Antique Edwardian Oil on Canvas Painting Depicting a Female Sitter by Matilda Sharpe (1830-1915)

A charming, intimate and almost ghostly portrait depicting a young woman wearing white against a pale blueish grey background.

Painted with great skill and sensitivity with soft brushstrokes.

Titled verso ‘Miss Elsie Lea’, dated ‘1906’ and also signed ‘Matilda Sharpe, Pingebat' (Latin for ‘painted this’.)

Matilda Sharpe was a talented artist who exhibited at the Royal Academy and three of her portraits form part of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection:

‘The daughter of Egyptologist Samuel Sharpe, Matilda Sharpe was a gifted painter who exhibited at the Royal Academy, but she devoted much of her life to teaching. In 1885 she established Channing House School on Highgate Hill, a boarding school for the daughters of Unitarian ministers and other Unitarians. Sharpe published an anthology of poetry, Old Favourites from the Elder Poets, in 1881 and 1912, in which she included nine women poets, particularly the Unitarian Anna Letitia Barbauld. She also wrote four books of proverbs, moral maxims, and poetical comments on modern times.’ - The National Portrait Galley, London

Sharpe devoted most of her life to educating children, she believed in education for all and taxing the rich to pay for it. She died in Highgate, North London in 1915. As the portrait we are offering for sale was painted towards the end of Sharpe’s life, perhaps the sitter, Miss Elsie Lea was one of the children she had helped, the sensitive feeling of the painting does indicate some mutual love or respect between the artist and sitter.

Overall the painting is in good vintage condition and largely survives however there is wear throughout, including some minor losses, surface wear, cracks, holes and marks etc. This indicates that the painting has either been stored badly or mistreated over the years. The wear on the surface almost adds to the ghostly aesthetic of the piece and I wonder if this adds to its charm in a way and is possibly partly why we were drawn to it in the first place.

Overall approximate measurements: 35.5cm x 30cm x 2cm.

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