PAINTINGS 1921 to 1930 : Version 7 April 2009
1921
Afternoon tea. O/c 20 x 18. Sgd, dtd 1921. Gertrude in a deckchair in a paved garden. Lane P 20 July 1974 (272 ni); DMG Autumn 1974 (26 ni).
Blackberry gatherers. O/c 21.5 x 26.75. Sgd BL, dtd 1921. At left a woman walks to the right, holding a baby over her left shoulder; she is preceded by a girl with a walking stick in her right hand; at right stands a young woman facing the viewer, legs astride, in dark hat and a dress with very large lapels; behind is the sea and the coast in the distance. Done in a very clear style. Grosvenor Galleries 1921 (39); SL 10 Mar 1982 (101 illus); Lane P 28 Sep 1989 (578 illus, as Blackberry Pickers); CL 8 Mar 1990 (24a); WL.
Cottages in a landscape. O/c 13 x 17. Sgd BL, dtd 21. In the foreground is a row of cottages in pale tones; beyond at left are fields, and at right are trees. SL 19 May 1982 (8 illus); PL 28 June 1982 (9, as Cottages near Dartmoor); WL.
Gipsies. Oil. ISSPG 27th exhn 1921 (76).
Ploughing. O/c 25 x 30. Sgd BR, dtd 1921. The foreground is a ploughed field; at right a man walks behind a white and a dark horse moving right; beyond are farm buildings; set in a large and detailed landscape. PL 18 Sep 1990 (26 illus); Lay P 10 Feb 1994 (313 illus); WL.
Portrait of a girl at Newlyn harbour. O/c 15.5 x 13.5. Sgd BR, dtd 21. Head and shoulder view of a young woman facing right, in a blue on white spotted dress and a red ribbon above each ear; behind her is a simplified view of Newlyn harbour with green dashes for the sea. S Chester 20 Oct 1988 (3147 illus, as Faraway fancies, Newlyn harbour); Lay P 8 Dec 1988 (397 illus, as Portrait of a young woman in front of Newlyn harbour); DMG pub.V (67 illus); BITPI(63 illus, as Portrait of a girl at Newlyn harbour).
The balloon seller. O/c 20 x 24. Sgd BL in red, dtd 21. At left stands a woman with a plumed black hat, orange shawl, purple blouse and white skirt, holding a large basket containing coloured feathers over her right arm, her left hand on hip; in the centre foreground a woman (perhaps Gertrude) is shown half length in a patterned headscarf and whitish blouse, blowing into a blue balloon, with several other balloons before her; at right stands a man with his back to the viewer, with a brown hat, holding a broom in his left hand, and with a red-bordered carpet over his right shoulder; behind at left is a green-blue gypsy caravan and at right a bright yellow one. The whole painting is highly coloured. C Glasgow 17 Nov 1994 (839 illus).
The boatyard. O/p 11.5 x 15. Sgd BR, dtd 1921. At left and centre are two boats with cream upper hulls raised up for repairs, and a man sits on a trestle, painting the underside of one; at right is a white shed with a red roof. PHGM 2001 (81).
The white room. RA 1921 (352).
1922
A fisherman. Oil. CIP 1922 (257).
A view of Mousehole. O/c 16 x 24. Sgd BL in red, dtd 22. A view of the harbour, four dinghies in the foreground and a red one in the middle distance; the horizon is formed by a terrace of houses above the harbour wall; at far left is the Ship Inn. SL 12 Nov 1986 (41 illus); PL 6 Nov 1990 (60 illus, as Mousehole harbour); CL 22 Nov 2006 (262 illus); SL 11 Dec 2007 (77 illus). ; CL 4 June 2009 (32, as Mousehole harbour, as 16 x 23). WL.
Blackberries. O/c 28.5 x 36. Sgd, dtd 22. At right Gertrude stands full length facing right in profile, her arms raised to pick fruit from a tall bush; she wears a red patterned headscarf, a dark blue blouse, an orange skirt with red horizontal stripes, and black shoes. At left stands a young woman facing right in profile, her head turned down towards a fruit held up in her right hand; her left arm carries a basket; she has a white blouse and a grey skirt; her plaited hair is tied with a red bow; behind are rolling fields, and a big cloudless blue sky. Perhaps RA 1924 (629) and/or RA 1927 (396). Atkinson Art Gallery, Southport (ref. 320, bought 1928 for £42).
Chy-An-Mor. O/c 18 x 24. Sgd BL in red, dtd 1922. Much of the picture is of moorland; at TC is a row of farm buildings; at TR are a couple of green fields; above is a thin stretch of pale blue sky. PL 10 Nov 1987 (16 illus); PL 14 June 1988 (17); DMG Winter 2000 (10 illus, as Near Zennor); CL 22 Nov 2002 (38 illus, as Near Zennor : Chy-An-Mor); WL.
Clara. O/c 24 x 18. Sgd BR in brown, dtd 22. A three-quarter length view of a young woman facing half-left standing leaning against a low stone wall, wearing a short sleeved blouse with vertical grey and dark brown stripes and a grey skirt; her left hand rests on the wall coping; her right hand holds a red rose with the flower turned down; her hair is parted but with a plait behind; beyond her is a brownish landscape with a slender blossoming tree at left and at right a mine head on the horizon; the sky is grey and cloudy; the down turned red flower may signify loss, and the white blossom hope, but in Cornish superstition red and white flowers are associated with death. This image is a larger version of the ‘Clara’ done in 1923. SOL 14 Sep 2006 (163 illus, unframed).
Lovers. Oil. Sgd BL, dtd 1922. At right a man in a hat and suit with waistcoat or cardigan walks with a woman on his right who wears a beret, pale blouse and dark skirt; they move left towards a granite block stile in a turfed dry-stone wall; behind are farm buildings (or hayricks?). Grosvenor Galleries Winter 1922 (87); Drawing & Design December 1923 p.713 (illus) which commented “Mr Harvey has here painted for us a simple but accurate conception of the peace and quiet of the sunset hours. So tranquil is the setting that we are almost startled by the intrusion of the two silhouetted figures”; British Empire Exhibition 1925 (Q.12) when an unidentified review described it as among works “that linger in the memory”; sold for £26-5s in December 1926 (Benezit); LG 1927 (5); Apollo 1927 said “as sentimental as any English painting of the eighties or nineties, but it combines a certain pre-Raphaelite acerbity with solid modelling and a subdued but engaging quality of tone”. WL.
Man with a woman in a cart. O/c 21.75 x 27. Sgd BL, dtd 22. The setting is Mousehole. In the foreground stands a cart with two large wheels, in which sits a woman in a black hat with a white feather and a grey-black shawl; she looks at a bearded man standing between the viewer and the cart, with a bowler hat and black waistcoat, a pipe in his mouth; he holds something in his hands; at left is a grey building with the sign ‘Ship Inn’, and behind lie more houses and a jetty. The man is probably a fish-seller. The Notebook refers to ‘The Donkey Cart (Barlow) 28 x 22’. CL 10 Nov 1988 (55 illus); DMG Autumn 2000 (21 illus, as By the Ship Inn, Mousehole); WL.
Marazion marshes. Oil. Grosvenor Galleries Summer 1922 (50); the Observer of 18 June 1922 wrote “it has the merit of serious formal interest together with colour”; RWA 1924 (663). The Notebook refers to ‘Marazion Marshes 30 x 25’.
On the line. Oil. Sgd BL, dtd 1922. In a kitchen, an older woman (Gertrude) stands at left on wooden steps to hang blue and white striped washing on a line; she wears an open yellow jacket with dark edges, a yellow headscarf, and pale blue skirt; at right a teenage girl stands facing left, with very long hair platted down her back, in a pale blouse and dark skirt, leaning against a table watching her; on the shelves behind is much coloured crockery. RWA 1922 (price £84), when Konody in the Observer on 1 Oct 1922 wrote “a domestic scene in a Cornish cottage interior, is another instance of pleasing subject interpreted in terms of pure art. He stands or falls by the strong emphasis of his pure colour notes set one against the other without inter-vening neutral passages of chiaroscuro, and yet sufficiently indicative of volume to escape the effect of poster-like flat decoration”. Grosvenor Galleries Summer 1923 (125); Drawing & Design Dec 1923, p.711 (illus), which commented “In this picture Mr Harvey has managed to create an interesting and decorative piece of composition. A dexterous treatment of light effects and the clever poise of both figures have chiefly contributed to this result”; City Art Gallery, Manchester 1927 (Living British Artists, no. 128, price £50); RHA 1928 (11); Brighton Autumn 1934. Brighton & Hove Museums (acq.FA000333, bought in 1934 for £40).
Portrait of the artist’s wife, Gertrude. O/c 29.5 x 19.5. Sgd BR, dtd 1922. Full length view of Gertrude wearing a multi-coloured shawl, standing before a tall wardrobe with four levels of drawers; she stands on a pale carpet. The Notebook refers to ‘Gert/Indian Shawl 30 x 20’. Lane P 27 June 1975 (45 ni); Lane P 5 Mar 1981 (235 illus, as Gertrude in a Japanese Kimono standing before an 18th century linen press); SL 16 Sep 1981 (21 illus).
St Paul. O/b. Sgd BR in black, dtd 22. Set in a choir stall at St Hilary. On a sea shore a tonsured monk kneels at left, hands raised, facing right towards a cowled monk who places a stone at the sea’s edge; behind them is a stylised shore landscape, and St Michael’s Mount is in the TR corner.
The critics. O/c 23.75 x 29.75. Sgd BL in red, dtd 1922. Two women sit at a round table, the nearest holding a piece of paper; behind her a woman in a red jacket stands with her hands on the shoulders of the seated woman; through the open door is the entrance hall of Maen Cottage. The figures are Ella Naper, standing, and Gertrude Harvey, seated. RA 1922 (11); PAEEG 1938 (423); PIN p.130-1 illus, no.77; Fox p.77 illus; PHGM 2001 (65); PCF Birmingham 2008 (p112 illus). WL. Birmingham City Museum & Art Gallery (1922P169), presented 1922 by Sir Barry Jackson, who owned and built the Birmingham Repertory Theatre which opened in 1913.
The mackerel season, Newlyn. Oil. ISSPG 28th exhn 1922 (194).
1923
A billygoat. O/c 18 x 24. Sgd BR, dtd 23. A close-up view of a feeding goat standing facing right; at left is a small tree. The paint is thickly applied. Lay P 16 Apr 1982 (635 illus); Lay P 9 July 1982 (917 ni).
A Summer evening. O/c 30 x 36. Sgd BR in red between parallel lines, dtd 23; labels on frame. A landscape with a man and woman at BL, walking right; he has his right arm round her waist; she wears a white dress; at centre two tall trees reach the top edge, with a burst of white sunlight shining through the foliage; beyond are green fields and trees and hedges seen contre-jour; the sky is green-blue; the overall tones are green. New Chenil Galleries London (1920s?); CSK 9 June 2000 (135 illus, as A summer evening); CL 11 Dec 2008 (3 illus, as A summer night).
An interior. O/c 24 x 20. Sgd BR, dtd 1923. A woman sits in a rocking chair, wearing a black cardigan and white skirt; her back is to the viewer and she is talking to a woman at right perched on an armchair, in a red jacket, black hat and skirt, with a walking stick in her hands; behind is a wooden cupboard with china on it; a small dog is asleep before the armchair. CL 7 Mar 1997 (171).
Clara. O/c 13 x 13. Sgd BL, dtd 1923. Head and shoulders view of a pensive young woman facing half-left, with straight dark hair parted over her left eye, in a boldly striped dress with sleeves and halter neck; behind is an indistinct landscape with a mine tower at BL; the sky is large and cloudy in dark tones. A larger version of this image was done in 1922, also titled ‘Clara’. The model was Clara Matthews to whom the Notebook records a later payment of £1-17-6d on 29 April 1928. Drawing & Design December 1923, p.710 (illus), commented “The background depicts a grey and cloudy sky, and its cold colouring does not attract the eye from the centre of interest – the expression on the girl’s face”. Goupil Gallery exhibition of Modern British Art, Summer 1924 (202, price £26-5s); PHGM 2001 (55).
Drift valley. O/c 24 x 30. Sgd BR, dated 1923. A view across a wooded valley towards the opposite hillside, with large fields; on the left horizon are hills; on the right horizon are farm buildings. CIP 1925 (155); Apollo 1927 p.213 referred to it in ‘Living British Artists’ at Leeds, March-April 1927 (100, price £40). Leeds City Art Gallery at Lotherton Hall, bought 1927, ref. 751/1927; PHGM 2001 (62). Oil Paintings in Public Ownership : West Yorkshire : Leeds. Pub. The Public Foundation, London 2004, illus page 97. WL.
Janie. O/c. Sgd BR, dtd 1923. A young woman turned to the left occupies the whole height of the painting, facing the viewer with hands on hips; she wears a V-neck dress; behind her at right are rocks, with the sea beyond and the coast in the distance. RA 1925 (4); RGI 1925 (125); SWS 9 June 1982 (1227 illus). The Notebook refers to ‘Janie Kelynack 16 x 14’. An unidentified reviewer wrote “a clean-drawn, clean-coloured portrait inclining to the early Italian style of Mr Brockhurst, but free from black shadows on the flesh”. The Times of 4 May 1925 said “Janie, rather scornful of her Cornish landscape, does something more (than satisfy expectations of an accomplished painter) ... though here again ... the graduation of colour is a bit too easy for the bold contours”. SPB Mais, in the Daily Graphic of 2 May 1925 said “Janie is a not unworthy companion to ‘The Model’ (by Dod Procter). Here we have a brown eyed, buxom Cornish fisher girl, with dark brown hair blown about her face by the wind, dressed in a simple magenta dress, standing with hands on hips, against a background of grey seas and blue mountains. The look in her eyes is that of Eve, rudely healthy in body, unwoken as yet in mind”.
Marazion marsh. O/c 24 x 30. Sgd BR in red, dtd 23 (the 2 is indis). The foreground is green grass in a flat landscape; at right is a road with telegraph poles; at centre left are two groups of white farmhouses; at centre right is a rounded hillside with fields bordered by hedges; the cloudy sky occupies half the canvas. PHGM 2001 (49). PCF C&SI p113 illus. Penlee House Gallery & Museum (1989.68). WL.
Mousehole harbour. O/c 20 x 18. Sgd BR in red, dtd 23. A view of the harbour with town and hills beyond; in the left foreground a man in a red jersey pushes a wheelbarrow along the quay towards the right; two children sit on the wall; at BR the heads of two men sitting on a bench are visible above the wall; several fishing boats are moored in the harbour in four rows; the general tonality is dark. The Notebook refers to ‘Mousehole harbour PEAG 20 x 16’. CL 23 June 1994 (2 illus). WL.
My kitchen. O/c 39.5 x 30.5. Sgd BR in red, dtd 23. A woman (Gertrude ?) with a black hat and black cardigan, sits at left holding a basket of fruit and vegetables on her lap; another woman in a white dress stands centre, her left hand resting on a kitchen table; the floor is of black and white square tiles. RA 1923 (364); WAGL 1923 (67, price £157-10); PIN p.131 illus, no.78; BAL 37298; WL. Oldham Art Gallery (ref. OLDMS : 6.24, bought 1924 for £50).
The clay pit. O/cb 22.5 x 31.75. Sgd BL, dtd 23. In the foreground of a quarry two men in a cream and a red shirt push a laden rail wagon leftwards, helped by another man at the front, far, side of the wagon; beyond are cuttings and men working; the tonality is pale. The scene is believed to be Leswidden china clay works near St Just; the pit closed in the early 1940s; some pencil underdrawing is visible. There is a separate pencil sketch showing the main figure moving right. PL 7 June 1994 (11 illus); NACF Review 1995 (4225 illus); PHGM 2001 (95). PCF C&SI p191 illus. WL. Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro (1995.29), acquired 2 June 1995.
Time for idle gossip. O/c 18 x 24. Sgd, dtd 1923. Four women stand in a line to draw water from a red brick pump; beyond is Mount’s Bay; the far left woman is old, with arms crossed, wears black clothes, and has a large pitcher by her feet; the second left woman wears a red blouse and dark blue skirt and has both hands on hips; the third left woman wears a yellow blouse and brown skirt and holds a metal pail in her right hand, facing the second woman; the far right woman wears a red headscarf, white blouse and black skirt, and stands at the tap filling a large pitcher. The setting appears to be above Bowjey in Newlyn. The figures are like a frieze, and done in a simplified style with blocks of colour. Laporte : A history in art, 2000 (cover illus, as Village Gossip). Lay P 12 Dec 1985 (426 illus, as A time for gossip); Lane P 27 Mar 1990 (500 illus); Lane P 28 Nov 1991 (160 illus); Lay P 12 Feb 1998 (370 illus, as Village gossip).
1924
A country girl. O/c 14 x 12. Sgd BR, dtd 24. A girl in a white shirt faces the viewer, her right hand supporting a bag carried over her right shoulder; beyond is a simplified landscape. SL 25 May 1983 (55 illus); WL.
A tree at Trereife. O/c 20 x 16. Sgd, dtd 1924. PHGM 2001 (53).
Blackberries. Oil. Konody wrote (undated) “Among other pictures the Visitor to this year’s Academy should not miss”. Mais said in the Daily Graphic on 3 May 1924 “(it) represents a group of children with baskets and tins picking blackberries”. RGI 1924 (454); RA 1924 (629).
Coastal landscape with three girls on headland path. O/c 14 x 16. Sgd, dtd 1924. Morphets Harrogate 10 Apr 1986 (220).
Girl resting on a flower strewn bank. O/c 14 x 12. Sgd BL, dtd 1924. A young woman seated facing left, looking at the viewer; she wears a dark jacket over a short sleeved dress. Lay P 12 Dec 1985 (400 illus); BGL 1986 (13, as Girl in a meadow); BAL 37233 (as A Gypsy girl).
Midge Bruford. O/c 11.5 x 11.5. Sgd BR in red, dtd 24. A young woman rests her elbows on a table with both hands raised to support her chin; she gazes directly at the viewer; she has fair hair parted centrally and wears a dark blue pullover with long sleeves, and on the right little finger is a ring with a large red stone; the background is plain, divided vertically into dark and pale areas.