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Biography from Odon Wagner Gallery:
| Please note: Artists not classified as American in our database may have limited biographical data
compared to the extensive information about American artists.
Arthur John Elsley was born in London on November 20, 1860. His
earliest known work was a portrait sketch of a little dog, entitled Vic
(painted in 1871). At the age of 14 he entered the South
Kensington School of Art. In 1876 at age sixteen, Elsley became a
probationer at the Royal Academy School, and only two years later
exhibited his first painting of a pony.
Although he was born in London, and lived there for most of his life,
Elsley preferred the countryside. Even in the days when cycling
was a rarity, he thought nothing of pedaling fifty miles out of the
city in search of suitable material. As it were, English
collectors had a growing appreciation for paintings depicting everyday
family life. The new affluent middle class was particularly interested
in scenes of pretty children with their pets rendered in playful
settings. Arthur John Elsley, was one of the most well known and
sensitive of these artists. His portraits of sweet, sometimes
mischievous, children and pets were in high demand.
By 1887 Arthur was sharing a studio with George Manton (a portrait
painter) and it as through Manton that Arthur met Fred Morgan. In
1889 Elsley shared Morgan’s studio in St. John’s Wood, which was a
great help to Morgan because he had trouble painting animals – now
Elsley could fill the gap.
In 1891 Elsley won a sliver medal at the Crystal Palace Exhibition and
in 1893 he married Emily Fusedale (his second cousin). Their
wedding took place on November 11th at St. Thomas’s Parish Church, and
they rented a home in St. John’s Wood. Arthur and Emma had one child,
Marjorie, who was born on August 24, 1903. The birth of his daughter
saw the beginning of a highly successful period of children and animal
paintings – many featuring Marjorie.
Elsley was a frequent exhibitor at the Royal Academy; showing many works from 1878 - 1917 including: A Stitch in Time (1887); I'se Biggest!(1892); Wait a Minute! (1894) and Good Night! (1915).
Elsley also exhibited his works at many of the other major exhibition
halls throughout Great Britian, including: Royal Society of Artists,
Birmingham; Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts; Walker Art Gallery;
Manchester City Art Gallery; Royal Society of British Artists; and the
Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
Arthur John Elsley died in 1952.
Sources include:
Information from T. Parker, Golden Hours, The Paintings of Arthur J. Elsley 1860-1952, Sommerset, 1998. |
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
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