Birket Foster, R.W.S. Sixteen examples in colour of the artist's work — Edition Insights

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BIRKET FOSTER, R.W.S.

JOHN PETTIE, R.A., H.R.S.A.

A. AND C. BLACK . SOHO SQUARE . LONDON, W.

=AMERICA= THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

=AUSTRALASIA= OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 205 FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE

=CANADA= THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. ST. MARTIN'S HOUSE, 70 BOND STREET, TORONTO

=INDIA= MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA

SIXTEEN EXAMPLES IN COLOUR OF THE ARTIST'S WORK

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY H. M. CUNDALL, I.S.O., F.S.A.

PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK 4, 5 & 6 SOHO SQUARE, LONDON MCMX

1. Gleaners _Barnet Lewis, Esq._

3. Loch Leven Castle "

4. Shrine at the Entrance of the Courtyard of the Ducal Palace, Venice _Sir Charles Seeley_

5. Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice _Barnet Lewis, Esq._

6. Birthplace of Burns, near Ayr "

7. Sunset with Cattle _Bethnal Green Museum_

8. In Full Cry _Barnet Lewis, Esq._

9. Children by the Sea _Jesse Haworth, Esq._

10. By the Thames _Barnet Lewis, Esq._

11. A Surrey Cottage "

12. The Donkey that would not go _Sharpley Bainbridge, Esq._

13. Passing the Flock _Barnet Lewis, Esq._

15. The Blackberry Gatherers "

16. The Happy Time of Life "

The dainty water-colour paintings executed by Birket Foster probably appeal to the majority of the British public more than the work of any other artist.

For many years during the early part of his career he was engaged in drawing on wood-blocks for the engraver, from which he acquired a minuteness in detail that continued to pervade his paintings in later life. The result was that he produced scenes from Nature with an exactness that the most uninitiated in art are able to understand and appreciate. The chief features, however, in Birket Foster's paintings are the poetic feeling with which he indued them, and the care and felicity with which his compositions were selected. These qualities lend a great charm to his drawings, and especially to those representing the homely scenes, so frequently selected from that picturesque part of Surrey, where he lived for many years. He revelled in sunny landscapes, with sheep roaming in the distance and with rustic children playing in the foreground; he was also attracted by peaceful red-brick cottages covered with thatch, and enlivened by domestic scenes. It is perhaps by these rural paintings that the artist is best known. He, however, wandered far afield in search of the picturesque; he was an indefatigable painter, and produced works selected from all parts of England, Wales, and Scotland. Birket Foster was especially partial to the Northern counties and the district surrounding his native town in Northumberland. His rambles were not confined solely to his own country; he travelled frequently on the Continent; Venice, as well as the Rhine, had its charms for him. The picturesque scenery of Brittany has also been portrayed by his brush, and on one occasion he went as far as Spain and Morocco in pursuit of his art.

Birket Foster, as he is generally known, or Myles Birket Foster, to give him his full name, was born at North Shields on February 4, 1825. His ancestors held good social positions for many generations in the North Country, and were staunch members of the Society of Friends. One, Sarah Forster, as the family name was originally spelt, married a descendant of Margaret Fell of Swathmoor Hall, who, after the death of her first husband, Judge Fell, was united to George Fox, the founder of the Quakers.

In 1830 the artist's father migrated with his family to London, voyaging all the way by sea. He took up his residence at 40 Charlotte Street, Portland Place, and founded the well-known firm of M. B. Foster and Sons.

Quitting school at an early age, young Birket Foster was at first placed in his father's business; but, owing to an accident, he did not remain long in that position.

As the youth showed a decided tendency towards art, his father consulted a Mr. Stone, a die-engraver, with whom he had a slight acquaintance, and it was arranged that the son should be apprenticed to him. Before, however, the articles of apprenticeship could be signed, Mr. Stone unfortunately committed suicide. In his dilemma the father next sought the assistance of a fellow-townsman, Ebenezer Landells, who at that time had established his reputation as a wood-engraver. He offered to take the boy into his business to see whether the work would suit him. The offer was accepted, and the day on which Birket Foster entered Landells' office may be said to be the commencement of his artistic career.