Attributed to Ernest Ibbetson (1877-1959)
Private of the Berkshire Regiment, in No.1 Dress, wearing Boer War Medals, circa 1905
watercolour, unsigned,
208mm x 75mm, 315mm x 181mm (framed)

Notes: Ernest Ibbetson is an (almost) forgotten artist. His name is not listed in any of the major biographies of British painters. Even with the renewed interest in Victorian and Edwardian watercolourists, his works have gone unrecognized. Yet the fact is he left an artistic legacy which in some respects is unparalleled. He captured the essence of the British Army in both ceremonial and active service and captured the very spirit of the old British Army when it was the guardian of the Empire. Some of his non-military work includes early illustrations of Baden Powell’s Boy Scouts from 1910 and as a long-time post card and Boy’s Life illustrator. Ernest Ibbetson is remembered, and his work well documented by Dr Frank Barrett, who spent over twenty years to create the lushly illustrated book, Ernest Ibbetson, 'Military Artist and Adventure Story Illustrator'