The Mushroom Gatherer

James H Edgar

Summary

A woodland scene of a young woman in a striped dress, with yellow polka-dotted white scarf round her shoulders, a black bonnet and a red petticoat. She is seated on the right, beneath the branches of a tree in a leafy glade, a wicker basket of mushrooms beside her on the bank. More trees, grass and ferns extend behind her.

Display Label

The Mushroom Gatherer James R. Edgar active 1857 – 1870 Oil on millboard James Edgar was a Liverpool painter. He specialised in everyday scenes and portraits. Here, the bright colours and closely-observed details suggest that he was influenced by Pre-Raphaelitism. Because we know so little about him, it is hard to say exactly where and when he might have come across Pre-Raphaelite paintings. He probably attended exhibitions in Liverpool where Pre-Raphaelite painters often sent their work. By the 1860s, when he was active, most painters were familiar with Pre-Raphaelitism. The ripple-effect of the Brotherhood was felt right through Victorian painting. Miss Florence Harrison bequest 1971.40