Edmund Blair Leighton: The Ferry

Edmund Blair Leighton's (1852-1922) most famous works are among the most widely recognized paintings of thep eriod. His works of Godspeed (1900) and the Accolade (1901) are used as the epitome of medievali conography. Though probably best known for his medieval compositions, he also painted a large number of nineteenth century costume pieces which share similar subject of male female interaction and romantic gesture. When one looks at Leighton's body of work as a whole, it is clear that he captures a certain quality that reaches the core of human emotion. Despite differences in time, the subject of love and romance are the same and universal.

He studied at the South Kensington School of Art, later gaining entry to the Royal Academy of Art School in 1874. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy from 1878 -1920, and made illustrations for the noted publisher Cassell & Co, as well as such magazines as Harper's Bazaar.

This painting is the second version of The Ferry Boat, which is known from a black and white photograph and differs in the costumes of the figures and background details. The setting is along the Waveney River in Norfolk, which ran near the artist's summer home and the barn in the background was Leighton's own. Behind the house was a man-made lake where Leighton could stage his models in a boat to capture the effect of being on the water in a controlled environment without the flow of the river to contend with.

the above text appears on the back of the card
HC-618: card size 7" x 5" (178mm x 127mm)