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Lot Essay
The sitter in the present lot is one of Elsley’s favourite models ‘Queenie’. Her real name unknown, she was nick-named after Queen Alexandra (the wife of King Edward VII) and emigrated to the U.S.A. after the First World War, after marrying an American. Queenie appeared in numerous paintings by the artist, often alongside Elsley’s only child, Marjorie.
Born in 1860, the son of a coachman, Arthur John Elsley joined the South Kensington School of Art at the age of fourteen. He submitted his first exhibit to the Royal Academy in 1878 and continued to paint thereafter until 1917. Elsley quickly rose to fame as one of the most beloved and commercially sought after "chocolate box" artists of late Victorian England. His depiction of children and animals and idealized portrayal of their world appealed to the middle and upper classes of society. In light of the high rate of infant and child mortality in Victorian England at the time, this genre became enormously popular and artists like Elsley could command high sums for their work. It comes as no surprise that the commercial success of Elsley's paintings was also due in large part to the wide diffusion of his work in the public realm through reproductions. Reproduction rights to his work were so eagerly sought after that he had print companies queuing up to buy the copyright. It is fair to say that his cosy interpretations of family life and the often humorous interactions of children and animals became associated with 'popular culture' of the day. His paintings were routinely reproduced for use in colour calendars published by the American firm Thomas D. Murphy Company, soap advertisers, as well as for the cover of publications such as Bibby's Quarterly.
Around 1889 Elsley had begun to share a studio with fellow artist Frederick Morgan in the grounds of 7 North Bank, St. John's Wood, London, which proved mutually advantageous. Morgan was already a successful artist but he had trouble painting animals and Elsley was able to fulfil this role. At this time Elsley was enjoying considerable recognition, winning a silver medal for The Baliff's [sic] Daughter of Islington at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1891. The print of I'se Biggest published in 1892 was so popular it had to be re-engraved and the Illustrated London News had chosen his Grandfather's Pet as their Christmas print which all combined to enable him to afford to marry his second cousin Emily Fusedale in November 1893. After his marriage he moved into his own studio but he continued to work closely with Morgan and to co-operate on paintings. His works are often compared with those of Charles Burton Barber who had spent much of his later career painting for Queen Victoria at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. The Illustrated London News noted, 'Mr. Elsley appears more distinctly as a follower, though not an imitator, of Mr. Burton Barber, differing from him by allowing his children more than one pet at a time, and going beyond the limitations of a fox-terrier or a collie. He has a keen sense of humour, especially in his treatment of puppies' backs, which, as students of dog-life well know, are their most expressive features' (25 January 1896, p. 120).
Born in 1860, the son of a coachman, Arthur John Elsley joined the South Kensington School of Art at the age of fourteen. He submitted his first exhibit to the Royal Academy in 1878 and continued to paint thereafter until 1917. Elsley quickly rose to fame as one of the most beloved and commercially sought after "chocolate box" artists of late Victorian England. His depiction of children and animals and idealized portrayal of their world appealed to the middle and upper classes of society. In light of the high rate of infant and child mortality in Victorian England at the time, this genre became enormously popular and artists like Elsley could command high sums for their work. It comes as no surprise that the commercial success of Elsley's paintings was also due in large part to the wide diffusion of his work in the public realm through reproductions. Reproduction rights to his work were so eagerly sought after that he had print companies queuing up to buy the copyright. It is fair to say that his cosy interpretations of family life and the often humorous interactions of children and animals became associated with 'popular culture' of the day. His paintings were routinely reproduced for use in colour calendars published by the American firm Thomas D. Murphy Company, soap advertisers, as well as for the cover of publications such as Bibby's Quarterly.
Around 1889 Elsley had begun to share a studio with fellow artist Frederick Morgan in the grounds of 7 North Bank, St. John's Wood, London, which proved mutually advantageous. Morgan was already a successful artist but he had trouble painting animals and Elsley was able to fulfil this role. At this time Elsley was enjoying considerable recognition, winning a silver medal for The Baliff's [sic] Daughter of Islington at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1891. The print of I'se Biggest published in 1892 was so popular it had to be re-engraved and the Illustrated London News had chosen his Grandfather's Pet as their Christmas print which all combined to enable him to afford to marry his second cousin Emily Fusedale in November 1893. After his marriage he moved into his own studio but he continued to work closely with Morgan and to co-operate on paintings. His works are often compared with those of Charles Burton Barber who had spent much of his later career painting for Queen Victoria at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. The Illustrated London News noted, 'Mr. Elsley appears more distinctly as a follower, though not an imitator, of Mr. Burton Barber, differing from him by allowing his children more than one pet at a time, and going beyond the limitations of a fox-terrier or a collie. He has a keen sense of humour, especially in his treatment of puppies' backs, which, as students of dog-life well know, are their most expressive features' (25 January 1896, p. 120).