Edward Benjamin Herberte (1830–1893) was prolific and is very well listed as a sporting artist, known for his spirited depictions of hunting and horse racing.
Relatively little is recorded about his life. It is believed that he was born Egbert Bertram Herberte in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He was the son of an artist, also named Egbert Bertram Herberte; it is possible he adopted a pseudonym to avoid confusion with his father. He was a pupil of John Frederick Herring Snr (1795–1865), horse painter, sign-maker and coachman, who ranks along Landseer as one of the more eminent animal painters of the 19th century.
Around 1861 he was living in Wolverhampton, but by 1866 he is listed as a scenic painter at Greenwich, London. He also began to earn a living around this time as a painter of hunting and sporting scenes. Much of his work was private commissions, for which he would travel, and he won several commissions from local hunts, including a number by the North Warwickshire Hunt.
During the mid-19th century, the introduction of improved saddles enabled women to ride sidesaddle across country and over fences. Herberte was one of the first artists to depict women riding in sporting settings.
He died at Prestwich, Lancashire in 1896.
Examples of his work are held by the Berkswell Village Museum, the National Trust, Lanhydrock and Leicester Museum & Art Gallery.
