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19 century collection

Introduction
'The Death of Nelson'
'Linlithgow Palace'
'The Ruins of Holyrood Chapel'
'The Black Boy'
'Millie Smith'
'Isabella'
'Self-Portrait'
Study of Emma and Catherine for 'Pretty Baa Lambs'
'Napoleon crossing the Alps'
'Waiting'
'The Tinted Venus'
'The Stonebreaker'
'John and Georgina Naylor'
A study of 'Arthur Madox Brown'
A study of 'Arthur Madox Brown, age nine months'
A study of 'Catherine Madox Brown'
A study of 'Lucy Madox Brown'
A study of 'Oliver Madox Brown'
'A Coat of Many Colours'
'The Hunted Slaves'
'Faithful unto death'
'The Murder'
'Elaine'
'Dante's Dream'
'Bust of Henry Wordsworth Longfellow'
'Leonora di Mantua'
'Portrait of Mrs Catherine Smith Gill'
'Elijah in the Wilderness'
'Athlete struggling with a python'
'And when did you last see your father?'
'One of the Family'
'A Street in Brittany'
'Friday'
'Dante and Beatrice'
'The Mower'
'Fantine'
'Samson'
'A summer night'
'The Promise'
'The funeral of Shelley'
'Woman ironing'
'Break-up of the ice on the Seine'
'Perseus and Andromeda'
'The punishment of lust'
'The sense of sight'
'Ophelia'
'The Fairy Tale'
'Old Man's Treasure'
'The Eve of St Agnes'
'Deal'
'Puck'

'A Street in Brittany', Stanhope Alexander Forbes, 1881

The painting, foremost is a woman stood on her doorstep whilst her neighbours are all behind her in their doorways

Oil on canvas, 104.2 x 75.8cm

Accession Number WAG509

Forbes was inspired by the contemporary French artist, Jules Bastien-Lepage. This was Forbes' first out-of-doors painting. It is also arguably his masterpiece. It shows Breton women knitting and net-making in a Cancale street.

The blue tonality, general absence of shadow and distinctive brushstrokes are about as close as the British avant-garde at this time came to including certain aspects of Impressionist art.

Forbes was later the principal instigator of 'The Newlyn School', a Cornish-based artist's colony.

An extended study of 'A Street in Brittany' is available online as part of our Artwork of the Month series.