The Stile

In 1862 Birket Foster published the phenomenally successful 'Pictures of English Landscapes', a series of scenes of idyllic Surrey villages and children in flowery country lanes. The series was perfectly attuned to the Victorian taste for sentiment and prettiness. This watercolour perfectly fits that brief. Foster had a genuine attachment to Surrey; he lived in Hambledon for a few years until 1865 and exhibited numerous views of Hambledon Common and its sandpits between 1863 and 1896. In 1865 he moved to Witley, and in 1893 to Weybridge, also in Surrey.