Watercolour by John Fulleylove R.I (1845-1908)

This evocative little watercolour captures beautifully a passing moment of relaxation on a summer’s afternoon in late Victorian England. A little girl plays, two ladies of a certain age chat on a park bench and a lady with a parasol and an old gentleman with a walking stick approach each other across the turf.

The painter of this meticulous little picture is John Fulleylove, who specialised in recording minute scenic detail, usually of buildings and street scenes, with the merest of brushstrokes. Although he specialised in London street scenes and records of his travels in the Middle East, Fulleylove was born in Leicester and this is a record of his home town, specifically the site of what had once been the town’s racecourse at Victoria Park. The racecourse closed in 1883, so the watercolour was painted at some time between that date and Fulleylove’s death in 1908.

Examples of Fulleylove’s work can be seen at Tate Britain and the Ashmolean Museum

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