C.H. Ilfracombe Torrs, Figures on the Beach, North Devon

Landscapes & Architecture, Kent & Beyond: C.H. & C.H. Jr Watercolours 1847–1875

This charming work derives from a broader group of pictures by two British hands, primarily initialled C.H. and C.H. Junior.

The identity of the artists, presumed to be father and son, is unknown, but the works date from the period 1847 to 1875, with the majority from the 1850s and 1860s. Based on numerous landscapes in the collection, there appears to be a connection with the Herne Bay area of Kent.

Both artists evidently had considerable artistic talent; an emphasis on architectural subjects within their work, including some technical-style drawings, perhaps suggests one of them was an architect. The charm of the greater collection is, however, its encyclopedic breadth, covering animals, landscapes, buildings and ethnographic figure subjects—all rendered with delicacy and flair.