frederick Ifold

Christie's, London, 8 May 1981, lot 125;
Christopher Wood, London, where bought by Lady Scott, 30 March 1982 for £2,000

 

London, Royal Academy, 1867, no. 446

STRUCTURE The canvas has been relined. PAINT SURFACE Some faint old craquelure in places, stabilised by the relining. Also a faint stretcher mark running horizintally across lower and upper border. Otherwise in good overall condition. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT UV light reveals scattered retouchings; to include the outline of the girl, cloak and face. Under a thick varnish. FRAME Held in a decorative gold composite frame in fair condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Ifold's work is rare. He only exhibited four works at the Royal Academy from 1847 to 1867 and the present subject was the last of his paintings to appear there. The themes of these are varied, being an Old Testament subject, a scene from The Tempest, a landscape on the Isle of Wight, and the present portrait of an itinerant street trader.

This delightful young girl selling watercress would have been a familiar sight in mid 19th century London. In his highly informative book Toilers in London, by One of the Crowd, the author James Greenwood describes the selling of watercress, having encountered a disillusioned pedlar who had been sold poor stock early one morning. The watercress sellers converged at dawn at Farrington Market in the city to buy their daily supply which had arrived from the picking streams in Hampshire. Wholesale a basketful might cost just a few pence and the sellers, who varied in age, might hope to make between eight or nine pence a day, just enough to survive in a Dickensian world. The slightly worn clothes and the ill-fitting hat, coupled with the steady stoical look, suggest that the young lady in the painting, is despite her youth, not new to this trade.