Self-Portrait, by Ralph Hedley (1848-1913), was painted in 1895. It is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 43.2 x 50.8 cm, and is reproduced here by courtesy of the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle.
This attractive study in manliness shows Hedley painting himself in an oval cheval mirror placed on a sideboard, in front of which are placed his very masculine accoutrements: hat, gloves, hip flask, pipe and matches. There are no flowers here, only his painting brushes sprouting from an attractive jade-coloured vase or jar. Hedley often painted working men. Here, he is evidently painting himself as a gentleman, but a working one for all that, and no aesthete or bohemian. — Jacqueline Banerjee.
Created 21 July 2015