Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 21

Edwin Harris
Young Child Picking Spring Blossom. Victorian West Country Original Watercolor.

About the Item

Edwin Harris. English ( b.1855 - d.1906 ). Young Girl Picking Spring Blossom Watercolor. Signed. Image size 9.8 inches x 4.9 inches ( 25cm x 12.5cm ). Frame size 14.8 inches x 10 inches ( 37.5cm x 25.5cm ). Available for sale; this original painting is by Edwin Harris and dates from the end of the 19th century. The watercolor is presented and supplied in a sympathetic contemporary frame (which is shown in these photographs), the original mount has been retained and is behind replacement glass. This antique painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. Previously with Messrs. S.H. Biles, 120 Victoria Street, Bristol. The watercolor is signed lower right. Edwin Harris was one of the first pioneers of the Newlyn School of artists, and friends and contemporary of many of the greatest artists of his day. His own style was modest and charming; his works are figurative, or of cottage interiors. His work was exhibited in some of the leading London galleries, including the Royal Academy from around 1882 onwards. Edwin Harris was born in Ladywood, Birmingham and educated at Old Edgbaston School where he formed a life-long friendship with the artist, William Arthur Breakspeare. At the age of fourteen in 1869 he entered the Birmingham School of Art, where he was a student friend of Walter Langley and then spent two years as an assistant Master, taking private pupils (amongst whom was Kate Bunce) before attending Verlat's Academy, Antwerp in 1880. Other notable artists were his contemporaries here, including William John Wainwright and Frank Bramley. During his time at Antwerp there Harris began to exhibit small figure studies, which received favourable comment at the exhibitions of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, and he was later elected to membership of the Society. On his return to Birmingham in 1881 he took a studio in Paradise Street where Langley and Wainwright were working. It is probably at Harris' studio that the first meetings were held that led to the formation of the Birmingham Art Circle. Harris first visited Newlyn in Cornwall in 1881 but did not settle at that time. Like many artists of his circle he then spent a couple of summers in Brittany. In 1882 he spent time at Pont Aven, where he met Elizabeth Armstrong (later Forbes) Whilst in France he and his colleagues ran out of money, and undertook portraits of their landlords in lieu of rent. Harris returned to Newlyn in 1883 with his first wife and his arrival, together with that of Walter Langley has been said to the graduation of Newlyn from a colony to a School. He was a prominent part of the art scene there, and one of the few artists to set up home as a family, having married relatively young. Many visitors enjoyed his civilized hospitality. From 1884-87 the family lived in Cliff Castle Cottage. Harris’ wife was the niece of an influential art dealer from Birmingham and thus he enjoyed a good outlet for his work. Edwin and his wife had a son, born in 1884 and baptised at St. Peters, Newlyn on 24th June 1885. Tragically, his young wife died only three years later after a grueling period of illness which upset all who knew her and left Edwin distraught. Elizabeth Armstrong was one of those who nursed her and whilst at Cliff Castle she first made the acquaintance of Stanhope Forbes, whom she later married. After his wife's death Harris moved with his son and a nurse to Belle Vue House, Newlyn where Elizabeth and her mother also lodged. Forbes was also to join them there after Elizabeth and Stanhope were married. In 1895 Harris left Newlyn finally, and met his second wife, Sally Cornwell, a Penzance girl and mutual friend of Walter Langley, in Plymouth. They spent the following three years, in Cardiff, Newport and Bristol where Harris concentrated on portraiture. Sally's close friend, Ethel Pengelly, left in Penzance after their marriage, became the second wife to Walter Langley, who was widowed at forty-three. In 1898 Harris returned to Birmingham where he continued to paint portraits. He died, age 50, on 5 January 1906 in Cleeve Prior, near Evesham, Worcestershire. Harris’ work exudes a quiet domesticity; his mood is light and gentle, sentimental even. He painted domestic scenes of great charm, based on careful observation. His work typically portrays pleasure in simple family relationships, and children at play. © Big Sky Fine Art This original watercolor painting depicts a young girl, perhaps aged around six to ten years old, picking white spring blossom from a small tree. She is wearing a blue bonnet tied under her chin with a pink bow, a white pinafore over a cream or yellow dress and black boots. She is in a meadow, with grass and wild flowers underfoot. There are branches of blossom in the foreground and other hedgerow in the background. The sky is pale blue, and it is obviously early spring. It is a rather charming and uplifting scene.
  • Creator:
    Edwin Harris (1855-1906, British)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 14.77 in (37.5 cm)Width: 10.04 in (25.5 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    The work is presented and supplied in a sympathetic contemporary frame, its original mount and behind glass. This antique painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.
  • Gallery Location:
    Sutton Poyntz, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU489313837222
More From This SellerView All
  • Long Life & Happiness.Queen Victoria's Daughter, Princess Alice. Royal Family
    By HRH Princess Alice Maud Mary Hanover
    Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
    Queen Victoria’s Daughter, Princess Alice Maud Mary, of the House of Hanover. English ( b.1843 - d.1878 ). Long Life and Happiness – June 11th 1860 Watercolor. Signed and Dated. Imag...
    Category

    Mid-19th Century Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Ink, Watercolor, Pencil

  • Polo Match, Cirencester, Player Leading Pony. Cotswolds. Framed Watercolor.
    By Elin Sian Blake
    Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
    Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Polo Match, Cirencester, Player Leading Pony. Watercolor on paper. Signed lower right. Image size 11.2 inches x 15.4 inches ( 28.5cm x 39cm ). Fram...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

  • Polo Match, Cirencester, Player and Pony. Cotswolds. Parkland. Framed Watercolor
    By Elin Sian Blake
    Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
    Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Polo Match, Cirencester, Player and Pony. Watercolor on paper. Signed lower right. Image size 15.2 inches x 11.6 inches ( 38.5cm x 29.5cm ). Frame...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

  • Polo Match, Cirencester, The First Chukka. Cotswolds. Parkland.Framed Watercolor
    By Elin Sian Blake
    Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
    Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Polo Match, Cirencester, The First Chukka. Watercolor on paper. Signed lower right. Image size 11.2 inches x 15.6 inches ( 28.5cm x 39.5cm ). Frame...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Realist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

  • The Lady of the Lake.Naked Lady with Red Boa Skating Poodle Art Nouveau Such Fun
    Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
    Oscar Wilson. English ( b.1867 - d.1930 ). The Lady of the Lake. Watercolor and Ink on Paper. Signed. Image size 17 inches x 10.2 inches ( 43cm x 26cm ). Frame size 23 inches x 16....
    Category

    Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Ink, Watercolor, Paper

  • Sir Lancelot and the Young Squire, 1911. King Arthur and the Round Table Knights
    By William Russell Flint
    Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
    Sir William Russell Flint. Scottish ( b.1880 - d.1969 ). Sir Lancelot and the Young Squire, 1911. Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur. Watercolor. Sig...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Gothic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

You May Also Like
  • Blind Mans Buff, British Couple walking in a landscape in Edwardian dress
    By John Strickland Goodall
    Located in Woodbury, CT
    John Strickland Goodall John Strickland Goodall was born in Heacham, Norfolk on 7 June 1908. He was the son of a famous heart specialist who boasted seven generations of medics, and...
    Category

    1980s Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Gouache

  • Courtship, British Couple walking in a landscape in Edwardian dress
    By John Strickland Goodall
    Located in Woodbury, CT
    John Strickland Goodall John Strickland Goodall was born in Heacham, Norfolk on 7 June 1908. He was the son of a famous heart specialist whose boasted seven generations of medics, a...
    Category

    1980s Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Gouache

  • The Chestnut Seller, Victorian Watercolour Genre Scene
    Located in London, GB
    Brown ink and watercolour, heightened with white, signed lower right Image size: 18 x 14 1/4 inches (45.75 x 36 cm) Gilt frame Modern moral subjects were a special kind of genre that was invented by William Hogarth which satirised the manners and morals of the period in which the artist lived. They were particular in their frankness and often biting social satire. Genre painting became hugely popular in the Victorian age and towards the end of the nineteenth century a new focus for genre painting emerged. The Artist Joseph H Barnes...
    Category

    1860s Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Paper

  • Early 20th century German watercolor of children dancing in traditional dress
    Located in Woodbury, CT
    Karl Feiertag (c.1874-1944) was an Austrian painter. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with Franz Rumpler, Kasimir Pochwalski, and J...
    Category

    1910s Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Handmade Paper

  • Early 20th century Austrian/German kids playing together in a landscape
    Located in Woodbury, CT
    Karl Feiertag (c.1874-1944) was an Austrian painter. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with Franz Rumpler, Kasimir Pochwalski, and J...
    Category

    Early 1900s Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Handmade Paper

  • Early 20th century Dutch looking children having fun by Austrian painter
    Located in Woodbury, CT
    Karl Feiertag (c.1874-1944) was an Austrian painter. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with Franz Rumpler, Kasimir Pochwalski, and J...
    Category

    Early 1900s Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Handmade Paper

Recently Viewed

View All