A Toddler

Gladys A. B. Colthurst

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Wearing a white smocked dress with puffed sleeves, it is impossible to determine whether this child is a boy or a girl. Set against a clouded blue sky background, the portrait is signed AB Colthurst and dated [19]07 which suggests the child may have been the artist’s niece or nephew. It is set in a gilt metal frame with a velvet backing. The portrait and frame are in fine condition though there is a small underchip to the left edge of the glass.

The 1901 Census shows Gladys living in Stoke Newington with her widowed mother and siblings. Gladys is listed as a 17-year-old student of art with “her own account”. Interestingly, her mother was born in Jamaica, two of her siblings in Canada and she herself was born in the United States.

Item Ref. 6982

Size: framed, 60 x 48mm