THE PROPERTY OF A DECEASED ESTATE
WILLIAM HEMSLEY
William Hemsley was the son of an architect and began by practising his father's profession. However, he taught himself to paint, and made his Royal Academy debut at the age of twenty in 1849. While continuing to support the Academy until 1877, he also showed at the Society of British Artists in Suffolk Street, of which he became a member (1859) and Vice-President. This group of eight works is typical of the small-scale genre scenes in which Hemsley specialised. His style is reminiscent of the Cranbrook artists Thomas Webster and F.D. Hardy, and, like them, he was fond of painting children at play; but he travelled in Germany and Holland, and perhaps found inspiration in the genre traditions of those countries as much as in any examples at home. He lived in London throughout his professional career.
William Hemsley (b.1819. fl.1848-1893)
Details
William Hemsley (b.1819. fl.1848-1893)
The Bird Trap
signed and inscribed 'The Bird Trap/Wm. Hemsley' on the reverse; oil on panel
7¼ x 6¼in. (18.4 x 15.8cm.)
The Bird Trap
signed and inscribed 'The Bird Trap/Wm. Hemsley' on the reverse; oil on panel
7¼ x 6¼in. (18.4 x 15.8cm.)
Exhibited
London, Royal Society of British Artists, 1851, no.385