F. Bainbridge Mill nears Melrose, Scottish Borders

F. Bainbridge (f.1842–1884): Victorian Landscapes & Figures

This watercolour is one of a collection of works by F. Bainbridge spanning the period 1842 to 1884. The majority of the works in the collection are landscape subjects around Yorkshire and Herefordshire, the Scottish Highlands and Borders, and on Jersey. The landscapes are vividly painted in rich colour with charming detail, such as small figures, animals, boats or picturesque cottages.

There are also a small number of Victorian figure subjects that are 'Street Cries', or street hawkers, in the popular vein of 18th-century character artists such as Paul Sandby (1731–1809) and Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827).

The identity of F. Bainbridge is unknown, but this was someone painting across many decades. The paintings represent the democratisation of art that was taking place in the Victorian era: the rising middle class and advances in engraving and print technology allowed for the more ready dissemination of images to a wider reading public. This included the printing of drawing manuals; the landscapes in the collection are no doubt inspired by the great mid-to-late 19th-century British landscape watercolourists, such as David Cox OWS (1783–1859), William Leighton Leitch RI RWS (1804–1883) and David Hall McKewan RI (1816–1873).