British canvas, stretcher and panel suppliers’ marks. Part 8, Charles Roberson & Co This resource surveys suppliers’ marks on the reverse of picture supports. This part is devoted to Charles Roberson, a business founded in 1819 and which grew to become one of the leading companies as Charles Roberson & Co from 1855 and Charles Roberson & Co Ltd from 1908 until 1987. The business was a significant supplier of canvas from about the 1820s until the 1980s. For further information, see British artists' suppliers, 1650-1950 - R on this website. The Roberson archive is housed at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge. Measurements of marks, given where known, are approximate and may vary according to the stretching or later conservation treatment of a canvas or the trimming of a label. Links are given to institutional websites where dimensions of works can be found. Business dates and addresses are usually accurate to within a year. Square brackets are used to indicate indistinct or missing lettering in transcripts, with readings sometimes based on other examples. Compiled by Jacob Simon, September 2017, updated March 2020, and based on the pioneering work of Cathy Proudlove and the suppliers’ database created by Jacob Simon. With thanks to Dr Joyce Townsend for providing information on paintings in Tate, to Nicola Costaras at the Victoria and Albert Museum, to John Payne, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, and to Sally Woodcock at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge. Arranged in twelve numbered sections according to address, business designation and type of mark, with two appendices.

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

1. Charles Roberson at 54 Long Acre 1819-27

Illustrated: Source: Courtauld - Colourmen Online database (note 3), as c.1821.

Stencil on canvas:

ROBERSON, 54, Long Acre. British Linen

2. Roberson & Miller in partnership at 51 Long Acre 1828-39, canvas marks

For Roberson & Co from 1840, see section 4 below; for Thomas Miller from 1841, see Part 5, E-N of this guide

Illustrated: J.M.W. Turner, Studies for ‘Dawn of Christianity', c.1841 (Tate, N05508), with frame mark, 1828?, see note 4. Also found on: J.M.W. Turner, Heidelberg, c.1844–5 (Tate, N00518), with frame mark, 1830.

Stamp, 7.1 cm wide, on canvas:

R & M

[for Roberson & Miller]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: Thomas Sidney Cooper, Milking Time. Study of a Farm-Yard near Canterbury, 1833-34 (Tate), with stamp, R & M 2039, see notes 5 and 6.

Stencil, 13.7 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY ROBERSON & MILLER

51 LONG ACRE. LONDON [first ‘O’ of LONDON below first ‘L’ of MILLER] [this stamp design set the pattern for the business’s canvas stamps over the next sixty years]

Illustrated (top)

William Fisher, Walter Savage Landor, 1839 (National Portrait Gallery) Illustrated (bottom): William Shiels, Possibly William Rix, 1832 (Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery), with

stamp, R & M 022, see notes 5 and 6. Note slight differences between the two illustrated stamps, e.g. in position of the ‘L’ of LONG in relationship to the ‘O’ of ROBERSON

For examples dating to 1832-44, see note 6.

Stamp within frame on canvas,:

R & M 10 81

[signifance of ’10 81’ not known, see note 5]

Stencil, 12.8 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY ROBERSON & MILLER.

51 LONG ACRE. LONDON

[first ‘O’ of LONDON below ‘I’ of MILLER]

^ Fisher

^ Shiels

Illustrated: Paolo Veronese and studio, Nobleman between Active and Contemplative life, (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne) Click on link for an enlarged image of stencil.

Stencil, 12.3 cm wide, on lining canvas:

PREPARED BY ROBERSON & MILLER.

51 LONG ACRE LONDON

[line 3 almost matches line 2 in length]

Illustrated: Continental school, Descent of the Holy Spirit (Mellors & Kirk, sale date unknown, lot 750)

Stamp on relining canvas:

LINED BY ROBERSON & MILLER

51 LONG ACRE LONDON

^ [best available image]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

3. Roberson & Miller in partnership at 51 Long Acre 1828-39, panel labels and marks

Illustrated (top): George Richmond, Viscount Sidmouth, watercolour, 1833 (National Portrait Gallery) Also found on: Edward Pritchett, The Piazzetta or The Prison, Venice (Christie’s, 25 April 1975, lot 24), with label of W. Mason, Brighton.

Illustrated (bottom): J. Burnet, A Lady reading in an Interior, panel (Christie’s, 14 May 1976, lot 172)

Label, 8.0 cm wide, within artist’s palette; removed from frame:

ROBERSON & MILLER, 51, Long Acre, London.

Manufacturers of Prepared Cloths Panels

and MILL BOARDS, FOR ARTISTS

with Improved Oil or Absorbent Grounds and every requisite for the FINE ARTS.

[almost identical to R. & C. Faulkner’s millboard label, see Part 5 of this guide]

^ Richmond

^ Burnet

Illustrated: Unknown artist, Sir John Goss, c.1835 (National Portrait Gallery) Also found on: Thomas Sidney Cooper, Cattle by a River, 1835

(Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), with impressed panel stamp, repr. below. Thomas Sidney Cooper, Landscape with Cattle and Sheep, 1837 (Birmingham Museums Trust)

Label, 9.5 cm wide, linear border, on panel or backboard:

ROBERSON AND MILLER,

MANUFACTURERS OF Water and Oil Colours,

MATERIALS FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, &c. 51, LONG ACRE LONDON.

[this label design set the pattern for the business’s panel labels over the next sixty years]

Illustrated: Thomas Sidney Cooper, Cattle by a River, 1835 (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), with label, repr. above.

Two stamps impressed in panel, the address stamp, 4.0 cm wide:

ROBERSON & MILLER

51, LONG ACRE LONDON

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: Unknown artist, Portrait of a Man (Euan Mackay), with label of type repr. above.

Stamp, 6.0cm wide, oval border, impressed towards edge of millboard:

ROBERSON & MILLER,

No 51 LONG ACRE

LONDON

4. Charles Roberson & Co at 51 Long Acre 1840-55, canvas marks

Five canvas stencils

The following marks are similar; other minor variants are found, perhaps depending on the application of the stencil. It would appear that the three lines are applied using a single stencil.

Roberson & Co used the designation Charles Roberson on canvases until c.1880 but the company name on other products.

Illustrated: ‘W.S. Hague’, An Artist’s Studio (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 6 May 1975, lot 156), with stamp, R & M 833. Also found on:

Richard Redgrave, Cinderella about to try on the Glass Slipper, c.1842 (Victoria and Albert Museum), with stamp CR 1550.

Stencil on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

51, LONG ACRE. LONDON

Illustrated: James Baker Pyne, The Bridge at Capel Curig, 1849 (Christie’s, 16 July 1976, lot 31) Also found on: Abraham Solomon, A Sketch from Memory, 1851 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 29 June 1976, lot 73)

Stencil, 10.8 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

51, LONG ACRE, LONDON

[less space between words in last line; last 'N' of LONDON sits below 'N' of ROBERSON]

Illustrated: Henry Wallis, Chatterton, 1856 (Tate) Also found on: Frederick Richard Say, 1st Earl of Ellenborough, c.1845 (National Portrait Gallery), with stamp CR 462. For examples dating to c.1845 to 1856, many with CR numbers, see note 7.

Stencil, 15.0 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

51, LONG ACRE, LONDON

[last 'O' of LONDON sits below 'N' of ROBERSON]

Accompanied by a stencil in frame on canvas:

CR 553

[the first two numbers, 55, appear to indicate that the canvas was prepared in 1855]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: Edward Lear, Corfu, 1856 (Bonham’s, 2 March 2016, lot 49)

Stencil on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

51, LONG ACRE, LONDON

[last line set slightly further to left; last 'O' of LONDON sits below 'ON' of ROBERSON]

Illustrated: M.F. Halden, A Hurdy-Gurdy Man, 1845, source: Cobbe coll., see note 2. For examples dating to 1845 to 1856, see note 8.

Stencil, 14.5 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

51, LONG ACRE, LONDON

[first line set further left]

Illustrated: Unspecified picture (photograph courtesy Tim Everitt)

Stencil on relining canvas:

LINED BY CHARLES ROBERSON.

51, LONG ACRE LONDON.

5. Charles Roberson & Co at 51 Long Acre 1840-55, panel and stretcher labels/marks

Illustrated: Jacob Thompson, William Lucas, 1840 (North Hertfordshire Museum) Also found on: Jacob Thompson, Mrs William Lucas, 1840 (North

Hertfordshire Museum)

Label, linear border, floral details at corners, on panel:

CHARLES ROBERSON, MANUFACTURER OF Water and Oil Colours,

MATERIALS FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, &c. 51, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

Illustrated: Source: Courtauld - Colourmen Online database (note 3) Also found on: Augustus Egg, Peter the Great sees Catherine his Future Empress for the first time, by 1850 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 6 January 1976, lot 198), with impressed panel stamp.

Label, 8.8 cm wide, linear border, floral details at corners, on board:

CHARLES ROBERSON & COMPY.

MANUFACTURERS OF Water and Oil Colours,

MATERIALS FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, &c. 51, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[now designated as Charles Roberson & Compy]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: Source: Courtauld - Colourmen Online database (note 3)

Label, 8.6 cm wide, linear border, on board:

CHARLES ROBERSON & COMPY. MANUFACTURERS OF

WATER AND OIL COLOURS, MATERIALS FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, &c.

51, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[‘S’ of COLOURS above ‘IN’ of PAINTING]

Illustrated:

John Everett Millais, Ophelia, 1851-2 (Tate) Also found on: J.C. Morris, Sheep on a Moor, 1852 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 11 March 1975, lot 164) William Holman Hunt, The Thames at Chelsea, Evening, panel, 1853 (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), with impressed panel stamp.

Label, damaged, 8.9 cm wide, linear border, on stretcher:

CHARLES ROBERSON & COMPY.

ARTISTS' COLOURMEN, [MA]NUFACTUR[ER OF]

WATER AND OIL COLOURS, MATERIALS FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, &c.

51, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[‘S’ of COLOURS above ‘G,’ of PAINTING]

Illustrated: John Frederick Lewis, A Syrian Sheik, Egypt, 1856 (Fitzwilliam Museum) Also found on: Edward Radford, Self-portrait, 1852, small panel

(Christie’s, 11 July 2017, lot 18), with impressed panel stamp. John Frederick Lewis, The Attendant on the Bath, 1854 (Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston)

Label, 7.0 cm wide, linear border, on panel:

CHARLES ROBERSON & COMPY. MANUFACTURERS OF

WATER AND OIL COLOURS, MATERIALS FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, &c.

51, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[‘S’ of COLOURS above ‘NG’ of PAINTING]

Illustrated: Arthur Hughes, Fair Rosamund, 1854 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne) Click on link for an enlarged image of label. Also found on:

John Everett Millais, The Rescue, 1855 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne). Click for image of stretcher label. For examples dating to 1854-72, see note 9.

Label, 8.5 cm wide, linear border, on board:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS' COLOURMEN,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS,

Materials for Drawing & Painting, 51, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[now designated as artists' colourmen]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: Source: Courtauld - Colourmen Online database (note 3) For examples dating to c.1854-59, see note 10.

Label, 8.2 cm wide, linear border, on millboard:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS' COLOURMEN,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS,

Materials for Drawing & Painting, 51, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[almost identical; ‘L’ of LONG set marginally to left, etc]

Illustrated: Frederick Richard Say, 5th Duke of Newcastle, 1848 (National Portrait Gallery)

Label, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

From CHARLES ROBERSON.

[Two lines in manuscript:] F R Say Esq -

18 Harley Street

51, LONG ACRE. [the business continued to use similar printed labels on stretchers until the 1930s, with added manuscript details relating to the canvas or its recipient]

Illustrated: Unknown artist, Unidentified historical subject (Private coll., Italy, 2019)

Label, decorative border, on stretcher top bar and canvas turnover:

CHAR[LES ROBERSON] & Co.,

ARTISTS' COLOURMEN, 51, LONG ACRE,

LONDON.

Illustrated: Frederick Sandys, Morgan-le-Fay, 1864 (Birmingham Museums Trust), with label at 99 Long

Acre, see below. For examples dating to 1846-64, see note 11.

Stamp, 7.1 cm wide, impressed in panel:

ROBERSON & Co 51. Long Acre LONDON

6. Charles Roberson & Co at 99 Long Acre 1853-1908, canvas marks

Roberson & Co used the designation Charles Roberson on canvases until the 1880s

Illustrated: William Powell Frith, The Derby Day, 1856-58 (Tate) For examples dating to 1856-c.1870, see note 13.

Stencil on canvas, either side of loose lining:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON

[initial letters of name in large capitals]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: John Gilbert, Study of Trees, 1874 (Birmingham Museums Trust)

Stencil, 10.9 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

99 LONG ACRE. LONDON

Illustrated (top): Alphonse Legros, Le Repas des Pauvres, 1877 (Tate), with stamp within box, 74 4, see note 12. Illustrated (bottom): Briton Riviére, Deer Stealers pursued by sleuth hounds, 1875 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne) Click on link for an enlarged image of stencil. For examples dating to 1874-79, see note 14.

Stamp, 15.8 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

99, LONG ACRE LONDON

^ Legros

^ Riviére

Illustrated: Thomas Sidney Cooper, Landscape with Cattle and Sheep, 1872 (Birmingham Museums Trust), with oval stretcher stamp. For examples dating to 1872-c.1875?, see note 15.

Stamp, 10.1 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON

[‘L’ of LONG below ‘L’ of CHARLES]

Illustrated: Edward Burne-Jones, Psyche at the Shrines of Juno and Ceres, 1872-81 (Birmingham Museums Trust) Also found on: John Brandon Smith, The Vale of Neath, 1874

(Sotheby’s Belgravia, 25 March 1975, lot 138)

Stencil, 14.7 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON,

99 LONG ACRE, LONDON

[‘L’ of LONG below ‘A’ of CHARLES]

Illustrated: John Callcott Horsley, Christ healing the Sick, 1873 (Christie's, 14 May 1976, lot 43), with oval stretcher stamp, see below. For examples dating to 1871-98, see note 16.

Stamp, 10.4 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

99, LONG ACRE LONDON

[‘L’ of LONG below ‘R’ of CHARLES]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: William Holman Hunt, May Morning on Magdalen College Tower, 1888 (Birmingham Museums Trust) For examples dating to 1881-88, see note 17.

Stamp, 9.2 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON [‘L’ of LONG below ‘RL’ of CHARLES]

Illustrated: James Clarke Hook, Home with the Tide, 1880 (Tate) Also found on: Frank Holl, Home again! 1881 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne), stamp on loose lining canvas. Click for image of stamp.

Stamp on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON & Co..

99 LONG ACRE LONDON

[designated as Charles Roberson & Co]

Illustrated: Sir Luke Fildes, The Doctor, exh. 1891 (Tate)

Stamp, 14.5 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY CHARLES ROBERSON & Co..

99, LONG ACRE LONDON

[line 2 is longer preceding example]

7. Charles Roberson & Co at 99 Long Acre 1853-1908, stretcher and panel labels/marks

Illustrated: Benjamin Williams Leader, A Cornfield in Worcestershire, 1861 (Christie’s, 16 July 1976, lot 99) Also found on: Richard Ansdell & Thomas Creswick, England, 1850 (National Gallery of Victoria) Click for image of label.

Abraham Solomon, Not Guilty (The Acquittal), exh. 1857 (Tate)

Label, 8.1 cm wide, linear border, on stretcher:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS' COLOURMEN,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS.

Materials for Drawing & Painting, 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

Illustrated: Frederick Sandys, Morgan-le-Fay, 1864 (Birmingham Museums Trust), with impressed

panel stamp for Roberson & Co at 51 Long Acre, see above. For examples dating to 1864 and for earlier works, see note 18.

Label, 8.4 cm wide, linear border, on stretcher:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS' COLOURMEN,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS,

Materials for Drawing & Painting, 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[very similar to preceding example but ‘LONG’ of LONG ACRE further to right, etc]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: James Smetham, A Wooded Path with a Pheasant (Christies, 24 October 1975, lot 53) Also found on:

Charles Sillem Lidderdale, The Flower Seller, 1868 (Bonhams Knightsbridge, 21 March 2017, lot 72)

Label, 8.0 cm wide, linear border, on panel:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS' COLOURMEN,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS,

Materials for Drawing & Painting, 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[final line in heavier serif face]

Illustrated: Henry Gales, The Derby Cabinet of 1867, watercolour, 1868 (National Portrait Gallery) Also found on: George Smith, Interior scene with a young family, panel, 1873 (Bonham’s, Montpelier St, 13 November 2018, lot 69), with impressed panel stamp for Roberson & Co. John Linton Chapman, Roman Women, 1875 (with David Smernoff, online, 2018)

Label, linear border, on stretcher:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS' COLOURMEN,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS.

Materials for Drawing & Painting, 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[fourth line not in italics]

Illustrated:

Richard Redgrave, The Firing of the Beacon, 1868-70 (Birmingham Museums Trust) Also found on: James Smetham, Prospero and Miranda, board (Christie’s, 24 October 1975, lot 58)

Label, 8.3 cm wide, decorative border, on canvas?

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS' COLOURMEN,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER & OIL COLOURS,

Materials for Drawing and Painting, 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[different border]

Illustrated: Edward Burne-Jones, unspecified drawing, 1862, probably mounted later.

Label in red ink, 8.2 cm wide, linear border, on panel:

CHARLES ROBERSON & Co. Manufacturers of Water & Oil Colours,

MATERIALS FOR DRAWING & PAINTING, 99 LONG ACRE, LONDON.

AND AT 154 PICCADILLY, W.

[at 154 Piccadilly 1889-1906]

Illustrated: Unspecified work (Private coll.) Also found on:

William Powell Frith, Retribution, 1880 (Birmingham Museums Trust)

Label in red ink, 8.2 cm wide, linear border, on panel:

CHARLES ROBERSON & Co. ARTISTS' COLOUR MAKERS,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS,

Materials for Drawing and Painting. 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[designated as Artists' Colour Makers]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: James Smetham, Groynes on the Beach at Bognor (Christie’s, 24 October 1975, lot 56)

Label, 8.2 cm wide, linear border, on panel:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO., ARTISTS' COLOUR MAKERS,

MANUFACTURERS OF WATER AND OIL COLOURS,

Materials for Drawing and Painting. 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[as preceding example but setting different, e.g. CO. in line 1]

Illustrated: Source: Courtauld - Colourmen Online database (note 3) Also found on: Lawrence Alma-Tadema, ‘The Year’s at the Spring’,

1902 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 29 June 1976, lot 91) Lawrence Alma-Tadema, A Favourite Custom, 1909, panel (Tate)

Label in red ink, 8.2 cm wide, linear border, on board:

CHARLES ROBERSON & Co. ARTISTS' COLOUR MAKERS,

Manufacturers of Water & Oil Colours, MATERIALS FOR DRAWING & PAINTING,

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

[gothic text in line 3]

Illustrated: Arthur Hughes, The Long Engagement, 1859 (Birmingham Museums Trust) Also found on: Abraham Solomon, Not Guilty (The Acquittal), exh. 1857 (Tate) W.F. Yeames, Staunch Friends, 1859 (Christie’s, 25 July 1975, lot 173)

Label in red ink, 7.5 cm wide, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

DRAWING [MATERIALS.]

[three lines in pen:]

A. Hughes Esqre 6 Upp[er] ….ave Place

Pimlico

From RO[BERSO]N & COMPY 99, Long Acre, London.

Illustrated: Frank Dicksee, The Crisis, 1891 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne) Click on link for an enlarged image of label and canvas stamp. For examples dating to c.1882-91, see note 19.

Label, 8.2 cm wide, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

DRAWING MATERIALS.

[two lines in pen:]

Frank Dicksee Esq ARA 80 Park Street

FROM

CHARLES ROBERSON & Co. 99, Long Acre, London.

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: John Bacon, The Homage-Giving: Westminster Abbey, 1902, 1903 (National Portrait Gallery) For examples dating to 1881-1909, see note 20.

Label, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

DRAWING MATERIALS.

[two lines in pen:]

J H Bacon Esq -3? St Johns Wood Rd

FROM

CHARLES ROBERSON & Co. 99, Long Acre, London.

[‘L’ of Long Acre set further to left]

Illustrated: George Clausen, Stll life with fruit and vase, 1932 (Bonham’s Knightsbridge, 3 July 2018, lot 113) Note: The date of the label may be earlier than that of the painting and perhaps 2nd half 19th century. Compare the Winsor & Newton example in Part 11, section 3, of this guide.

Label on twill canvas on sketch book board cover (not line for line):

SOLID SKETCH BOOK -----

This book consists of pieces of the best Drawing Paper com-pressed so as to form a compact substance; each

piece can be separated by the insertion of a penknife at the mark in front of the Book, running the knife round the

edges, care being taken to cut out one piece only at a time. ------

ROBERSON & Co. MANUFACTURERS OF SUPERFINE WATER COLOURS,

AND OTHER MATERIALS FOR DRAWING AND PAINTING,

No. 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

Illustrated: Ford Madox Brown, Mauvais Sujet, watercolour, 1863 (Tate)

Label, zig-zag border, on blind stretcher:

ROBERSON & CO. ARTISTS’ COLOURMEN, &c.

99, Long Acre, London.

Illustrated: John MacWhirter, June in the Austrian Tyrol, exh. 1892 (Tate) Also found on: Andrew MacCallum, In Sherwood Forest, 1881 (Victoria and Albert Museum)

Label, linear border, on inside face of stretcher:

Be pleased to strain the Canvas on this, the bevelled side of the Frame.

--------------

FROM ROBERSON & COMPY.

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

Illustrated: John Everett Millais, My Second Sermon, 1864 (Birmingham Museums Trust) Also found on: Ithell Colquhoun, Scylla, 1938 (Tate), probably an old panel from stock, with later canvas stamp, see below.

Stamp, 6.6 cm wide impressed in panel:

ROBERSON & CO Long Acre LONDON.

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: David Cox the elder (d.1859), Cottage Interior, Trossavon near Betws-y-Coed, board, 1844-47 (Birmingham Museums Trust), stamp later than

work; possibly remounted at some date.

Stamp, 4.0 cm wide, within double oval surround on board:

ROBERSON & CO LONDON

99 LONG ACRE

Illustrated: Edward Burne-Jones, Psyche at the Shrines of Juno and Ceres, 1872-81 (Birmingham Museums Trust), with second stamp,

see below. Also found on:

Richard Beavis, The Charcoal Burners, 1874 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne). Click on link for an image of stamp.

Stamp, 4.4 cm wide, within oval surround, on blind stretcher:

ROBERSON & C.O LONDON

99 LONG ACRE

Illustrated: Thomas Sidney Cooper, Landscape with Cattle and Sheep, 1872 (Birmingham Museums Trust) For examples dating to 1872-80, see note 21.

Stamp, 6.7 cm wide, within double oval surround, on stretcher:

Artists’ Colormaker --------

CHARLES ROBERSON -------

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON

Illustrated: Edward Burne Jones, Psyche at the Shrines of Juno and Ceres, 1872-81 (Birmingham Museums Trust), with second stamp,

see above. Also found on: Charles Parsons Knight, The Kyles of Bute, 1893 (Tate)

Stamp,6.6 cm wide, within double oval surround, on stretcher:

CHARLES ROBERSON & CO

ARTISTS’ COLOURMEN MANUFACTURERS OF

WATER & OIL COLOURS MATERIALS FOR DRAWING AND PAINTING

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

Illustrated: Edward Burne-Jones, Love and the Pilgrim, 1896-97 (Tate) Also found on: Henry Roderick Newman, Abu Simbel, watercolour, 1907, stamp on backing panel (Cleveland Museum of Art)

Stamp, 6.7 cm wide, within double oval surround, on stretcher:

CHARLES ROBERSON & Co.

ARTISTS’ COLOURMEN -----

[Manufacturers of] WATER & OIL COLOURS,

MATERIALS FOR Drawing & Painting.

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

8. Charles Roberson & Co Ltd at 99 Long Acre 1908-37

Illustrated (top): Philip de László, Lady Wantage, 1911 (Tate) Illustrated (bottom): Philip de László, Lady Duff Gordon, 1913 (Bonham’s, 20 March 2018, lot 87)

Stamp, 9.1 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY C. ROBERSON & CO LTD

99, LONG ACRE. LONDON.

[serif typeface] Bottom example, stamp, 8.9 cm wide, on canvas board, wording as above.

Illustrated: William Orpen, Sir Ernest Benn, 1928 (National Portrait Gallery) For examples dating to 1913-37, see note 22.

Stamp, 11.2 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY C. ROBERSON & CO LTD

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON [sans serif typeface]

Illustrated: John Lavery, Auguste Rodin, 1913 (Victoria and Albert Museum)

Label, linear border top and bottom, in red ink on stretcher:

DRAWING MATERIALS.

[two lines in pen:]

John Lavery Esq ARA Cromwell Place.

FROM

C. ROBERSON & Co. LTD., 99, Long Acre, London.

Illustrated: Arthur Wardle, unspecified work, source: Cobbe coll., see note 2. Wardle had an account with Roberson, 1915-25.

Label, 7.9 cm wide, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

DRAWING MATERIALS.

[three lines in pen:] Arthur Wardle Esq

Alma Square 34.

FROM

C. ROBERSON & CO. LTD., 99, Long Acre, London.

[‘CO’ differently set and other differences]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: Oswald Birley, 1st Earl of Birkenhead, 1932 (National Portrait Gallery)

Label, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

DRAWING MATERIALS

[three lines in pen:] Oswald Birley Esqe.

54 x 40 covered own French canvas.

From C. ROBERSON & CO., Ltd.

Manufacturing Artists’ Colourmen &c 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON. W.C., ENGLAND.

Illustrated: Oswald Birley, 1st Viscount Camrose, c.1933 (National Portrait Gallery) Also found on: Oswald Birley, Glyn Warren Philpot, 1920 (National Portrait Gallery)

Label, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

DRAWING MATERIALS

[three lines in typescript:] 50 x 40. covered 15a. Primed. July. 1933.

Strained. October. 1933.

From C. ROBERSON & CO., Ltd. Manufacturing Artists’ Colourmen &c

99, LONG ACRE, LONDON. W.C., ENGLAND.

[‘15a’ was listed as ‘fine canvas, warm grey’ in Roberson’s catalogue of c.1931-2, repr. appendix 1]

Illustrated: Source: http://pictureframelabels.blogspot.co.uk/

Label, zig-zag border, on stretcher:

C. ROBERSON & CO. Ltd., ARTISTS’ COLOURMAKERS,

99, Long Acre, & 155-156, Piccadilly, LONDON.

[at these addresses, 1908-37]

9. At 154 Piccadilly 1889-1906

Illustrated: Unknown artist, possibly John Dillon, MP (Richard Walls), in conjunction with Rowney canvas stamp

Label in red ink, torn, 8.0 cm wide, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher top bar and canvas turnover:

[.............]

[three lines in pen:] The ...............

Mrs. John D[undas] 46 Eaton Sq[uare]

FROM

CHARLES ROBERSON & Co. 154, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W.

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

10. At 155-156 Piccadilly 1907-40

Illustrated: Unknown artist, Study of Trees (Private coll.)

Stamp on canvas:

R.A. STUDENTS CANVAS C. ROBERSON & Co. LTD, 155-6 [PICCADILLY] W.

Illustrated: J.C. Stadler, print after A.C. Pugin and T. Rowlandson), Interior view of the Doctors' Commons (Tyntesfield, Somerset, National Trust)

Label in red, linear border, on backing of framed print:

C. ROBERSON & CO. Ltd. Manufacturers of Water & Oil Colours,

MATERIALS FOR DRAWING & PAINTING, 99, LONG ACRE, LONDON;

AND AT 155 & 156, PICCADILLY, W.

11. At 101-104 Park St, Camden Town 1937-39

Illustrated: Ithell Colquhoun, Scylla, 1938 (Tate), with impressed panel stamp, see above. Also found on: Daniel Sherrin, On the Marshes, canvas (Sotheby’s

Belgravia, 9 September 1975, lot 135), repr. App. 1, example 7.

Stamp, 11.1 cm wide, on panel:

PREPARED BY C. ROBERSON & CO LTD

101-104, PARK STREET, LONDON, N.W.1.

Illustrated:

James Gunn, 27th Earl of Crawford, 1939 (National Portrait Gallery)

Label, linear border top and bottom, on stretcher:

DRAWING MATERIALS

[two lines in pen:] H.J. Gunn Esq.

3 Pembroke Walk. [one line in pencil:]

Friday morning

From C. ROBERSON & CO., Ltd. Manufacturing Artists’ Colourmen &c

155 & 156 PICCADILLY, LONDON, W. ENGLAND.

Factory & Wholesale Department– 101 PARK STREET, LONDON, N.W. ENGLAND.

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

12. At 71 Parkway, Camden Town 1939-87

Illustrated: Peter Greenham, Jane, 1964 (Tate), see App. 1, example 10. Also found on: Leonard Rosoman, Tavern Tables and Chairs, c.1960s (Bonhams, 27 November 2019, lot 63) John Bratby, Brian Rix and Elspet Gray,1967 (National Portrait Gallery), stamped on stretcher and canvas, additionally stamped with canvas type, No. 137

Stamp, 11.3 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY C. ROBERSON & CO LTD

71, PARKWAY, LONDON, N.W.1.

Illustrated: Claude Rogers, The Blow Lamp, 1953-4 (Tate)

Stamp, 9.2 cm wide, on canvas:

C. ROBERSON & CO LTD 71, PARKWAY,

LONDON, N.W.1.

Second stamp (see App. 1):

No 118

Illustrated: Anthony Fry, Nude X, 1980–81 (Tate), see also App.1, example 11.

Stamp, 8.7 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY C. ROBERSON & Co. LTD.

71 PARKWAY LONDON, NW1 7QJ

[postcode introduced from 1967]

Illustrated: John Bratby, Self-portrait with Sunflower (Bonham’s, 11 July 2017, lot 29)

Stamp, 9.5 cm wide, on canvas:

PREPARED BY C. ROBERSON & CO. [LTD?]

71 [PARKWAY] LONDON, N[W1 7QJ]

[‘o’ of CO. raised above line]

Work details

Mark transcripts Product marks (not to uniform scale)

Illustrated: A stamp used for marking products, possibly for canvases such as that by Anthony Fry, or for smaller products. Photograph, c.1976, source: Cobbe coll., see note 2.

Rubber stamp and printed example:

PREPARED BY C. ROBERSON & Co. LTD.

71 PARKWAY, LONDON NW1 7QJ

Appendix 1: Canvas numbering Over the years Roberson’s apparently adopted three numbering systems for canvases: batch or production numbers in the 1830s, date numerals from the 1840s and occasionally until the 1870s, and stock numbers from the 1930s to the 1980s. This initial assessment is subject to further research in the Roberson archive.

Example 1: Roberson & Miller’s batch numbering in 1839 William Fisher, Walter Savage Landor, 1839 (National Portrait Gallery), R & M 1081. Various canvases prepared by Roberson & Miller are marked R & M followed by a number, usually of four digits (see notes 5, 6). The significance of these numbers remains to be clarified but they appear to be internal batch or production numbers rather than external order numbers.

Example 2: Roberson & Co’s date numbering in 1852

Robert Braithwaite Martineau, ‘Picciola, 1853 (Tate), loose lining canvas. Various canvases prepared by Roberson & Co, at least from c.1846 to 1856, are marked with a framed CR stencil, in this case CR 524. The first two numerals appear to indicate the year the canvas was prepared, in this case 1852 (see note 7).

Example 3: Roberson & Co’s date numbering in 1868 Peter Graham, Autumnal Showers, 1869 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne); additionally both the canvas and the stretcher bear Roberson’s name. A few canvases prepared by Roberson & Co, at least from 1856 to 1874, are marked with three or four framed numerals (see note 12). The first two numerals indicate the year the canvas was prepared, in this case 1868.

^ front loose lining canvas, stamp 13.4 cm wide

^ reverse of primary canvas

Example 4: Canvas stock numbers, 1931/32 Part of a page from Roberson & Co Ltd’s c.1931-32 catalogue listing different types of canvas, each with an identifying number.

Example 5: Canvas stock numbers, 1957 Part of a page from Roberson & Co Ltd’s 1957 catalogue listing different types of canvas, each with an identifying number or code.

Example 6: Roberson & Co Ltd’s stock numbering, c.1937 Michael Whelan, Malcolm MacDonald, exh. 1937 (National Portrait Gallery), with stamp, No 7. No. 7 was described as a ‘Twill Canvas (Ticken)’ in Roberson’s c.1937-39 catalogue.

Example 7: Roberson & Co Ltd’s stock numbering, c.1937-39 Daniel Sherrin, On the Marshes, canvas (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 9 September 1975, lot 135), with stamps, No 36 PP No. 36 was described in Roberson’s c.1937-39 catalogue as ‘School Quality, Single Primed’ and as a 'pure Linen Fabric primed in our own Factory for use in Art Schools and for Studies'. ‘P.P’ may refer to the priming.

Example 8: Roberson & Co Ltd’s stock numbering, c.1942 Victor Pasmore, Reclining Nude, 1942 (Tate), with stamp, No 5. No. 5 was described as a ‘Plain Canvas Full Primed’ in Roberson’s c.1937-39 catalogue.

Example 9: Roberson & Co Ltd’s stock numbering, c.1947 Victor Pasmore, Roses in a Jar, 1947 (Tate), with stamp, 118. No. 118 was described as a ‘Fine grain canvas’ in Roberson’s 1948 catalogue.

Example 10: Roberson & Co Ltd’s stock numbering, c.1964 Peter Greenham, Jane, 1964 (Tate), with stamp, 118. No. 118 was described as a ‘Fine Grain, double primed’ canvas in Roberson’s 1963 catalogue.

Example 11: Roberson & Co Ltd’s stock numbering, c.1980 Anthony Fry, Nude X, 1980-81 (Tate), with stamp, No 118. No. 118 was described as a ‘Fine Grain, double primed’ canvas in Roberson’s 1972 catalogue.

Appendix 2: Brass stamps Stamps, punches and stencils used for marking canvases, panels and stretchers rarely survive. The following example from the Roberson Archive has been brought to light by Sally Woodcock. See also Section 11 of this guide for an illustration of a rubber stamp.

Roberson brass punch

Sally Woodcock writes: Punch, C. ROBERSON & CO LTD LONDON, and so 1908 or later. It has the punch maker’s name, NEAL PERCIVAL ST. This is Ralph Neal, in business in Percival Street in London until 1936. This punch was possibly used on stretchers or on brushes etc. There are catalogue references in the Roberson archive to objects being “punch-stamped, 'C Roberson & Co Ld London’”.

^ Roberson Archive (M 203-1993), courtesy Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge

^ flipped image for ease of reading

Notes For an historical survey with time chart and map, see Cathy Proudlove, ‘Technical focus: suppliers’ marks and labels’, The Picture Restorer: The Journal of the British Association of Painting Conservator-Restorers, no.55, autumn 2019. 1. Acknowledgments: With thanks to Dr Joyce Townsend for providing information on paintings in Tate,

collected by members of the Tate Conservation Department since the 1970s, Dr Tim Moreton, who for many years recorded canvas markings on the reverse of portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, Nicola Costaras for access to conservation files at the Victoria and Albert Museum and Briony Llewellyn for information on John Frederick Lewis’s supports.

2. Earlier research: In the early 1970s, Cathy Proudlove (née Leach) distributed copies of her unpublished

list of artists’ colourmen. In the course of her professional career at the former Area Museums Service for South East England and with Norfolk Museums Service, Cathy has seen and recorded, or been sent by professional colleagues, details of many suppliers’ marks and labels, some from private collections. She has published on the subject: ‘19th Century Prepared Artists’ Canvases’, Antique Collecting, July 1973, pp.2-4, and ‘London Artists’ Colourmen. Part I: A to D’, The Picture Restorer, no.10, autumn 1996.

For a period, 1974-77, Alec Cobbe arranged for marks on paintings in sales at Sotheby’s Belgravia and Christie’s to be photographed (see his article on Winsor & Newton, Studies in Conservation, vol.21, no.2, May 1976, p.94). The photographs were later acquired by the late Richard Kissack, who planned to publish a book. Eventually he gave them to Cathy Proudlove, and images deriving from this collection have been reproduced when an image from a public collection has not been found.

3. Courtauld Institute database: A searchable database, Courtauld - Colourmen Online, was launched in

2011 and was frequently consulted in the preparation of the current compilation. Five images from this database have been used here as indicated, with thanks to Aviva Burnstock.

4. Section 2, Roberson & Miller: Though the last digit in the frame mark is reportedly difficult to read, Butlin 1981, p. 45, identifies the year as 1828. For an explanation of the frame mark, see Part 1, 1785-1831 of this guide.

5. Section 2, R & M numbers: Various canvases prepared by Roberson & Miller are marked R & M followed by a number, usually of four digits (see note 6). The significance of these numbers remains to be clarified but they appear to be internal batch or production numbers rather than external order numbers. They do not appear to be an indication of the date of production, unlike Thomas Brown’s system (see Part 3 of this guide)

6. Section 2, Roberson & Miller: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1832-44 can be found on the following: William Shiels, William Rix?, 1832, stamped R & M 022 (Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery); Thomas Sidney Cooper, Milking Time. Study of a Farm-Yard near Canterbury, 1833-34, stamped R & M 2039 (Tate); George Richmond, A Woman with Two Children in a Hilly Landscape, 1834 (The Fine Art Society sale, Sotheby’s, 5 February 2019, lot 38); Asher Brown Durand, Wrath of Peter Stuyvesant, 1835, stamped R & M 1448 (New York Historical Society); J.M.W. Turner, Venice, the Piazzetta with the Ceremony of the Doge Marrying the Sea, c.1835, stamped R & M 290 (Tate); Henry William Pickersgill, A Syrian Maid, exh.1837, stamped R & M 1463 (Tate); Henry William Pickersgill, Sir John Conroy, 1837, stamped R & M 782 (National Portrait Gallery); William Fisher, Walter Savage Landor, 1839, stamped R & M 10 81 (National Portrait Gallery); John Hayter, Viscountess Dungannon, 1839, stamped R & M 1453 (Victoria and Albert Museum); Thomas Bock, Jane Campbell and her mother, c.1842, stamped R & M 1601 (Queen Victoria Museum, Launceston); William Joy, HMS Victory Entering Portsmouth, 1844, stamped R & M 3 (King's Lynn Museums).

7. Section 4, 51 Long Acre: Examples of this particular stencil include the following, dating from c.1846 to 1856, with an additional framed CR stencil. The numerals appear to indicate the year the canvas was prepared:

CR number

Year painted

Work details

CR 462 c.1846 F.R. Say, 1st Earl of Ellenborough (National Portrait Gallery)

CR 467 1847 James Baker Pyne, The Salute and Dogana (Pyne’s Picture memoranda, National Art Library, MSL/1947/1562)

CR 468 1848 James Baker Pyne, Snowdon from the Bridge (Pyne’s Picture memoranda)

CR 524 1853 Robert Braithwaite Martineau, Picciola (Tate), repr. Appendix 1

CR 526 1852 Edward Lear, View of Reggio and the Straits of Messina (Tate)

CR 533 1862 Heinrich Schiött, John Thadeus Delane (National Portrait Gallery)

CR 5410 c.1854 Frederic George Stephens, Mother and Child (Tate)

CR 553 1856 Henry Wallis, Chatterton (Tate)

8. Section 4, Halden: Examples of this stencil on works dating to 1845-56 can be found on: M.F. Halden, A

Hurdy-Gurdy Man, 1845 (source: Cobbe coll., see note 2); Richard Redgrave, The Stream at Rest, 1848 (Victoria and Albert Museum); William Edward Frost, The Graces, exh.1856 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 25 March 1975, lot 46).

9. Section 5, Hughes: Examples of this label on works dating to 1854-72 can be found on the following (hyperlinks lead to a reproduction): Arthur Hughes, Fair Rosamund, 1854 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne); John Everett Millais, The Rescue, 1855 (National Gallery of Victoria); Abraham Solomon, Waiting for the Verdict, 1857 (Tate), label on stretcher reverse; Arthur Hughes, The Annunciation, 1872-73 (Birmingham Museums Trust).

10. Section 5, Courtauld Colourmen Online: Examples of this label on works dating to 1853-59 can be found on: Robert Braithwaite Martineau, Study of a Man’s Head for ‘Picciola’, 1853 (Tate); William Jacob Hays, Terrier's Head, 1859 (New-York Historical Society), repr. A.W. Katlan, American Artists’ Materials. Vol. II, A Guide to Stretchers, Panels, Millboards, and Stencil Marks, 1992, fig.225.

11. Section 5, Sandys: Examples of this panel stamp on works dating to 1846-64 can be found on: Richard

Redgrave, Throwing off her Weeds, 1846 (Victoria and Albert Museum), identical or similar; Augustus Egg, Peter the Great sees Catherine his Future Empress for the first time, by 1850 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 6 January 1976, lot 198); J.C. Morris, Sheep on a Moor, 1852 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 11 March 1975, lot 164); Thomas Sidney Cooper, Cattle and Figures in Highland Landscape, 1857 (Christies, South Kensington, 23 March 2016, lot 16); Frederick Sandys, Morgan-le-Fay, 1864 (Birmingham Museums Trust).

12. Section 6, 99 Long Acre: Examples of this particular stencil include the following, dating from 1856 to 1874, with additional framed numerals, not commonly used. These appear to indicate the year the canvas was prepared:

Number Year painted Work details

56 10 1856 Henry Dawson, The Wooden Walls of England (Birmingham Museums Trust)

6 0 3 1861 John Thomas Peele, Baby’s First Steps (Christie’s, 13 February 1976, lot 66)

68 9 6810

1869 Peter Graham, Autumnal Showers (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne), 68 9 loose lining canvas, 6810 primary canvas.

74 4 1877 Alphonse Legros, Le Repas des Pauvres (Tate)

13. Section 6, Frith: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1856-c.1870 can be found on the following

(hyperlinks lead to a reproduction): Henry Dawson, The Wooden Walls of England, 1856, with stencil (Birmingham Museums Trust), Marshall Claxton, An Emigrant's Thoughts of Home, board, 1859 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne); Robert Herdman, A Fern Gatherer, 1864 (National Gallery of Victoria); Edward Lear, Bonifacio, 1868-70 (Knowsley, information from Stephen Lloyd); Peter Graham, Autumnal Showers, 1869 (National Gallery of Victoria); Hugh Carter, Sir Francis Ronalds, c.1870 (National Portrait Gallery); Ann Mary Newton, Self-portrait (National Portrait Gallery).

14. Section 6, Legros: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1874-77 can be found on the following (hyperlinks lead to a reproduction): Richard Beavis, The Charcoal Burners, 1874 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne); Edward Burne-Jones, The Beguiling of Merlin, begun 1874 (Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight); Briton Riviére, Deer Stealers pursued by sleuth hounds, 1875 (National Gallery of Victoria); Alphonse Legros, Le Repas des Pauvres, 1877 (Tate); Rebecca Dulcibella Orpen, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, 1877 (National Trust, Baddesley Clinton); Edward Burne-Jones, The Annunciation, 1879 (Lady Lever Art Gallery).

15. Section 6, Cooper: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1872-75 can be found on: Thomas Sidney Cooper, Landscape with Cattle and Sheep, 1872 (Birmingham Museums Trust); Frederic Leighton, Little Fatima, exh.1875 (Bonham’s, 26 September 2018, lot 34); Frank Holl, Francis Holl, c.1875-84? (National Portrait Gallery); James Webb, Morning, 1875-76 (Christie’s, 24 October 1975, lot 76).

16. Section 6, Horsley: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1871-98, can be found on: F.R. Pickersgill, Industrial Arts in Time of Peace, 1871-2 (Victoria and Albert Museum), John Callcott Horsley, Christ healing the Sick, 1873 (Christie's, 14 May 1976, lot 43); Walter William Ouless, unspecified work, 1886 (source: Cobbe coll., see note 2); Benjamin Williams Leader, A Surrey Sunset, 1898 (Sotheby’s Belgravia, 29 June 1976, lot 181).

17. Section 6, Holman Hunt: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1881-88 can be found on: John Everett Millais, Benjamin Disraeli, 1881 (National Portrait Gallery); John Melhuish Strudwick, A Golden Thread, exh. 1885 (Tate); William Holman Hunt, May Morning on Magdalen College Tower, 1888 (Birmingham Museums Trust).

18. Section 7, Sandys: Examples of this label on works dating to 1864 can be found on: Frederick Sandys, Morgan-le-Fay, 1864 (Birmingham Museums Trust); Frederick Daniel Hardy, The Sweep, 1864, panel, label partly obscured (Bonham's, 4 July 2017, lot 23); Ford Madox Brown, The Death of Sir Tristram, 1864 (Birmingham Museums Trust). It can also be found on Ford Madox Brown, Lear and Cordelia, 1849-54 (Tate), possibly a later remounting, and John Frederick Lewis, The Bouquet, 1857 (Dunedin Public Art Gallery, New Zealand).

19. Section 7, Dicksee: Examples of this label on works dating to c.1882-91 can be found on the following

(hyperlink lead to a reproduction): Albert Moore, Dreamers, c.1882 (Birmingham Museums Trust); William Holman Hunt, May Morning on Magdalen College Tower, 1888, identical or highly similar label (Birmingham Museums Trust); Frank Dicksee, The Crisis, 1891 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne).

20. Section 7, Bacon: Examples of this label on works dating to 1881-1909 can be found on: John Collier, The

Last Voyage of Henry Hudson, exh.1881 (Tate); John Bacon, The Homage-Giving: Westminster Abbey, 1902, 1903 (National Portrait Gallery); Arthur Stockdale Cope, 1st Viscount Knutsford, 1906 (National Portrait Galley); Evelyn De Morgan, William De Morgan, 1909 (National Portrait Galley).

21. Section 7, Cooper, oval stretcher stamp: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1872-80 can be found on: Thomas Sidney Cooper, Landscape with Cattle and Sheep, 1872 (Birmingham Museums Trust); John Callcott Horsley, Christ healing the Sick, 1873 (Christie's, 14 May 1976, lot 43); John William Inchbold, Gordale Scar, Yorkshire, exh. 1876 (Tate); Edward Burne Jones, Pygmalion and the Image: The Godhead Fires, 1878 (Birmingham Museums Trust); Edward Burne Jones, The Golden Stairs, 1880 (Tate).

22. Section 8, Orpen: Examples of this stamp on works dating to 1913-37 can be found on the following (hyperlink leads to a reproduction): John Lavery, Auguste Rodin, 1913 (Victoria and Albert Museum); Ambrose McEvoy, Mrs Richard Jessel, 1920-21 (Birmingham Museums Trust); Frank Bernard Dicksee, This for Remembrance, 1924, loose lining canvas (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool); Tom Roberts, Lake Como, 1922 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne); Ambrose McEvoy, The Searchlight Tattoo, Wembley, 1925 (Tate); William Orpen, Sir Edwin Ray Lankester, 1928 (Birmingham Museums Trust); James Gunn, Conversation piece (G.K. Chesterton; Maurice Baring; Hilaire Belloc), 1932 (National Portrait Gallery); J. McIntosh Patrick, Winter in Angus, 1935 (Tate), lining canvas, and his Springtime in Eskdale, 1935 (Walker Art Gallery); Geoffrey Rhoades, Winter Afternoon, Chalk Farm, 1935 (Tate); and Michael Whelan, Malcolm MacDonald, exh. 1937 (National Portrait Gallery), with stamp, No 7 (repr. appendix 1).

Copyright in this compilation, © National Portrait Gallery, London, September 2017, March

2020; copyright in individual images lies with owner, photographer or commissioner as may apply. Freely downloadable for research and personal use.