Forget-me-not, by William Maw Egley (1826–1916)

Dennis T. Lanigan

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This painting from 1872 is a typical example of the Victorian "potboiler," a painting of limited artistic merit generally featuring a pretty girl, whose principal purpose was to bring in money to pay for daily expenses, often at a time when the artist was working on a more major painting. This work features a young woman with a wistful faraway look gazing out a window into the distance with her right elbow on a window sill. A forget-me-not flower rests on the same window ledge. A large body of water can be seen in the background so the young woman is likely thinking of her lover who is off at sea. In the same year 1872 Egley also painted a work entitled Awaiting Her Loves Return, which sold at Christie's, London, on 4 March 2004, lot 624. Lamenting the absence of a loved one appears to be a theme much on his mind at this time.

This painting was not exhibited at any of the principal London exhibiting venues. It at one time part of the famous Forbes Magazine Collection but was not included in their sale at Christie's, London, on 20 February 2003. It had been de-accessioned at an earlier sale at Sotheby's on 6 November 1995.

Bibliography

Victorian Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours. London, Sotheby's Belgravia (19 September 1978): lot 185, 27.

Victorian Pictures. London: Sotheby's (6 November 1995): lot 137, 75-76.

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Created 23 November 2019

Last modified 17 July 2024 (commentary added).