A pleasing landscape scene of a harvest near Cooksbridge, Sussex by Henry John Kinnaird. Figures are shown harvesting a crop in the foreground; whilst in the field beyond others stack sheaves onto a hay cart. A cottage and other buildings can be seen nestled amongst trees to the right. Cooksbridge is a village situated in the parish of Hamsey in Sussex a short distance from Lewes. It sits on the edge of the South Downs National Park, England’s newest national park which was designated in 2010.

Henry John Kinnaird was a landscape artist born on 7 June, 1861 at Old Church, St Pancras in London. He was the eldest son of Francis Henry Kinnaird (1836-1916), who was an artist and his wife Charlotte née Lee. His brother Francis Joseph ‘Wiggs’ Kinnaird (1875-1915) also became an artist. Both were probably tutored by their father as their style and subject matter are similar, but Henry is also known to have taught his brother art. He spent his time on painting trips around the country and visited areas such as Buxton in Derbyshire where he met his future wife.

He made his debut at the Royal Society of British Artists in 1880 from his parents address at 98 Brecknock Road, Islington with a work entitled ‘In the Green Woods, near Buxton’. By the time of his marriage to Alice Mary Leyland on 6 Feb, 1883 at Buxton he had established himself as a full time artist. The couple spent their early married life at 38 Leighton Road, Camden and had 2 children together.

In 1886, he began exhibiting at the Royal Academy where he continued to show his work over the years. He moved to Chingford, Essex around 1887 where he was inspired by the views in his locality. Kinnaird painted in both oils and watercolours in a broad, naturalistic style similar to John Horace Hooper. Many of his works are of harvest scenes such as this fine example.

After the death of his wife Alice in 1890, he married Mary Helen Cooke on 6 September, 1892. The couple went on to have 2 children. By 1901, he had relocated with his family to Worthing in Sussex where he lived at Rusholme on Homefield Road. After staying there for a few more years he moved to Elm Croft, Burpham, Arundel before moving to Ringmer near Lewes in Sussex.

He spent the final years of his life living at The Old Cottage in Ringmer, where he died on 26 April, 1929. An example of his work is held by Chelmsford Museum.

© Benton Fine Art