Lot 162: SAMUEL READ (1816-1883) WATERCOLOR PORTRAIT

Original Watercolor Portrait of a young Girl by Samuel Read (british 1816-1883). Signed lower right and dated 1881, this was painted after he became a member of the Society of Painters in Watercolors and shortly before his death. Unusual, in that he specialized in architectural subjects. Perhaps a grandchild, beautifully detailed. Missing the glass, in frame measures 16.25x20.50x1". Weight is 1 pd. PROVENANCE: The Estate of a Charleston SC Art Dealer / Gallery Owner. Samuel Read was initially employed as a clerk in a law practice. He moved to London in 1841 and started working as a draughtsman in the studio of the wood-carver Whymper. Read began contributing to the Illustrated London News, which assigned him at one point to Istanbul (1853). His subject matter was drawn most frequently from interiors and exterior views of cathedrals, which were particularly close to his heart. He was admitted to associate membership of the Society of Painters in Watercolours in 1857 and became a full member in 1880, shortly before his death in 1883. Read exhibited from 1843 to 1883 (the latter year posthumously) at the Royal Academy, the Suffolk Street Gallery and the Society of Painters in Watercolours.

good, missing glass