Arthur John Elsley

Sale: Christie's, London, December 19, 1924, lot 163
Private Collection, London
Chicago Art Galleries (in circa 1972)
Private Collection (acquired from the above; and sold: Christie's, New York, October 26, 2005, lot 146, illustrated)

Terry Parker, Golden Hours: The Paintings of Arthur John Elsley 1860-1952, Somerset, England, 1998, p. 108, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in beautiful condition. The canvas has been lined, and the lining is successfully presenting the painting. The painting is clean. There is none of the staining or abrasion that one sometimes sees in these works. There is no retouching to any of the figures or animals on either side of the picture or within the landscape. This work could be hung in its current condition, although the canvas could be tightened slightly in the corners.
"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."

As a fresh faced boy and his pony proudly complete a jump, joined by a leaping collie and cheered on by a group of exuberant onlookers, Arthur Elsley's Well Done! percolates with healthy activity and a bustling sense of fun. Belying the carefree mood, Elsley closely studied photographs of pet and child models to achieve the composition's complex arrangement of figures, its use of multiple focal points, and dynamic sense of movement.  In turn, the artist showed photographs of his own work in process to his print publishers, notably Charles Faulkner, soliciting their advice to create the greatest visual impact and popular appeal (Elsley's works were widely distributed as prints, calendars and featured in advertising campaigns).  A sepia photograph of the present work in an earlier state survives, which reveals that, while seemingly minor, the changes made were vital to the success of the finished work (fig. 1). The previously static position of the handkerchief held by one girl is now held aloft, fluttering upward, in an excited gesture of celebration, while the terrier's original placid pose is shifted to that of standing alert on all fours.  While the collie and pony appear in a number of other large-scale compositions by the artist, the terrier and the girl standing beside him are particularly well-known Elsley figures. The blond haired Marjoire, Elsley's daughter, is shown here portrayed much taller than she would have been at the age of four in 1907, the year Well Done! was completed.  Marjorie holds at leash the brown furred "Khaki" (named after the color of the British army's cotton field uniforms, introduced in 1899 and popularized during the Boer War) whose lively personality was captured leaping across the lawn of Elsley's Spring Songs (sold in these rooms on October 23, 2006, lot 101). 

Marjorie, Khaki and the rest of the happy models evidence the artist's brilliant ability to capture the joys of children and their animal companions.  In portraying the intricate relationship between animals and children, Elsley elevated domestic pets from working animals to members of the family, eager participants in childhood games. Yet such charming scenes also maintained a connection to Edwardian social mores: while the children of Well Done! show ready smiles and active posture as they jump or cheer, they remain neat and tidy in their well-tailored clothes.