Including atmospheric Victorian interior scenes
SMITH (Constance), wife of Hugh Smith, Governor of the Bank of England.
A captivating group of nine original watercolour sketches executed by Constance Smith between 1901 and 1905, depicting landscapes and interiors encountered during travels in Spain, Scotland and Wales.
The watercolours are mounted on thick album leaves and were extracted by us from a large sketch album belonging to Constance Smith. Each mount is carefully captioned by her in pencil with the location, and often the date, offering a charming documentary record of Edwardian travel and domestic life.
The sketches combine rapid plein-air landscape studies with intimate interior scenes, and display a confident handling of colour and light typical of accomplished amateur artists of the period.
Physical Description
Original watercolours on paper, mounted on thick album leaves.
Six sketches measure approximately 25cm × 18cm, and three smaller panoramic studies measure approximately 25cm × 9cm (or slightly smaller).
All captioned by Constance Smith on the mounts with location and date. The works are unsigned but were extracted by us directly from a large album of Constance Smith’s sketches.
The Landscapes
The group includes a striking triptych of Spanish coastal views, likely painted during travel in southern Spain, showing:
These small panoramic studies capture the luminous Mediterranean atmosphere with loose washes of blue and violet tones, suggesting distant mountain ranges rising above calm coastal waters.
Other landscapes include evocative studies from the British Isles, notably:
These scenes show a sensitive response to the shifting weather and light of the British landscape, with rolling hills, birds in flight, and coastal sands rendered with loose and expressive brushwork.
Victorian Interior Scenes
Particularly appealing are the intimate interior views of Welsh country houses, including:
These interiors provide a rare glimpse into Edwardian domestic life, depicting furnishings, fireplaces, cupboards, clocks and tables laid for meals, together with figures quietly engaged in everyday activities.
The kitchen scene at Ty Mawr, showing Miss Hughes seated beside a window in a warmly lit interior, is particularly atmospheric, capturing the lived-in character of a rural household at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Condition
Very good condition overall. Some light age-toning and minor handling marks to the album paper consistent with age. Please examine the gallery images carefully and request further details if required.