Works by other artists - Two children in a garden by G. Adolphus Storey
Artist:
Works by other artists
Materials: Oil
Dimensions (cm):
56 x 50.5
Dimensions (inches): 22 x 19.9
Signature: Artist's monogram lower right
Frame:
Gilt frame (see second photo)
Stock No:
0600
Price: £1250
Provenance: REFA acquisition
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Genre: Portrait
Tags:
Description
This delightful painting of two children in their Victorian finery, attributed to George Adolphus Storey (1834-1919), comes from a rather earlier era than most of the work in our gallery - but we couldn’t resist it! Acquired from a leading auction house, who made the attribution, we are conducting further research into its history.
The artist’s monogram can be seen lower right (just above the third daisy) and is dated 1859,. which would make the artist 25 years old when he painted it.
Despite appearances the figure on the left in blue is in fact a boy. In the mid to late Victorian era young boys were often clothed in dresses as it apparently made toilet training easier for them. At age seven they would receive their first pair of breeches - a significant milestone for a young chap in those days!
Another interesting piece of advice I have received is that the arched top to the canvas mount was a fashion set after some valuable paintings had been cut out of their rectangular/square frames; the arched mount was to deter thieves from ending up with an unsaleable mutilated canvas.
You can read more about the artist in his page on Wikipedia.