George Herbert Wallis Sold at Auction Prices

George Wallis (1811-1891), British IMPUDENCE - BLACK IT STOOD AS NIGHT (A SKETCH FOR A PICTURE); Oil on panel; titled to label verso, also signed twice with initials and dated 1890 on the artist's handwritten note accompanying the lot verso6" x 8" -

George Wallis (1811-1891), British IMPUDENCE - BLACK IT STOOD AS NIGHT (A SKETCH FOR A PICTURE); Oil on panel; titled to label verso, also signed twice with initials and dated 1890 on the artist's handwritten note accompanying the lot verso6" x 8" - 15.2 x 20.3 cm.Exhibited: Sketch for a picture, "Impudence" exhibited at the Society of Arts, Birmingham in 1839 or 1840Note: On the artist's note verso signed with initials and dated Sep. 4th 1890, Wallis writes: It was designed to meet the challenge of a friend to illustrate "The step from the sublime to the Ridiculous" and was described in the catalogue: "Impudence." with quotation."Black it stood as Night" Milton.Miss Twamley, a well know authoress, who, subsequently married a Mr. Meredith and went to Australia, and whose death has been recently (Septr. 1890) announced in the Birmingham newspapers, wrote and published some versified criticisms upon the pictures with the title "Shots in the Round Room". This is still the central room of the Society of Artists Exhibition Rooms Birmingham.On the picture above named she wrote:"Impudence indeed! to take a lineof grand Milton (ic) verse and makeA dirty pun upon it!To paint a sweepWho sitting on a stile doth grinning keep. To decked out damsels from their path and writeIn illustration "Black it stood as Night."'