Here is a rare hand-written and signed letter by British artist/illustrator/watercolorer, Myles Birket Foster. The hand-written and signed letter is on letterhead from his home in Surrey called The Hill. It is dated November 13, 1871. In the letter he is. Declining the Presidency of the Liverpool Society of Water Colour Painters. Myles Birket Foster RWS (4 February 1825 27 March 1899) was a British illustrator, watercolourist and engraver in the Victorian period. Foster was born in North Shields, England of a primarily Quaker family, but his family moved south to London in 1830, where his father founded M. Foster & sons a successful beer-bottling company. He was schooled at Hitchin, Hertfordshire and on leaving initially went into his father’s business. However, noticing his talent for art, his father secured an apprenticeship with the wood-engraver, Ebenezer Landells, where he worked on illustrations for Punch magazine and the Illustrated London News. On leaving Landells’ employ, he continued to produce work for the Illustrated London News and the Illustrated London Almanack. He also found work as a book illustrator and, during the 1850s, trained himself to paint in watercolours. His illustrations of Longfellows Evangeline and books of poetry by other contemporaries were a great success, and he quickly became a successful artist in watercolours. Birket Foster became an Associate of the “Old” Watercolour Society (later the Royal Watercolour Society) in 1860 and exhibited some 400 of his paintings at the Royal Academy over more than 2 decades. Birket Foster travelled widely, painting the countryside around Scotland, the Rhine Valley, the Swiss lakes and in Italy, especially Venice. In 1863 he moved to Witley, near Godalming in Surrey where he had an elaborate Tudor-style house (“The Hill”) built. Being friendly with Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, he had the house decorated and furnished in contemporary style, with tiles and paintings by Burne-Jones and Morris’ firm, Morris and Company. The same year he published a volume of “English Landscapes, ” with text by Tom Taylor. Among his artist friends and associates were Fred Walker, Charles Keene and William Quiller Orchardson. Although he had painted great numbers of landscape scenes from Scotland to the Mediterranean, it was after moving to Witley that Birket Foster produced the works for which he is best knowna sentimentalised view of the contemporary English countryside, particularly in the west Surrey area. Although criticised for their idealised view of rural life, they were recognised for their detail and execution. He became ill in 1893 and moved to Weybridge. He continued painting, but died on 27 March 1899. His obituary in The Times referred to him as “certainly the most popular water-colour artist of our time”. He is buried at All Saints’ Church in Witley. When his father, Myles Birket Foster died, the artist son’s obituary was published. In 1864, he married Francis Watson, the daughter of Dawson Watson, and sister of the artist John Dawson Watson. The letter remains in very good condition! Letter shows fold marks and the back panel shows signs of once being mounted. This is a very rare signature and a great item to add to a collection! (Inventory: Autograph Closet – Envelope 13). Track Page Views With. Auctiva’s FREE Counter. The item “1871 Handwritten & Signed Letter MYLES BIRKET FOSTER Victorian British Artist” is in sale since Thursday, April 1, 2021. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Autographs\Historical”. The seller is “ron-likes-history” and is located in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. This item can be shipped to United States, all countries in Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guadeloupe, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Sri lanka, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.

• Modified Item: No
• Original/Reproduction: Original
• Signed by: Myles Birket Foster
• Signed: Yes