{"product_id":"william-taylor-longmire-1841-1914-windermere-lake-district-watercolour-c1903","title":"William Taylor Longmire (1841-1914) Windermere, Lake District Watercolour, c1903","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Taylor Longmire (1841-1914)\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eWindermere, Lake District, 1903\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSigned Edwardian British Lake District Watercolour Panoramic View Across Windermere Towards the Langdale Pikes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHighlights\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Original Edwardian watercolour on paper\u003cbr\u003e• By Cumbrian artist William Taylor Longmire (1841-1914)\u003cbr\u003e• Signed W T Longmire\u003cbr\u003e• Titled \"WINDERMERE\" by the artist\u003cbr\u003e• Dated 1903\u003cbr\u003e• Panoramic elevated view across Windermere in the English Lake District\u003cbr\u003e• Prominent mountain formation identified with the Langdale Pikes or wider Langdale group\u003cbr\u003e• Probable elevated viewpoint from the eastern side of Windermere, possibly Orrest Head or nearby ground\u003cbr\u003e• Sailing boats upon the lake\u003cbr\u003e• Wooded islands, shoreline and distant Lakeland fells\u003cbr\u003e• Richly detailed trees, shrubs and vegetation in the foreground\u003cbr\u003e• Mature late-career work by the artist\u003cbr\u003e• Windermere was a recurring subject throughout Longmire's career\u003cbr\u003e• Longmire's work is represented in the National Trust and Government Art Collection\u003cbr\u003e• GES BUR Studios, Southport label verso\u003cbr\u003e• Famous Lord Hill Museum provenance association recorded verso\u003cbr\u003e• Image size 22 cm high x 33 cm wide\u003cbr\u003e• Framed size 37.5 cm high x 48 cm wide x 2 cm deep\u003cbr\u003e• Subsequently curated and presented by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003cbr\u003e• Supplied with a Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA finely detailed signed and dated Edwardian watercolour by \u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Taylor Longmire (1841-1914)\u003c\/strong\u003e depicting an extensive panoramic view across Windermere in the English Lake District towards the mountainous landscape of the Langdale Fells.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDated 1903, the work belongs to the mature period of Longmire's career and represents one of the principal Lakeland subjects to which this Cumbrian artist repeatedly returned over several decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eViewed from a substantial elevated position, Windermere extends across the composition towards the surrounding fells. Several sailing boats animate the calm waters, while wooded islands, promontories and irregular shorelines create successive layers through the landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe foreground is particularly richly developed. Trees, shrubs, grasses and flowering vegetation provide a detailed natural framework before the eye is led across the lake towards the increasingly atmospheric mountains beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLongmire combines warmer greens, ochres, browns and russet tones in the foreground with softer blue-grey and muted violet tones across the distant fells. This transition from stronger foreground colour towards increasingly subdued distant tones creates a convincing impression of atmospheric recession and considerable depth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf particular importance is the artist's own inscription \"WINDERMERE\", which securely identifies the subject rather than relying upon a later traditional attribution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtist: William Taylor Longmire (1841-1914)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTitle: Windermere\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDate: 1903\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMedium: Watercolour on paper\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGenre: Edwardian British Landscape \/ Lake District Landscape\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSignature: Signed W T Longmire lower right\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInscription: Titled \"WINDERMERE\" lower right\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDate Inscription: Dated 1903 lower right\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubject: Windermere, Lake District, Cumbria\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMountain Group: Langdale Pikes \/ wider Langdale group, identified on topographical comparison\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProbable Viewpoint: Elevated eastern side of Windermere, possibly Orrest Head or nearby ground\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImage Dimensions: 22 cm high x 33 cm wide\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFramed Dimensions: 37.5 cm high x 48 cm wide x 2 cm deep\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrame: Later gilt frame with cream mount and gilt inner line\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGlazing: Presented beneath protective glass\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReverse: GES BUR Studios, Southport trade label and provenance documentation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition demonstrates Longmire's accomplished understanding of panoramic Lake District landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn elevated foreground of trees and vegetation establishes the viewer's position high above the lake. From here the landscape opens dramatically, with Windermere occupying the middle distance before the surrounding mountains rise across the horizon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral sailing craft punctuate the water, their sails providing small points of light and human activity within the extensive natural landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWooded islands and projections of shoreline divide the lake and contribute to the strong sense of recession.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLongmire's handling changes according to distance. The immediate vegetation is relatively detailed, with individual trees, shrubs and passages of foliage carefully articulated. Across the middle distance, forms become broader as woodland, shoreline and water merge into the wider landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe distant fells are treated more softly in restrained blue-grey and violet tones, reducing detail as the mountains recede into atmospheric haze.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis progression from detailed foreground vegetation towards increasingly softened distant landscape is particularly effective in creating the deep panoramic perspective of the composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWindermere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWindermere was a recurring subject within Longmire's career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Government Art Collection holds his signed watercolour \u003cem\u003eWindermere\u003c\/em\u003e, dated 1867 and inscribed \"W T Longmire \/ 1867\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe National Trust at Townend, Troutbeck, holds Longmire's \u003cem\u003eView of Windermere and Langdale Pikes from Low Wood, with a Flock of Seventeen Herdwick Sheep\u003c\/em\u003e, together with several other works by the artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese documented examples establish Longmire's sustained artistic engagement with Windermere and its surrounding landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present painting, dated 1903, demonstrates his return to this characteristic Lakeland subject more than three decades after his documented 1867 \u003cem\u003eWindermere\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Langdale Pikes \u0026amp; Probable Viewpoint\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prominent mountain formation beyond Windermere is identified with the \u003cstrong\u003eLangdale Pikes or wider Langdale group\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the defining features of the mountainous skyline west and north-west of the lake.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Langdale Pikes include Harrison Stickle, Pike of Stickle and Loft Crag. Individual summits overlap considerably when viewed from the Windermere direction, and Longmire may also have adjusted their forms and proportions for compositional purposes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe geographical arrangement within the painting nevertheless provides an important clue to the viewpoint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lake is viewed from substantial elevation, with the Langdale mountain group beyond its northern reaches. This is consistent with a position on the \u003cstrong\u003eeastern side of Windermere looking west to north-west\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe celebrated prospect from \u003cstrong\u003eOrrest Head above Windermere\u003c\/strong\u003e, or elevated ground nearby, provides a particularly close geographical comparison.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarly twentieth-century photographic records of the head of Windermere and Langdale Pikes from Orrest Head provide especially relevant comparative evidence because they are approximately contemporary with Longmire's watercolour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOrrest Head or its immediate vicinity is therefore considered a plausible viewpoint, although the precise position from which Longmire painted has not been independently documented.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Artist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam Taylor Longmire (1841-1914) was a Cumbrian landscape and rural painter closely associated with the English Lake District.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn at Troutbeck in 1841, Longmire grew up within the rural Lakeland environment that subsequently became the principal subject of his artistic career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1861 census records the nineteen-year-old Longmire at High Scroggs, Staveley, working as a farm servant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the 1860s he had developed into an accomplished painter. The National Trust preserves his substantial signed and dated watercolour \u003cem\u003eTownend, Troutbeck, Cumbria\u003c\/em\u003e of 1866 and his \u003cem\u003eScroggs Farm, Staveley\u003c\/em\u003e of 1870.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLongmire became particularly associated with Lake District subjects. Recorded works depict Windermere, Troutbeck, Staveley, Ambleside, Grasmere, Rydal, Derwentwater, Thirlmere, Ennerdale, Coniston and the Langdale Pikes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis paintings frequently combine extensive mountain and lake scenery with carefully described foreground vegetation, rural buildings and elements of traditional Lakeland life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLongmire therefore painted the Lake District as an artist deeply rooted within the Cumbrian landscape rather than as an occasional visitor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the end of his life he was resident at Ambleside and formally recorded as an artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe died in 1914.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Mature Work - 1903\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present watercolour was completed when Longmire was approximately sixty-one or sixty-two years old and belongs to the mature period of his career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecialist records document several Longmire watercolours from around this period, including \u003cem\u003eIn the Lakes, Ennerdale\u003c\/em\u003e of 1903, \u003cem\u003eGrasmere\u003c\/em\u003e of 1903 and \u003cem\u003eThe Langdale Pikes\u003c\/em\u003e of 1904.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf particular research interest is a specialist dealer archive recording a signed Longmire watercolour entitled \u003cem\u003eWindermere\u003c\/em\u003e, also dated 1903.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe correspondence of artist, title, medium and year makes this a potentially significant comparative record. Insufficient identifying information is presently available, however, to establish that the archived work and the present painting are the same physical artwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is therefore treated as a comparative research record rather than incorporated into the provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstitutional Collections\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam Taylor Longmire is represented in British public and heritage collections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe National Trust preserves a significant group of his paintings at Townend, Troutbeck, including \u003cem\u003eTownend, Troutbeck, Cumbria\u003c\/em\u003e of 1866, \u003cem\u003eScroggs Farm, Staveley\u003c\/em\u003e of 1870 and \u003cem\u003eView of Windermere and Langdale Pikes from Low Wood, with a Flock of Seventeen Herdwick Sheep\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Government Art Collection holds his signed and dated \u003cem\u003eWindermere\u003c\/em\u003e of 1867.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese institutional works provide important comparative evidence for Longmire's signature, technique, subject matter and longstanding engagement with Windermere and the wider Lake District.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGES BUR Studios, 46 Claremont Road, Southport, Fine Art Dealers, Picture Framers \u0026amp; Photographic Restorers; printed trade label retained verso.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrivately Loaned with the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire; provenance association recorded in documentation retained verso.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubsequently curated and presented by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA descriptive sheet retained verso identifies the work as \u003cem\u003eWindermere\u003c\/em\u003e by W. T. Longmire and records its associations with GES BUR Studios, Famous Lord Hill Museum and Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe GES BUR Studios trade label establishes a physical association with the Southport fine art and framing business. It does not alone establish whether the firm owned, sold, framed, restored or otherwise handled the watercolour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Famous Lord Hill Museum association is retained according to the surviving provenance documentation and is not interpreted beyond the presently available evidence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComparative Works\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTownend, Troutbeck, Cumbria\u003c\/em\u003e, 1866, watercolour on paper, National Trust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWindermere\u003c\/em\u003e, 1867, watercolour on paper, Government Art Collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eScroggs Farm, Staveley\u003c\/em\u003e, 1870, National Trust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eView of Windermere and Langdale Pikes from Low Wood, with a Flock of Seventeen Herdwick Sheep\u003c\/em\u003e, circa 1860-1880, National Trust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWindermere\u003c\/em\u003e, 1903, signed watercolour recorded in a specialist dealer archive; potentially relevant as a comparative record but not presently established as the same physical work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Langdale Pikes\u003c\/em\u003e, 1904, signed watercolour recorded in a specialist dealer archive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWatercolour \/ visible image:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e22 cm high x 33 cm wide\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFramed:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e37.5 cm high x 48 cm wide x 2 cm deep\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll dimensions are approximate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFair antique condition consistent with age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe watercolour remains visually attractive and the panoramic composition is clearly legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScattered foxing and spotting are present, particularly across the lighter sky area, together with age-related toning and discolouration of the paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA small tear, puncture or area of paper disturbance is visible towards the lower portion of the composition close to the lake and shoreline.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe precise nature and extent of this area have not been examined outside the frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work is presented beneath protective glass within a later cream mount with gilt inner line and gilt frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe frame displays general wear consistent with age and previous handling, including rubbing, scuffs, small chips and localised losses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe watercolour has not been removed from its frame during cataloguing. The concealed margins and reverse of the paper have therefore not been examined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease examine all photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the condition report.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorldwide shipping is available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting will be professionally packaged and fully insured for transit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAttribution and Research\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe suggested identification of the prominent mountain formation as the Langdale Pikes or wider Langdale group, together with Orrest Head or nearby elevated ground on the eastern side of Windermere as a possible viewpoint, is a topographical interpretation based upon the visible landscape, geographical context and comparative views. The precise individual summits and exact position from which Longmire painted have not been independently documented and are therefore presented as considered possibilities rather than established facts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional photographs and further information are available upon request.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51751660749178,"sku":"k1397","price":600.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0201\/2227\/1808\/files\/edwardian-watercolour-windermere-scafell-pike-lake-district.jpg?v=1789743572","url":"https:\/\/cheshireantiquesconsultantltd.com\/ga-sa\/products\/william-taylor-longmire-1841-1914-windermere-lake-district-watercolour-c1903","provider":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","version":"1.0","type":"link"}