A Portrait of 'The Cossack,' Winner of The Derby 1847 with S Templeman up

HARRY HALL

1814 - 1882

English School

A Portrait of ‘The Cossack,’ Winner of The Derby 1847 with S Templeman up

Oil on Canvas, signed and dated 1847

23 x 30 inches 

58.5 x 76.2 cms

This first-class draughtsman of hunters and thoroughbreds occasionally produced portraits and shooting scenes. However, Harry Hall is best remembered for his formal portraiture of racehorses, often depicted with a trainer nearby and interesting architectural details in the distance. He became the major racehorse portraitist of his time and painted in a style similar to that of J. F. Herring Snr., the leading racehorse portraitist prior to Hall.

Harry Hall was born in Cambridge. His first recorded working address was at Tattersalls in London. His earliest artwork was for Tattersall's British Racehorses and The Sporting Review. For a while, he served as the chief artist for The Field. He was extremely industrious and much of his work was engraved. The Sporting Magazine published 114 of his plates.

Hall soon took up permanent residence in Newmarket, to be at the center of the racing scene. Similar to a present-day photographer, he was employed to capture the likenesses of racehorses on oil and canvas. This he did with great exactitude so that his work is not only of artistic value, but also of value to historians of the Turf. His racehorses are often depicted as having slightly smaller heads and more muscular hindquarters, as was the fashion of the time.

Hall exhibited 11 paintings at the Royal Academy between 1838 and 1864. A further 44 paintings were exhibited at places such as the British Institute and Suffolk Street. Titles include 'Shooting Companions, 'Thoroughbreds,' 'Favourite Hunters,' and 'Horses Frightened by Dogs.'

Hall's son, Sydney Prior Hall (1842 -1920), was also an artist of great ability and exhibited several non-sporting paintings at the Royal Academy.

Harry Hall died on 22 April at home on Newmarket High Street.