Emma Walter (1833-1893) - Late 19th Century Watercolour The Songbird's Coda

Description

A detailed watercolour study featuring a dead bird alongside berries and a grasshopper. Though morbid in subject, dead birds have a long and rich history in Western Art History. The composition perhaps serves as a memento mori - a reminder of the fragile beauty of life. Faintly signed to the lower right. Well presented in an ornate gilt-effect frame. On paper.

Condition

The condition is typical for a picture of this age including some discolouration and foxing. Marks and scuffs to the frame.

Size

17.5 x 23cm (6.9" x 9.1")
Framed Size: 33 x 38.5cm (13.0" x 15.2")

Artist Biography

Emma Walter was an English artist, known for her watercolour paintings of flowers, fruit, and still lifes. She was the daughter of Edward Walter, a civil servant. She was largely self-taught, and began drawing at the age of five. In 1855, she first submitted her paintings to the Society of British Artists, continuing to exhibit with them until 1875. In total during her career Walter exhibited some sixty-six paintings at the Society's Suffolk Street gallery. She also began exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1855, continuing until 1887. Around 1857, she was elected to the Society of Female Artists. In 1872, she became an associate of the Liverpool Society of Painters in Water Colours and also received a bronze medal for her work from the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. Walter also exhibited at the Royal Scottish Society, the Royal Hibernian Academy and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.