Austen (Winifred)

, , c.1930.
a charming and perfectly typical example of the work of Winifred Austen (1876-1964). She was born in Ramsgate, but her family later moved to London where she studied at the London County Council School of Arts and Crafts, under the animal painter, Cuthbert Swan. She first exhibited a painting at the Royal Academy in 1899, and continued to have a successful career. But it was as an etcher that she is best remembered, particularly her love of, and skill in, depicting small birds and animals. The great naturalist and ornithologist, Sir Peter Scott, described her as “the best bird-etcher” of the 20th century..
145 by 190mm (5¾ by 7½ inches).