Images: Tennants.

Manchester Courier and General Advertiser, 25 Apr 1888:

… “Singing Children” – is exceedingly fine. A group of eight children stand presumably in school, and six of them are singing with evident heartiness. Two or three of the little ones have song papers in their hands, and the others look over them with much earnestness. Two of the children, however, appear to be shy. They seem nervously conscious that they are being looked at, and they are silent, and their appearance furnishes a pleasing contrast to the vigous and gusto displayed by the others. There is a judicious blending of colours in this picture, and a finish which betokens much artistic taste and ability.

• Media: oil on canvas.
• Dimensions: 1075 x 645 mm (0.69 m²).
• History: monogrammed and dated 1888; exhibited Manchester Society of Women Painters, Fifth Exhibition, 1888, “Singing Children”; New Gallery, 121 Regent Street, Summer Exhibition, 1889, “Singing Children” (Birmingham Daily Post, 18 May 1889); exhibited Earl’s Court Victorian Era Exhibition, 1897, “Lent by Hy. Boddington, Esq.” (contemporary catalogue); auctioned Tennants, Leyburn, N Yorks, 16 Nov 2019, “In restored and re-lined condition. Cleaned and re-varnished. There are two notable patches of over-painting/strengthening to the brow, cheek and neck of the young girl standing in profile to the left hand side and the tip of the chin of the girl standing next to her. There is an asymmetrical shaped area of essentially vertically and linear area of re-touching/over-painting (approx 10-12 cm in length) at the central figure’s right hand shoulder with a dense patch of over painting above the book that she is holding (approx 2 cm by 6 cm at its widest point). A patch of strengthening also to her left hand cheek. There are general and relatively significant areas of re-painting within the red of the young girl’s dress holding the book, partially to conceal very widely spaced craquelure. General strengthening to the far right hand side boys hand. It is possible that some areas of re-painting may not be detectable“, sold.
• Location: unknown.

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