A Victorian Sporting Painting with an Extraordinary Story

Occasionally, a historical painting offers far more than an attractive representation of its subject. It becomes a surviving connection with an identifiable moment in history, the people who experienced it and the descendants who continue to preserve their memory.

At Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, our continuing investigation into an original oil painting depicting Melton with Fred Archer up has revealed an exceptionally compelling combination of British racing history, aristocratic patronage, artistic documentation and family testimony.

Signed and dated 1885 by the British sporting painter F. S. Evans, the painting depicts the celebrated thoroughbred Melton with champion jockey Frederick James Archer mounted.

The date is particularly significant. In 1885, Melton won both the Epsom Derby and St Leger, securing his place among the outstanding racehorses of the Victorian era.

Our research has examined the painting's original signature, a historic London canvas supplier's stamp, documented auction provenance from the Stafford Ellerman estate and two important comparative paintings preserved in the National Trust collection.

Most remarkably, the investigation has also brought us into correspondence with Diana Reynolds, Fred Archer's great-granddaughter, who generously shared family photographs and personal recollections concerning her distinguished ancestor.

Explore the Original 1885 Melton and Fred Archer Painting

Fred Archer: The Legendary Champion of Victorian Racing

Frederick James Archer was born on 11 January 1857 and became one of the most successful jockeys in the history of British horse racing.

His career developed under the guidance of the distinguished trainer Mathew Dawson at Heath House, Newmarket.

During the Victorian period, horse racing occupied an important position in British society. The principal Classics attracted aristocratic owners, enthusiastic spectators and extensive coverage in contemporary newspapers.

Successful jockeys became national sporting personalities, and few achieved greater recognition than Fred Archer.

His extraordinary judgement, determination and riding ability contributed to a remarkable career that included five victories in the Epsom Derby.

Archer's appearance became familiar through contemporary photographs, sporting illustrations and painted portraits.

His life ended tragically on 8 November 1886, when he was only 29 years old.

Today, surviving contemporary representations of Archer remain particularly interesting historical records of a sporting figure whose exceptional achievements were compressed into a remarkably short lifetime.

Melton: The Horse That Won the 1885 Derby and St Leger

Melton was foaled in 1882 and belonged to George Manners Astley, 20th Baron Hastings.

The Astley family was associated with Melton Constable Hall in Norfolk, and Lord Hastings maintained important interests in thoroughbred racing.

Trained by Mathew Dawson at Newmarket, Melton developed into one of the outstanding racehorses of his generation.

His defining achievement came on 3 June 1885, when he contested the Epsom Derby.

The race produced a dramatic finish against Paradox, ridden by Fred Webb.

Contemporary accounts describe a closely fought contest, with Melton securing victory after an exciting final challenge.

The result brought considerable prestige to Lord Hastings and further enhanced Fred Archer's already formidable reputation.

Later that year, Melton won the St Leger at Doncaster, completing a distinguished Classic double.

These victories secured his position among the outstanding thoroughbreds of Victorian Britain.

An Original 1885 Painting by F. S. Evans

The painting being researched by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® depicts Melton standing in profile, with Fred Archer mounted in racing colours.

Executed in oil on canvas, the work bears the signature F. S. Evans and the date 1885 in the lower-right corner.

Its date places the painting within the year of Melton's greatest racing achievements and the final full racing season of Archer's life.

Melton's muscular bay form dominates the composition, with the artist carefully observing the horse's anatomy, proportions and polished leather tack.

Archer sits relatively upright in the saddle, reflecting the longer riding position associated with nineteenth-century British racing before the widespread adoption of the shorter forward crouch.

Behind the figures stretches an atmospheric landscape beneath a broad, cloud-filled sky.

The composition belongs to the distinguished tradition of British sporting portraiture, through which important racehorses were commemorated in substantial oil paintings.

Such works were frequently associated with aristocratic racing patrons and country-house collections.

Although the painting's subject is directly connected with Lord Hastings's racing interests, the identity of its original commissioning patron has not yet been conclusively established.

The National Trust Connection: Two Paintings by F. S. Evans

One of the most important developments in our research has been the identification of two relevant paintings by F. S. Evans in the National Trust collection.

Both paintings are associated with Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland, and provide important evidence for Evans's activity in 1885.

The National Trust's records establish valuable artistic and historical comparisons, although they do not independently prove that the painting offered by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® was commissioned by Lord Hastings or belonged to the same collection.

Percy Young and the Slade School Fine Art Depot

Another important historical clue survives on the reverse of the original canvas.

The painting retains a supplier's stamp associated with Percy Young, whose business operated at 137 Gower Street, London.

The recorded wording identifies the Slade School Fine Art Depot, associated with the supply of artists' materials in late-Victorian London.

The National Portrait Gallery's directory of British artists' suppliers records Percy Young's historical involvement in the artists' materials trade.

The existence of a comparable Slade School Fine Art Depot stamp on the National Trust's Master Kildare is particularly interesting.

These material similarities may assist future research into the canvas supports, commercial suppliers and working practices associated with Evans.

However, supplier's stamps do not independently prove authorship, common ownership or a shared commission.

Tracing the Painting's Provenance: Lord Hastings, Stafford Cass and the Ellerman Estate

The painting's published modern provenance provides an important foundation for further investigation.

On 21 March 2024, the work appeared at Ewbank's auction house in Surrey as Lot 1178 in its Silver & Fine Art sale.

The catalogue identified the painting as a work by F. S. Evans, signed and dated 1885, depicting Melton with Fred Archer mounted.

Ewbank's recorded that the painting had passed to its vendor from the estate of Stafford Ellerman, who lived from 1928 to 2022.

A reported earlier historical connection involving Stafford Thomas Cass (1849-1934) and Lord Hastings forms part of the continuing investigation.

The precise documentary evidence supporting this earlier association has not yet been independently established.

Our research is directed towards surviving estate inventories, correspondence, original auction documentation and historical records associated with the Astley family and Melton Constable.

An uninterrupted ownership history from 1885 to the present is not currently claimed.

A Remarkable Family Connection: Fred Archer's Great-Granddaughter

Perhaps the most personally rewarding development in the investigation has been correspondence with Diana Reynolds, Fred Archer's great-granddaughter.

After examining photographs of the painting, Diana generously shared her observations concerning the artist's representation of her distinguished ancestor.

She expressed particular admiration for the likeness and drew attention to the depiction of Archer's mouth and teeth.

These characteristics reminded her of physical features remembered within her family.

Diana explained that her eldest brother had possessed similar teeth, although they had subsequently been straightened.

This observation offers an unusually personal connection between the historical portrait and a living descendant of its subject.

Diana's response is particularly meaningful because the artist has represented Archer's facial features with sufficient individuality to invite comparison with authenticated historical photographs.

Her recognition is recorded as firsthand family testimony rather than independent scientific authentication of the painting.

Diana has kindly granted permission for her contribution to the research to be acknowledged.

A Family Story Passed Through Generations: Lord Hastings and the Name Melton

Diana's correspondence also revealed a fascinating family recollection passed down through her mother, Susan Tosetti, and her grandmother Nellie.

According to the family account, Lord Hastings's wife was unable to attend Melton's Derby victory because she was heavily pregnant.

When the child was subsequently born, the name Charles Melton Ashley was reportedly chosen in recognition of the celebrated racehorse.

Diana recalled that Fred Archer was particularly pleased when informed of the naming.

The story provides a remarkable insight into the personal significance of Melton's Derby victory and the relationships surrounding Victorian racing.

It also demonstrates how family recollections can preserve details that may be absent from conventional sporting histories.

The account is presented as family oral history. The precise spelling of the child's name and associated genealogical details remain to be independently verified.

The recollection does not establish the original commission or ownership of the painting.

Preserving Fred Archer's Memory: Historical Photographs and His Memorial

Alongside her correspondence, Diana generously supplied historical family photographs associated with Fred Archer and his descendants.

These include a photographic portrait of Archer, a painted portrait of a woman whose precise identity requires further confirmation, and photographs documenting the Archer family memorial.

Diana explained that she arranged for the grave of Fred Archer and his wife, Helen Rose, to be cleaned and restored.

The memorial photographs provide a moving record of the family's continuing commitment to preserving Archer's memory.

For Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, these images form an important part of the supporting historical research archive associated with the painting.

They provide valuable family context and personal testimony, although they do not establish the painting's nineteenth-century provenance.

Exhibition at The Famous Lord Hill Museum, October 2026

In October 2026, the painting was privately loaned and exhibited at The Famous Lord Hill Museum.

This exhibition forms part of the painting's recorded recent history and represents a further chapter in its continued presentation and study.

The exhibition information is recorded by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. Supporting institutional documentation has not yet been independently assessed.

The painting continues to be researched, particularly in relation to its original commission, early provenance and connection with the surviving National Trust works.

The Painting: Catalogue Information

Why Victorian Sporting Paintings Continue to Fascinate Collectors

British sporting art occupies a distinctive position within the history of European painting.

Such works preserve the appearance of celebrated horses, record important achievements and reflect the social significance of racing within British society.

The finest examples also reveal the artistic traditions, patronage networks and collecting practices of their period.

A painting depicting Melton and Fred Archer brings together several compelling historical elements: a Derby-winning thoroughbred, one of Britain's greatest jockeys, an identifiable racing season and a contemporary painted representation.

For collectors of equestrian art, Victorian painting and British racing history, these associations provide a particularly rich subject for scholarship.

For interior designers and collectors furnishing country houses, libraries, equestrian residences and traditional interiors, historic sporting paintings also possess enduring decorative appeal.

Their importance lies not merely in their visual character but in the historical stories preserved within the artwork.

Bringing History Into Your Home!

Continuing the Historical Investigation

Our research into the painting remains ongoing.

Important questions concern the full identity and career of F. S. Evans, the original commission, the reported Stafford Thomas Cass connection and the relationship between the present work and the two National Trust paintings.

Potentially relevant archival sources include the Astley family and Melton Constable estate papers held by the Norfolk Record Office, together with historical correspondence identified at the British Library.

Further enquiries may also involve original Ewbank's consignment records, National Trust accession documentation, historical inventories and nineteenth-century exhibition catalogues.

Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® welcomes relevant information from racing historians, archivists, descendants and institutions holding records associated with Fred Archer, Melton, Lord Hastings or F. S. Evans.

Our objective is to establish the strongest possible evidence-based account of the painting's artistic and historical significance.

Published References and Historical Sources

Ewbank's: Silver & Fine Art, 21 March 2024, Lot 1178.

National Trust Collections: Melton, a Bay Racehorse, with Fred Archer Up, collection number 1276782.

National Trust Collections: Master Kildare, collection number 1276788.

National Portrait Gallery: British artists' suppliers directory, Percy Young.

Family testimony: Correspondence and historical photographs supplied by Diana Reynolds, October 2026.

Norfolk Record Office: Astley family and Melton Constable estate papers, ACC 2002/272, identified for further investigation.

British Library: Add MS 69411, identified as a potential archival research source.

The identified archival research leads are not represented as having already established the painting's original commission or uninterrupted provenance.

DISCOVER THE ORIGINAL 1885 PAINTING

Melton with Fred Archer Up - F. S. Evans, 1885

Explore the original Victorian sporting oil painting depicting Derby and St Leger winner Melton with legendary jockey Fred Archer.

Signed and dated 1885, with documented auction provenance, important National Trust comparisons and remarkable historical family testimony from Fred Archer's great-granddaughter, Diana Reynolds.

VIEW THE ORIGINAL PAINTING

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Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® specialises in original British and European paintings, equestrian and sporting art, historical portraiture, maritime subjects, landscapes and sculpture.

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