Starting

John, (19th century) Sturgess (1840 - 1908)

Oil on canvas on panel

1870

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Art Collection
  • About the artist
    Animal painter and illustrator John Sturgess was born in Leicester. He was a pupil of J. F. Herring snr and became best-known for depictions of horses. In 1868 he married Elizabeth Harrison, with whom he had seven children. By 1881 the family had moved to Sydenham. Sturgess exhibited one work at Society of British Artists in 1884. He moved to Hampstead by 1891, where he was still living in 1901 as a widower, with four of his children. Sturgess’s illustrations include those for ‘Old Coaching Days’ by S. Harris (1882), ‘Racecourse and Covert Side’ (1883) by A. E. T. Watson and ‘Driving’ (1889) by the Duke of Beaufort. It was reported that Sturgess’s ‘ability to draw failed suddenly’ a few years before his death, in Hendon, at the age of 69.
  • Explore
    Places
    Subjects
    horseback, horse-racing, jockey, sport, genre, horse, man, top hat, flag
    Materials & Techniques
    panel, canvas, oil, oil painting
  • Details
    Artist
    John, (19th century) Sturgess (1840 - 1908)
    Title
    Starting
    Date
    1870
    Medium
    Oil on canvas on panel
    Dimensions
    height: 13.75 cm, width: 22.50 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from E & H Thompson, Carlisle, June 1954
    Inscription
    mgm bl ; br: STARTING
    GAC number
    2706