WILLIAM SMALL 1843-1929

Royal Academy, 1870, no. 950

This fascinating early work was one of the first paintings exhibited by William Small at the Royal Academy, in 1870. Small had moved to London five years earlier from his homeland of Scotland, where he had studied at the Royal Scottish Academy. Like many young artists he began as an illustrator of periodicals, working for Once a Week, The Graphic and Good Words but soon showed his great skill at painting. His beautifully meticulous work was bought by several municipal art galleries, including those at Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester. The Last March was bought for the nation under the terms of the Chantrey Bequest in 1887.