Haughton Forrest (1826-1925)

Haughton Forrest (1826-1925) Haughton Forrest was born at Boulogne-Sur-Mer in France, on 28th December, 1826. Named after a medieval castle in Northumberland, his name was misspelt 'Horton' in the local birth register. The family wealth came from slaves and extensive sugar plantations in Jamaica whilst a number of forbears served the Royal Navy with distinction. Thus the young Forrest was to experience a much travelled childhood but in 1848 he returned to England and obtained a five-year commission in the Honourable Artillery Company. Following his marriage in 1858, he spent some years in the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, Devon and Cornwall. Although none of his sketch books are known to have survived, it seems likely that these early years were the inspiration for much of the work executed during the remainder of his career. After a brief stay in Brazil which proved unsuitable for his family, Forrest decided in 1876 to emigrate to Australia, exhibiting in Tasmania almost immediately paintings which clearly reflected his earlier life along the South Coast of England. In 1882 Forrest struck up an immediate friendship with a young twenty-four year old Scot, James Watt Beattie, who had recently arrived in Hobart to take up a partnership with the Hobart photograhers, Anson Brothers. Forrest liked Beattie so much that, even though at fifty-seven he was twice Beattie's age, he and Beattie formed a successful partnership that was to last until the latter's death in 1920. Beattie's curiosity took him not only to the furthest corners of Tasmania but also to Australia and the Pacific, bringing back with him highly detailed photographs which Forrest used as a basis for many of his later compositions. This interest in photography had a significant influence on his style from this moment on, forming a much more literal approach to his subject matter and encouraging a craftsmanlike technique with meticulous attention to detail, very different from the loose fluid lines of earlier years. In 1925, within sight of his ninety-ninth year, Forrest died, long recognised as Tasmania's foremost painter. The following six lots are typical of the accuracy of his yachtsman's eye and they form the most significant group of Forrest's paintings to have appeared at auction in recent times. Christie's would like to thank Lauraine Diggins, editor, and Malakoff Fine Art Press, the publishers of the book Haughton Forrest for giving their permission to reproduce the above photograph of the painter himself.

Details

Haughton Forrest (1826-1925)
Duel in the Solent; A Racing Schooner, thought to be British, neck and neck with an American challenger from the Newark (New Jersey) Yacht Club
signed 'H. Forrest' and indistinctly dated '188?'; oil on canvas
25 x 45in. (63.5 x 114.5cm)

Literature

Haughton Forrest by George Deas Brown, published in 1982 by Malakoff Fine Art Press, Victoria, Australia.

Lot Essay

Once English supremacy at Cowes had been lost to the America in 1851, other yachts from the United States, each attempting to emulate
America's success, became an increasingly common sight in the Solent during the second half of the nineteenth century.

It might perhaps be of interest to mention that in George Deas Brown's book Haughton Forrest, page 48 (plate 8) depicts 'Racing Schooners on Derwent River' painted in 1882. It is possible that the above work was painted in the same year owing to similarities in their composition, using sketch books from his earlier years in England when he lived on the Solent.

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