the Civil War. After attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Powell moved on to the London School of Art by 1875 where he was strongly influenced by the atmospheric painting style and romantic subject matter of J.M.W. Turner.

Powell eventually settled in Washington D.C. where he had a series of different studios, the most noted one at Henderson’s “Castle” on 16th Street owned by his formidable patron, Mrs. John B. Henderson. Perhaps with a certain proprietary attitude towards the artist, Mrs. Henderson owned some 200 of his watercolors and works on canvas and funded his tour of the Middle East in 1910.

An avid traveler, Powell also toured the American West in 1901. His best known works are landscapes of the Grand Canyon as well as land- and seascapes of Venice. In Street Scene in Florence, Italy, a casual gathering of women proffer goods under cloth and wooden awnings in an open square. Powell’s warm, earthy palate and loose, painterly rendering reflect his admiration of Turner.

Though he ventured far afield, Powell achieved considerable recognition in the District; his works were collected by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. He also exhibited regularly at the Corcoran and was a member of the Society of Washington Artists. Powell’s work is currently represented in the collections of American University, Georgetown University, the U.S. State Department and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C

Sources:

Falk, Peter, ed. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975
McMahan, Virgil. The Artists of Washington, D.C. 1796-1996** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, type “local” into the search box.

** For other paintings by artists from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC or North Carolina, click on the “Regional Artists” button on our Homepage.

Devonshire Cottage by Moonlight

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Painting: 25” x 30”
Frame: 29” x 33 ¾”

Platt was active in New York State and Connecticut. She is known for her landscapes, portraits and interiors. She studied at the Art Students’ League (NYC) and Delecluse Academy, Paris. Platt also studied with Ben Foster and Henry B. Snell. She exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (1900-1901), Boston Art Club, Society of Independent Artists (1917) and many others. Additionally she was a member of the New York Woman’s Art Club, Pen & Brush Club, National Arts Club and the New York Water Color Club.

Platt travelled to Europe, painting scenes both in Devon and Normandy, often depicting charming interiors showing the life of the peasants.

Fishermen in the Venetian Lagoon at Daybreak

Oil-on-canvas, signed lower left

Painting: 16” x 20”
Frame: 22” x 26”

There is little biographical information on Simonetti, and it has been suggested that it is a pseudonym for Gian Gianni who was one of the last of the view painters of Italy. Gianni worked mostly in watercolor and produced views of Naples and Venice for people who were making the Grand Tour. The advent of photography soon took the place of these painters.

Sailing Vessels at Sunrise

Oil-on-panel, signed lower right

Painting: 20” x 16”
Frame: 25” x 21”

Born in Massachusetts, Hallett studied in Antwerp and Paris. He is best known for his paintings of ships, notable marine events, and seascapes, many along Boston Harbor. He also painted in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and on Mount Desert Island in Maine.  Hallett worked outdoors, sketching with pencil, making color notes, and translated his sketches into oils in his studio.  He and his wife Florence, also an artist, spent eighteen months studying art in Europe. The Halletts shared a studio at Fenway Studios from1907-1918. Hallett exhibited regularly at the Boston Art Club between 1877 and 1918. He was a member of the Boston Society of Watercolor Painters, as well as the Boston Art Club, and exhibited at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, the Eastman Chase Gallery (Boston), Poland Spring Art Exhibitions, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Farm by a Pond

Oil on canvas, signed lower right

Painting: 24" x 30"
Frame: 30" x 42"

Maidment was a painter in oil of rural scenes and landscapes. He also used the pseudonyms of "R. Fenson" and “A. Wynn”. Dated examples of his work have been seen spanning from 1898 until 1914. The high quality of the painting and decorative subject matter have fueled an ever growing demand for Maidment’s work.

Source:
Wood, Jeremy. "Hidden Talents, A Dictionary of Neglected Artists working 1880-1950"

Stepping Stones

Oil on canvas, signed

Painting size: 9” x 12”
Frame size: 13.5” x 16.5”

Maidment was a painter in oil of rural scenes and landscapes. He is variously catalogued as Robin or Robert Fenson but usually just signed “R. Fenson” in red, often with a date. This was a pseudonym for Henry Maidment who also was known to have signed “A. Wynn”. Dated examples of his work have been seen spanning from 1898 until 1914. The quality of his paintings and the decorative subject matter have fueled an ever growing demand for Maidment’s work.

Source:
Wood, Jeremy. "Hidden Talents, A Dictionary of Neglected Artists working 1880-1950"

(British School, 19th Century)

Oil on canvas, Unsigned

Painting size: 30” x 20”
Frame size: 36.25” x 26.5”

This sweet genre painting of a shepherdess with her flock reflects the theme of the child-of-nature, a sensibility embraced by Victorians during the 19th century. The figure’s youth and comely face convey innocence, while her steadfast pose next to the goldenrod suggests that she is at ease in her environment.

Oil-on-canvas, unsigned

Mid 19th Century

Painting: 20 ¼” x 16 ½”
Frame: 24 ¼” x 201/4”

Oil on canvas, 19th century Signed indistinctly lower right "Wm Mc *****" and dated

Painting: 21" x 28.5"
Frame: 27" x 34.25"

Ship portraits, such as this, were commissioned by the new owner often time itinerant artists who traveled around different boat builders looking for work. They documented exactly what the ship looked like with full sails, flags and rigging so if a boat was lost at sea the portrait could be presented to their insurance agent.

The London to Bath Coach Pulling up to the Spaniards Tavern, Bath, England in 1884

Oil on Canvas, signed, and dated l.r.

Painting: 14: x 26"
Frame: 20.5" x 32.5" (outer frame later)

A newly discovered gem from one of England's best coaching painters.

John Charles Maggs (1819–1896) was a painter best known for his coaching scenes. He was born in Bath, England in 1819, his father being a furniture japanner there. John painted a series of famous coaching inns, and also a series of 80 metropolitan inns, in which he exploited the picturesque and historical aspect of his subject, to which his talent was best suited.

Other subjects he painted include Newmarket Races, Robbing the Mails, The News of Waterloo, The Market Place at Bath. The period he illustrated spans about two centuries; from the days before Hogarth, to the end of the reign of William IV.

His work enjoyed great popularity at a time when there was much interest in such vivid reconstruction of the 'romantic past'.

John Maggs' father, James, is recorded as an artist at Bath 1837–1841 and his uncle as a portrait painter 1846–1848. His daughter also assisted at his studio, known as the Bath Art Studio. Maggs lived in Bath his whole life, and died there on 3 November 1896, aged 77.

THE SPANIARDS TAVERN The Spaniards Inn is a historic pub on Spaniards Road between Hampstead and Highgate in London, England. It lies on the edge of Hampstead Heath near Kenwood House. The pub is believed to have been built in 1585 on the Finchley boundary, with the tavern forming the entrance to the Bishop of London's estate—an original boundary stone from 1755 can still be seen in the front garden. Opposite it there is a toll house built in around 1710. would lead to more and faster traffic.

Dick Turpin is thought to have been a regular at the Inn, as his father had been its landlord.What is certain is that highwaymen frequented this area and likely used the Inn to watch the road; at that time the Inn was around two hours from London by coach[citation needed] and the area had its fair share of wealthy travellers. Records from the Old Bailey show that on 16 October 1751 Samuel Bacon was indicted for robbery on the King's Highway and was caught 200 yards from the Spaniards

In 1780 rioters involved in the Gordon Riots, opposed to the relaxation of laws in England that restricted Catholicism, marched on Hampstead intent on attacking Kenwood House, the home of William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. The landlord of the Spaniards at the time is reported to have given them free drinks, keeping the rioters occupied, until the local militia arrived, thus saving the house.

The pub has been mentioned in Dickens's The Pickwick Papers and Bram Stoker's Dracula, and has been frequented by the artist Joshua Reynolds and the poets Byron and Keats. According to the pub, Keats wrote his Ode to a Nightingale in the gardens, and Stoker borrowed one of their resident ghost stories to furnish the plot of Dracula.