Oil painting, 'Politicians', Charles Meer Webb, 1865

Bequeathed by John Forster

Bequeathed by John Forster, 1876


Charles Meer Webb (1830-1895) was born on 16th July 1830, probably near London, although some reports suggest that his birth was at Breda in the Netherlands. He studied art at the Academies of Amsterdam, Anvers and Düsseldorf. Webb moved to the latter in 1848 and whilst there he became a pupil of Wilhelm Camphausen. He occasionally worked in Anvers and Cleves but settled and remained largely in Düsseldorf for the majority of his life. He made a name for himself particularly as a painter of genre subjects and some of his most successful and well received paintings were taken from English life and history. He died in early December 1895 from injuries sustained from a fall.

Politicians is painted in a style that was typical of Webb’s genre paintings. The scene depicted is a rustic interior abounding with the accoutrements of everyday life. It was painted at Düsseldorf for John Forster in 1865 for the sum of £50.

F.41