16 The Artist c. 1838

Following the death of William Henry Hunt in 1864, the contents of his studio were auctioned at Christie's in London. Since the artist's work had been so in demand during his lifetime, very few finished watercolors were still in his possession at the time he died, but this was one of them. Hunt must have prized this small work, since he himself lent it, and only it, to the 1857 Art Treasures Exhibition in Manchester, one of the biggest showcases for living British artists in the 19th century. The fact that the artist kept this watercolor for the rest of his lifetime indicates that he had not lent a work which he had just finished or which was merely accessible back in 1857 but that Hunt must have considered this to be one of his more significant watercolors.