The White Hart (pub sign)
Pub Sign
ca. 1875 (painted), ca. 1750 (made)
ca. 1875 (painted), ca. 1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The artist, Myles Birket Foster, who was usually known by his second name, lived in the village of Witley, near Godalming, Surrey, where this sign hung outside the village inn, the White Hart. Attracted by the rural setting, Birket Foster orginally rented a cottage in Witley for a family holiday in 1860 and then bought about twenty acres of land nearby to build his own house, The Hill. This was furnished with furniture, tiles and stained glass supplied by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.
Birket Foster specialised in landscapes and views of rural life, particularly those inspired by the unspoilt countryside around Witley. Although he is known mainly for his watercolours, he also painted in oil, the medium used for this inn sign. It was apparently re-painted by him and by Alfred W. Cooper, a family friend, about 1875 and the Museum purchased it from the owner of the inn in 1938.
Birket Foster specialised in landscapes and views of rural life, particularly those inspired by the unspoilt countryside around Witley. Although he is known mainly for his watercolours, he also painted in oil, the medium used for this inn sign. It was apparently re-painted by him and by Alfred W. Cooper, a family friend, about 1875 and the Museum purchased it from the owner of the inn in 1938.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The White Hart (pub sign) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Metal bracket for pub sign for the 'White Hart' by Myles Birket Foster, Wiltley, ca. 1750. |
| Physical description | Iron bracket for pub sign for 'The White Hart' |
| Gallery label | SIGN BOARD
ENGLISH; the board mid-18th century, the painting about 1875
Pinewood painted for the White Hart Inn, Witley, Surrey, by Mile Birkett Foster (1825-99) and Alfred Cooper.
NB should be Myles Birket Foster KH 3/1/2005(pre January 2001) |
| Object history | This sign hung outside the inn, the White Hart, in the village of Witley, near Godalming, Surrey. In a letter to Professor Tristram of 1938 (on the Nominal file) Capt. L.M. Glasson, grandson of Birket Foster, says that his mother remembers her father painting the sign when she was a girl. H.M. Cundall's book, Birket Foster, RWS (1906) page 185 also records him painting the sign. Birket Foster apparently painted the sign with Alfred W. Cooper, son of Alfred Cooper, RA. The sign was purchased from Mrs. Edward Chandler, owner of the inn, whose husband's family apparently owned the manor of Witley for many years. |
| Summary | The artist, Myles Birket Foster, who was usually known by his second name, lived in the village of Witley, near Godalming, Surrey, where this sign hung outside the village inn, the White Hart. Attracted by the rural setting, Birket Foster orginally rented a cottage in Witley for a family holiday in 1860 and then bought about twenty acres of land nearby to build his own house, The Hill. This was furnished with furniture, tiles and stained glass supplied by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. Birket Foster specialised in landscapes and views of rural life, particularly those inspired by the unspoilt countryside around Witley. Although he is known mainly for his watercolours, he also painted in oil, the medium used for this inn sign. It was apparently re-painted by him and by Alfred W. Cooper, a family friend, about 1875 and the Museum purchased it from the owner of the inn in 1938. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.69-1938 |
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| Record created | February 23, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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