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Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples (1853-1943)
Promenade, Littlehampton
Coloured pencil, 25 x 17cm (9.8 x 6.7”)
Inscribed ‘Littlehampton’
The youngest son of an eccentric baronet, Pon-
sonby Staples received no formal education until
he enrolled at the School of Art and Architec-
ture, Louvain in 1865. His family connections
helped to establish him as a society artist in
London, where he depicted contemporary life
from ‘high society to the man on the Clapham
omnibus’. His busy London years, 1876-1905
were undoubtedly the most productive of his life,
during which time he painted every noteworthy
figure in Britain, on the stage, in the church, in
politics, commerce, art and literature, as well as
any character he found of interest.
€600 - 800
6
George Graham (1881-1949)
On the River Seine, Paris
Watercolour, 24.5 x 34cm (9.6 x 13.4”) Signed and dated 1914
George Graham was a painter of landscapes in oils and in later years, mainly in watercolour.
The artist was born in Leeds where he studied at the Leeds School of Art and in London
under Frank Brangwyn, William Nicholson and J.M. Swan. Graham and his friend Fred
Lawson took a studio in Redmire, Wensleydale in 1910. Graham made the Dales a funda-
mental element in his subject matter, as he did France at a later stage. His French scenes
such as this one demonstrate the importance that Boudin and the French Impressionists’ plein
air style had on his painting technique and subject matter. His works may be found in the
public galleries of Leeds, Whitby, and Bradford.
€600 - 900