ROSE BARTON, R.W.S. | Waterloo Bridge, London

The Collection of Major General Ross Johnson

The sheet appears to be sound and the work in good overall condition. Held under glass in a gilt reeded frame; unexamined out of frame.
"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."

Born in 1856 to a wealthy family in Co. Tipperary, Rose Barton received drawing lessons as part of her private home education. She travelled to Brussels in the 1870s and studied in the studio of Henri Gervex and under Paul Naftel in London. In 1911, Barton held the first significant exhibition of her works at the Japanese Gallery in New Bond Street, consisting of sixty of her paintings of London. By the following year she was attracting notice as a painter of London scenes. Her watercolours are characterised by an impressionistic finish. She had a ‘great sense of the character of ordinary people and interesting everyday scenes. These she saw through a romantic haze which evokes the bustling life of Dublin and London in the first quarter of this century.’ (Anne Crookshank, ‘Introduction’ in exh.cat., Rose Barton, R.W.S. (1859-1929), Exhibition of Watercolours and Drawings, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork, 1987). The present watercolour, exemplary of Barton’s atmospheric technique, demonstrates her fascination with the London fog and is a scene which she returned to several times in order to capture the fluctuating weather conditions.