Location

Country: Ireland
City: Dublin
Place: British Embassy

Animal painter and illustrator John Sturgess was born in Leicester. He was a pupil of J. F. Herring snr and became best-known for depictions of horses. In 1868 he married Elizabeth Harrison, with whom he had seven children. By 1881 the family had moved to Sydenham. Sturgess exhibited one work at Society of British Artists in 1884. He moved to Hampstead by 1891, where he was still living in 1901 as a widower, with four of his children. Sturgess’s illustrations include those for ‘Old Coaching Days’ by S. Harris (1882), ‘Racecourse and Covert Side’ (1883) by A. E. T. Watson and ‘Driving’ (1889) by the Duke of Beaufort. It was reported that Sturgess’s ‘ability to draw failed suddenly’ a few years before his death, in Hendon, at the age of 69.
Edward Gilbert Hester was born in Hammersmith, Middlesex; the son of a schoolmaster. He initially worked as a line and aquatint engraver but his later reputation was based on mezzotints. In 1865 he married Annie Cotton; with whom he had seven children. They lived in Chiswick and then Hammersmith, before moving to Pre Mill House, St Albans, by 1891. That year Annie died. Hester was remarried two years later to Sarah Rider and moved to London Road, St Albans, with four of his children. During his career he exhibited twelve engravings at the Royal Academy, London. His works were mostly engraved after contemporary artists, including T. Lawrence, J. E. Millais, M. Stone E. Long and N. Paton. His son, Richard Wallace Hester, was also an engraver.

Places

Ireland, County Kildare

Subjects

horse-racing, jockey, topography, landscape C19th, horse, ditch

Materials & Techniques

aquatint, coloured aquatint

Artist

John, (19th century) Sturgess (1840 - 1908)
Edward Gilbert Hester (c.1843 - 1903)

Title

Punchestown. Conyngham Cup 1872. The Double.

Date

1 June 1874

Medium

Coloured aquatint

Acquisition

Purchased from Frank T Sabin, March 1973

GAC number

10153