A tranquil painting of cattle watering at Canterbury Meadow, Kent, by William Sidney Cooper. In the foreground some of the herd are shown standing in the river Stour. Behind them, in the far distance, can be seen Canterbury Cathedral. Cooper knew the area very well, having grown up there and it was a place he returned to frequently to paint.

William Sidney Cooper was born in Canterbury, Kent in 1854 and was the son of John Ramsay Cooper, a dispensary chemist and Mary Barber. He was the great nephew of Thomas Sidney Cooper (1803-1902), the famous landscape painter. His talent for painting was recognised early on and he trained under his great uncle at the Canterbury Sidney Cooper School of Art.

In 1881, he started exhibiting at the Royal Academy and Suffolk Street and later at the Royal Watercolour Society. Works at the RA include ‘Springtime, Isle of Wight', ‘The Avon at Ringwood’ and ‘Twilight on the Thames’. He married Kate Kennett in 1882 and they lived in Pangbourne, Berkshire where they had their first 3 children. In 1890, they moved to Herne Bay in Kent, living at 18 William Street where their last 2 children were born. Sometime after 1913 he moved to live at Glenthorne, Cecil Park in Herne Bay.

Like his great uncle, he painted sheep and cattle in landscapes, often set within the countryside of Herne Bay. As well as a talented artist, Cooper was also a musician and a keen golfer and involved himself with his local community. He died on 9 September, 1927 aged 73 and is buried in Eddington Churchyard. His works are highly collectable and can be found amongst many private collections as well as museums and art galleries including: Canterbury Museum, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Cliffe Castle Museum, Ferens Art Gallery, Hampshire Cultural Trust, Maidstone Museum and Reading Museum.

© Benton Fine Art