BY GEORGE SMART, FRANT, CIRCA 1840

Details

A PAIR OF EARLY VICTORIAN CUT-FELT PICTURES
BY GEORGE SMART, FRANT, CIRCA 1840
One depicting 'Old Bright The Postman' leading a donkey with Frant church in the distance, on a painted background; the other depicting 'The Goose Woman' before a milestone with a castle and windmill in the distance, on a painted background with maker's paper label on the reverse 'G. SMART,/FRANT. nearTUNBRIDGE WELLS, ARTIST/IN CLOTH AND VELVET FIGURES,/To his Royal highness/ The DUKE of SUSSEX'
10 ¼ x 7 ¾ in. (26.1 x 19.7 cm.)

Literature

R. Kenny, J. Mc Millan, M. Myrone, British Folk Art: The House that Jack Built, Tate, London, 2014, pp. 42-47.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

George Smart (c.1775-1845) was, by trade a tailor in the village of Frant, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Alongside his business, he made and sold pictures out of scraps of leftover textiles. He referred to himself as ‘Artist in Cloth and Velvet Figures to His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex’. Often depicting portraits of local figures, ‘The Goosewoman’ is known to have been Elisabeth Horne of Tunbridge Wells, and ‘Old Bright the Postman’ was the postman in the area at this time.

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