Thomas Baker of Leamington 1809-1869. Cattle in a landscape. Watercolour. Signed and dated 1861. Provenance: James Hall Collection, Phillips 22nd November 1997. 43 by 27.5 cms image. 65.5 by 51.5 cms overall in frame. Some old mount staining otherwise in very good unfaded condition.
Born in Birmingham, Baker was a student of Vincent Barber (1788–1838). Exhibiting publicly with the Birmingham Society of Artists from 1827 onwards, he painted landscapes throughout the Midlands and the Welsh border regions. More often than not Baker's landscapes include cattle, although sheep and human figures are also fairly common in his works. He kept comprehensive records of his work and usually signed each major picture "T Baker", dated it to the year and numbered it on the back. The Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa holds a collection of over sixty Baker landscapes. In terms of wider success, Baker exhibited four oil paintings at the Royal Academy between 1831 and 1858 with his work appearing more frequently at the British Institution. After his premature death in Leamington Spa, at the age of 55 (amid suggestions of murder that led to the suicide of his housekeeper, Hannah Hewitt), Baker's body was returned to his birthplace and buried in close proximity to the famous Midlands landscape artist David Cox at Harborne, Birmingham.