Footnotes

Property from a Private Collection, Canada.

Arthur J. Elsley was born in London in 1860. He trained at the Royal Academy Schools from 1876 and on completion of his studies took up portraiture of people and animals. In 1889 he became the junior in the studio of Fred Morgan (1847-1927) and under Morgan's guidance he learned how to compose narrative paintings of children with their pets. Very soon his works were being exhibited prominently at the Royal Academy with titles like "An Unwilling Partner" 1890, "Don't Tell" and "I'se Biggest" both 1892. Elsley married in late 1893 and set up his own studio at his new home 28 Finchley Road, St. John's Wood and at the turn of the century he moved to 26 Queen's Road (now re-named Queen's Grove), St. John's Wood, London. It was here, in his garden studio, that he painted "One at a Time."

This painting dates from Elsley's most proficient and inventive period when he was perfecting his art. It is fresh to the market, and there is no record of it being auctioned previously.

The model, an unknown girl, appears in a number of Elsley's paintings around this time, including "You Mustn't Pull" 1901, "Here He Comes" 1901 and "Her New Love" 1902.

Elsley favoured Rough Collies in his paintings, but the large dog in this work is a tri-colour Border collie. He painted the same dog, the previous year, in "This Way" 1900 [see colour photograph in "Golden Hours" p.64].

The white dog appears to be a smooth fox terrier and the small dog at the back is probably a Yorkshire terrier, which would fit in with Elsley's usual choice of breeds. The girl appears to be trying to find a collar to fit the fox terrier with one on the bench and one on the ground.

Elsley's paintings were in great demand by print publishers, and he exhibited few works. In Britain, reproduction of Elsley's works far outstripped any of the artists we now associate with this period. His prints were used as promotional pieces and for advertising by various companies, and for presentation with special issues of magazines such as The Illustrated London News and the Pears' Annual. This work was not exhibited; the copyright was bought by the print publisher C. Klackner, who reproduced it as a large sepia photogravure. The painting was bought, around this time, by the engineer William Penrose-Green who was Mayor of Leeds in 1907, and President of Leeds Golf Club in 1911.

PROVENANCE:
The collection of the late W. Penrose Green, J.P., 3 Park Place, Leeds, Cooling Galleries; ex Tufts Collection, Canada, thence to James Gordon Tufts, by descent to his granddaughter.

LITERATURE:
Terry Parker Golden Hours. The Paintings of Arthur J. Elsley 1860-1952 (Shepton Beauchamp: Richard Dennis 1998) page 89.