Exhibition Review: The Edwardians - Age of Elegance

It feels like a long time since I have had the time/energy/money to go to an exhibition in London which is a shame as I do love a jaunt to the capital. It was actually Mr Walker who requested a visit to The Edwardians at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace and booked the tickets, and so last weekend we made the journey...

I first went to Buckingham Palace in the 1990s when they opened it up for tours and it is glorious.  I don't remember going round the side to the gallery, but I was not disappointed as it is the most perfect exhibition space which had been filled with absolutely gorgeous things.

I think one of the problems with the Edwardian era is that it is so easily subsumed into what is now called 'the Long Victorian' and it is easy to see why - King Ed was only on the throne around 9 years so how impactful could his reign be in comparison with his mother's? However, I think there is an opulence and light to those pre-War years because, yes, I think 1914 did provide a bit of an abrupt halt to the Edwardian/Victorian sensibility.  Then again, maybe with that hindsight, the glittering years of the early twentieth century are all the more special because of what was to follow.

Queen Alexandra (1908) Francois Flameng

This exhibition consists of over 300 objects - paintings, books, plates, miniatures and costume - spread over many rooms and includes massive portraits as well as pieces of art that reflect a period that was indeed elegant. I also got the impression of artists and sitters who were also very concerned with the artistry of what they were producing, be it the monumental portraits of larger-than-life royal figures or the incredible books that belonged to them. I don't think it hurts that the rooms are not huge (which might actually be a problem in the first room which was packed and quite difficult to get round, especially when someone is giving a talk) so you are loomed-over by these glittering gods in sparkling jewels and satin.

God Speed (c.1893) Lawrence Alma-Tadema

It was also a pleasure to see works by familiar artists, such as God Speed above which was a wedding present to Edward's son who would become George V, when he married Mary.  The exhibition actually spans from Edward and Alexandra's wedding in 1863 to the end of the First World War and covers not only the pomp and ceremony of becoming King and Queen but also their travels around the world.

Silk panel (1901) Adelaide School of Design

Empire is a difficult thing to talk about and patently the last few months have shown how, as a nation, we still do not have national maturity to deal with our history, but I found the rooms that covered the Edwardian experience of the outside world to be fascinating as there were pieces such as the incredible panel by the Adelaide School of Design, a gift from the 'Ladies of Adelaide' to George and Mary on their trip to the opening of Australia's first Federal Parliament in 1901. In the same space are paintings such as Valentine Princep's A Nautch Girl (1877) showing a pretty, barefoot dancer which was studied from life but very much through a Western eye.

Charger (c.1873) Rebecca Coleman

There were a number of pieces that really intrigued me including this Minton Art Pottery Studio charger by Rebecca Coleman, the sister of William Stephen Coleman, the director of the studio between 1871 and 1873. I'm used to seeing this sort of head in portraits by people like Leighton, Alma Tadema and even Brickdale, but I loved seeing this plate and want to know more.

The Anointing of Queen Alexandra at the Coronation of King Edward VII (1902-3) Laurits Tuxen

I also had a bit of a soft spot for this painting as I remembered the 'canopy' bit from our last coronation and found it fascinating. Tuxen was appointed as Queen Alex's 'special artist to the coronation' and there is something quite intimate in this view, in what is an extremely monumental event. It is a very over-busy picture, too many people in it and far too much fabric but at the centre, quite still, is a woman becoming Queen and it is quite touching.

King George V (1915) Herbert Arnould Olivier

The last room of the exhibition brings you to the Great War which is somewhat of a shock after all the diamonds and gowns (as it no doubt was in real life).  I found two small portraits especially moving - the above of George V and another of Edward, Prince of Wales - which have a sense of speed, urgency and roughness which is a contrast to the smooth finish of the previous rooms.  There is a feeling that the royals moved into the new period of conflict and uniforms, and the glitter of the Edwardian party was over.

I really recommend the exhibition and was delighted that they have a little catalogue available with a selection of the pieces illustrated. The exhibition is on until 23rd November so perfect for a visit if you are braving London for your Christmas shopping.  Further details can be found here.

Cats and Dogs, But Mainly Cats

 I'm just starting to think about Blogvent for this year because apparently it's November which frankly is a bit sudden and no-one asked me. It was only five minutes ago I was doing Catvent, which I thoroughly enjoyed and to that end, the other night, the esteemed Mr Walker said he had something to show me. Now, at my age it is not much that gets me over-excited but as he knows how to show a woman a good time, I knew I was in for a treat.  I was not disappointed...

Best of Friends (1910) Agnes Augusta Talboys

LOOK AT IT. Mr Walker knows me so well he knows I appreciate a hyper-realistic kitten staring into my very soul and so I obviously wanted to know more about Agnes Augusta Talboys...

Turns out there isn't very much.  See you in December.

Okay, here is what little I could find, and quite honestly that is a sentiment that depresses me because you know here at The Kissed Mouth we have the policy of 'no artist left behind' so here is what we know about Agnes Augusta Talboys...

Best of Friends (undated)

Agnes Augusta Snell was born on 5th April 1866 to Russell and Agnes Snell, so their daughter very quickly became known as Augusta to save confusion with her mother. The family were based in and around Bristol where Augusta seems to have spent most of her life. She was the eldest of two, joined two years later by her brother Edward Russell Snell. Her father worked for Her Majesty's Customs in Bristol but died in March 1871, leaving Mrs Snell with two small children and not a lot of money if the probate is anything to go by. As if to underline this, less than a month after her father's death, an auction of all his belongings by the fabulously named Messrs WM Trick, Son & Wallop was advertised in the local paper.  The lot is quite extensive and I suspect it was everything they owned as it includes multiple beds, carpets, wardrobes and a musical box. By the 1871 census, around the same time as the auction, Agnes and Augusta had moved in with Agnes's unmarried sister Eliza Bullock (together with all the other Bullock sisters, by the look of it) with Edward apart from them, living with a member of the Snell family. Don't worry about Edward; even though he doesn't appear to live with his mum and sister again, he ends up as an accountant and has a long and presumably happy life. 

Persian Cats with Teacups (undated)

I'm going to guess that Augusta attended the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, although I can't find any definite record of her schooling.  In fact, the only record of her before her marriage in 1889 (which I'll come to in a moment) is that she won 3rd prize in a diving contest as part of a ladies aquatic entertainment in the summer of 1885. Anyway, on 17th June 1889, Augusta married George Harmer Talboys, third of five sons (and one daughter) of a young, widowed mother, late of Belswardyne Hall in Colport, Shropshire. George was a commercial traveller (possibly of jam) and the couple settled down and their first and only child was born in 1895, Reginald George Talboys. Sadly, Reginald died aged only 3 months.

A Cosy Corner (1908)

Augusta started to exhibit in the early 1890s, and I found record of a 'Mrs G H Talboys' and her 'Winter Scene' recorded at the Fine Arts Academy in Bristol in 1891. By 1901, the couple were living at Brookfield House in Weston Super Mare (easily found on any housing websites and currently valued around £600K, very nice too). They had a maid, Kate Dyer and irritatingly, Augusta's occupation has been left blank.  Her picture of kittens in 1903 was sold at the annual Graphic Conversazione to Sir William Henry Wills, Lord Winterstoke, for £8/8s (around £650 in today's money). In 1905, her study of a kitten won her £2/2s at the Bristol Fine Arts Gallery.  I noticed that it took until 1907 for Augusta's reviews to take on any weight, and the Western Daily Press had a bit to say about her work at the Bristol Academy.  They noted that there was a large amount from women that year (the horror) but yet another 'study of kittens' was 'pleasing, displaying great technical ability as well as knowledge of feline character.' Her 1908 painting A Cosy Corner was one of the most popular in the spring exhibition of the Bristol Fine Arts Academy, which one reviewer described as affording pleasure and an example of her work at its best. In 1909 she had two paintings sold in the Bristol Fine Arts Academy exhibition, Who Said Birds? and Portrait Study of Miss Wright's Smoked Kitten, both of which I'd liked to see, especially the smoked kitten...

The Last Move (1909)

In 1909, Selfridges issued prints of two of her kitten portraits, describing how the 'fluffy little animals' were sure to bring joy. The following year, Messrs Frost and Reed released a print of The Last Move (also known as The Winning Move) showing gorgeous kittens playing chess. The newspapers interpretted the painting as if the viewer has just entered the room, the eyes of three of the kittens turning to us, with the suggestion of 'an immediate scamper.' 1910 brought us The Best of Friends which was also praised and Augusta started to get a name for her hyper-realistic cats which delighted especially female audiences everywhere.

Pussies in Conference (1912)

1912 brought yet more feline delights to the Bristol Fine Arts exhibition, including the splendidly titled Pussies in Conference - now I'm assuming it's the one above as she also did this one with the same name...

Pussies in Conference 2: Electric Boogaloo (1925) (I might have added part of the title)

I find her paintings puzzling as some of the kittens are photo-realistic, but then we have the ginger one on the left which is a bit off in comparison to the tabby beside him. Unsurprisingly, Augusta's kittens graced a calendar in 1913 for C W Faulkner and Co entitled 'Children's pets' which consisted of three turn-over sheets for 2 shillings and sixpence, sure to delight any child who would receive it, according to the Ladies Field magazine. Despite her success, she lost George in the same year, aged only 51.

Three of Us (undated)

Augusta continued to work into the 1920s, showing pieces such as The Happy Mother (1920), the other Pussies in Conference (1925) and four pieces in the 1927 Royal West of England Academy of Art show.  One highlight of her career has to be the inclusion of a miniature painting of two silver-grey Persian kittens in the 1924 Queen Mary's dollhouse. The picture was no bigger than a postage stamp and was painted with the aid of a magnifying glass.

Kittens and Chessboard (1937)

Into the 1930s, and Augusta was firmly a renown Cotham (an area of Bristol) artist receiving annual notice in the Western Daily Press and other west-country newspapers about her kittens. In 1936, the Western Daily Press went to meet her in her studio and found that she not only painted cats, but also had become 'an enthusiastic breeder of aristocratic members of the feline race,' which she also took to cat shows. She remembered the first person to buy one of her paintings, Lord Winterstoke and how that encouraged her to continue to paint. In 1937, in response to the three images of frolicking kittens she exhibited, the newspaper declared that no other artist could capture the fluffy delights of kittens and their soft fur.

Kittens, Roses and a Persian Rug (undated)

Finally, in the 1939 census, Augusta is described as an 'artist' (hurrah) and living at 20 Southfield Road in Bristol, a tall pale golden Georgian villa now worth over £1M. She died in August 1941, leaving an estate of around £25K. After a few bequests, the bulk of her estate was left to the Royal West of England Academy for the Promotion of Fine Arts. A number of her paintings are still held by their collection.

A Study in Blue (undated)

So, this one is a puzzler as although cats are not the height of fine art, Augusta Talboys was amazingly famous within her lifetime, amassing quite the fortune.  If you look on eBay there are a fair number of prints and postcards of her work, and I would think that she would have graced many a jigsaw or biscuit tin but otherwise, she dropped off the face of the art world. Why don't we value animal painters anymore? We used to value them in the eighteenth century, despite that stupid hierarchy of art.  Maybe that is the lesson to take from today's post.  Much like Maud Earl, it might be that the works are of domestic animals, and also maybe it is because they are works by women and, arguably, for women. It is definitely time to re-evaluate the genre of pet portraiture as it is not only hugely relatable but also heart-warmingly adorable. What more do you want?