Lot Essay
Eloise Harriet Stannard, a member of the well known Norwich family of artists, was the eldest daughter of Alfred Stannard
1806-1889), a landscape and marine painter noted for his views of
Yarmouth, and sister of Alfred George Stannard (1828-1885), also a painter of landscapes. Her uncle was Joseph Stannard (1797-1830), another distinguished landscaper painter, while her aunt, born Emily Coppin but known as Mrs Joseph Stannard, was a painter of fruit pieces with whom her work was sometimes later confused. Eloise Harriet Stannard attended her father's art classes but owing to fragile health was encouraged to paint still lifes and flower pieces. Such was her mastery of these subjects that it was reputed that the work she sent to London always sold. She made her London debut in 1852 by sending 29 pictures to the British Institution, and first showed at the Royal Academy in 1856 with four paintings depicting the seasons. She also exhibited at Suffolk Street. As her pictures often sold for 60 guineas apiece, she continued to send several paintings to London each year until 1873 when, after the death of her mother, she was left to look after her family, which at its greatest extent consisted of fourteen siblings. She prefered to paint out of doors where greater contrasts of light and shade gave an extra luminosity to her subjects. She never painted from imagination but always from life 'in close imitation of the rich maturity of nature' (Art Journal, 1859, p. 170.). She also took great care to create interesting juxtapositions of colour, form and texture in her paintings. Writing in East Anglian Painters, III, 1969, p. 211, Harold A.E. Day summed up her achievement: 'When one considers the work of E.H. Stannard the outstanding feature is her extraordinary good taste; this combined with her sensitive technique and genius places her in the very top rank of British Nineteenth Century still life painters.'
1806-1889), a landscape and marine painter noted for his views of
Yarmouth, and sister of Alfred George Stannard (1828-1885), also a painter of landscapes. Her uncle was Joseph Stannard (1797-1830), another distinguished landscaper painter, while her aunt, born Emily Coppin but known as Mrs Joseph Stannard, was a painter of fruit pieces with whom her work was sometimes later confused. Eloise Harriet Stannard attended her father's art classes but owing to fragile health was encouraged to paint still lifes and flower pieces. Such was her mastery of these subjects that it was reputed that the work she sent to London always sold. She made her London debut in 1852 by sending 29 pictures to the British Institution, and first showed at the Royal Academy in 1856 with four paintings depicting the seasons. She also exhibited at Suffolk Street. As her pictures often sold for 60 guineas apiece, she continued to send several paintings to London each year until 1873 when, after the death of her mother, she was left to look after her family, which at its greatest extent consisted of fourteen siblings. She prefered to paint out of doors where greater contrasts of light and shade gave an extra luminosity to her subjects. She never painted from imagination but always from life 'in close imitation of the rich maturity of nature' (Art Journal, 1859, p. 170.). She also took great care to create interesting juxtapositions of colour, form and texture in her paintings. Writing in East Anglian Painters, III, 1969, p. 211, Harold A.E. Day summed up her achievement: 'When one considers the work of E.H. Stannard the outstanding feature is her extraordinary good taste; this combined with her sensitive technique and genius places her in the very top rank of British Nineteenth Century still life painters.'