CHARLES HAIGH-WOOD
“The Keepsake”
A museum quality oil on canvas painting by Charles Haigh-Wood (1856-1927) entitled “The Keepsake”. It depicts two finely dressed ladies in an interior.
Some other examples of works by this artist are included at the end of the photos.
Frame: Set in a later gilt wood frame.
Signature: Lower right.
Provenance: UK Private Collection
Condition: Frame is in good condition. Painting is in excellent condition and has been lined. There are some dried water marks on the lining. No re-touching visible under a blacklight.
Measurements: Painting measures 84 x 66cm and the overall frame 108 x 90cm.
Biography: Charles Haigh-Wood (1856-1927) was born in a home above a workshop in Bury, England where his father Charles Wood, a master craftsman, built picture frames. By the 1870s when Charles Sr.’s business was prospering, he diversified into picture-dealing, and moved into a substantial new home.
While studying at the Schools, Haigh-Wood captured a great deal of attention, and by 21 he was exhibiting at the Academy and was subsequently elected a member. Following his election, he travelled and studied Renaissance masters in Italy, before returning to settle in England.
His talent at painting portraits brought him many commissions, but Haigh-Wood was best known for painting drawing room “conversation pieces,” or story-telling scenes of polite society, which made him a popular genre painter in the late 19th century.
His work was incredibly popular during his lifetime. A number of his paintings were purchased by greeting-card manufacturers for reproduction, which insured both his financial security and his reputation.
His work is displayed in several museums including Manchester City Art Gallery, Liverpool Walker Art Gallery and Bury Art Museum.