Charles Burton Barber

Sale: Sotheby's, London, June 14, 1989, lot 179, illustrated and as cover
Collection of the late Mr. and Mrs. Gordon T. Southam, Vancouver, Canada (acquired at the above sale)
Thence by descent

London, Royal Academy, 1885, no. 1120
London, Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition, 1886

 

"Royal Academy Third Notice," The Times, May 25, 1885, p. 4
Henry Blackburn, Academy Notes, London, 1885, p. 16
The Art Journal, 1885, p, 258

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has been lined using wax as an adhesive. The paint layer is cleaned and varnished. Although there may be a few retouches, they are certainly not evident or significant. The painting can be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The present work is one of Burton Barber's characteristically charming works of children and dogs.  In his short life (he died at 49), the artist earned great popularity over his twenty-eight years of exhibitions at London's Royal Academy even drawing the attention of Queen Victoria who requested the artist paint the royal dogs.  In particular, Once Bit, Twice Shy drew great acclaim upon its first exhibition in 1885.  The Academy Notes considered the composition, hung among the works of less remarkable landscape artists, "a highly humorous incident not to be missed" (Blackburn, p. 16).  The Times elaborated, naming Once Bit, Twice Shy  "the most amusing picture in the Academy...  It is a doubtful experiment to make an elaborate joke on canvas, but if the jokes are as good as this one there is much to be said for them" ("Royal Academy," p. 4).

Set in a well appointed interior, a young girl sits neatly dressed in white pinafore over a vibrantly blue silk dress, fox-terrier puppy in arm, one hand tucked under his chin while the other holds a silver spoon, digging deep into a mustard pot.  The humorous tension of the moment was easily understood and appreciated by contemporary viewers.  As a Royal Academy visitor explained: "the dog, as the title implies, has had the same experience before, and once is enough.  But its young mistress has no idea of paying any attention to random protests, and is proceeding with perfect calmness to her duty. The contrast between her tranquil indifference and the ludicrous horror depicted on the face of the puppy is a pictorial triumph" ("Royal Academy," p. 4).  

Parents are rarely (if ever) present in Burton Barber's subjects, yet in the present work the carafe, empty wine glasses, and discarded cloth napkin suggest they have recently left the room — leaving their young daughter to her experiments.  Despite the girl removing the puppy's belled collar, adult attention may not be avoided for long.  In the darkened room, with its deep brown wood furniture and richly patterned carpet, light bounces across the tablecloth and spills over the girl's glossy auburn hair and the puppy's white coat, suggesting a door that has been reopened.  Burton Barber's contrasting light effects adds to the theatricality of the scene, while his brilliant ability to capture the psychology of this subjects is evidenced in the detailed expression of the wary puppy and his tense posture as well as the young girl's studied, downward gaze and sweet if determined smile. 

Outside of the exhibition galleries, Once Bit, Twice Shy, like many of Burton Barber's compositions, was likely well known through the wide distribution of prints and chromolithographs that were sold of his works.