A lovely genre painting of a young woman next to a stream by Henry John Yeend King. Dressed in a white blouse with a blue apron over a green and red skirt, she wears her uncovered hair tied in a plait. She is posed stepping up to a rustic footbridge with her head turned downwards, her attention drawn by the snagging of her skirt on a bramble. This painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1877, no. 878 whilst King was living with his widowed mother at 38, Alma Square, St. John's Wood.

Henry John Yeend King was born in London on 21 August 1855. His father was Henry King a music seller and his mother was Helen Yeend. King lived with his family at 199 Regent Street in Mayfair and was educated at the Temple Choir School. By the age of 15 he was apprenticed to O’Connor’s, the glass painters at Berners Street. After finishing his apprenticeship he was tutored by the genre artist William Bromley (1816-1890) before leaving for Paris to study under Leon Bonnat (1833-1922) and Fernand Cormon (1854-1924).

He returned to England living with his parents at 38, Alma Square in St. John's Wood. He became a full time artist specialising in rustic genre landscapes, often featuring women and worked in both oils and watercolours. In 1874 he made his debut at the Royal Academy and at the Royal Society of British Artists (RSBA). He also later exhibited at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) and Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours (RI). Early on in his career, he began using his mother’s maiden name to sign his works, most likely to distinguish himself from other similarly named artists. He was elected a member of the RSBA in 1879 and became a member of the RI in 1887, later serving as Vice President from 1901. He was also a member of the ROI.

Although King based himself in London, he spent time travelling around and visited France a number of times. In 1881, he married Edith Lilian Atkinson (1857-1931) on 30 June 1881 at St Mark’s Church, St John’s Wood. The couple initially spent time in London before going to Paris around 1882 where their first child Lillian was born. He later used his daughter as a model for a number of his paintings. By 1884 he had returned to London living at 36 Marlborough Hill in St John’s Wood. During the late 1880’s fellow artist Haynes King (no relation) went to live with him and his family, staying with them until 1904.

As well as exhibiting in England he also exhibited in Berlin, Chicago and at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889, where he won a medal. By 1894, he had moved to 103 Finchley Road in Hampstead, residing there for over 10 years. From 1911, he lived at 32 Randolph Gardens, Kilburn Park Road where he spent his final years until his death on 12 June, 1924. He was buried at Paddington Cemetery.

Examples of his work can be found in many public art collections including the Brampton Museum, Kirklees Museum, Leicester Museum, Manx Museum, Nuneaton Museum, Oldham Gallery, Reading Museum, Russell-Cotes Museum, Sheffield Museum, The Tate, The Whitaker, Williamson Art Gallery, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Worthing Museum.

© Benton Fine Art