''A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society'' is an 1831 oil on canvas work by English painter Sir

Edwin Henry Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. However, his best-known works are the lion sculptures at the bas ...

depicting a

Newfoundland dog The Newfoundland is a large working dog. They can be black, brown, or black and white. However, in the Dominion of Newfoundland, before it became part of the confederation of Canada, only black and Landseer (white-and-black) coloured dogs wer ...

. The original was damaged in a flood whilst on loan to the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

in 1928, and was returned to public view for the first time in 50 years after it was restored in 2009.

Background

The dog in the painting is meant to be "Bob", a dog that was found in a shipwreck off the coast of England. The dog found his way to the London waterfront where he became known for saving people from drowning, a total of twenty–three times over the course of fourteen years. For this, he was made a distinguished member of the

Royal Humane Society The Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the ''Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned'', for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near dro ...

, granting him a medal and access to food. The painting was bequeathed to the

Tate Collection Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

by Newman Smith in 1887. The painting was damaged in a flood at the London

in 1928, which required extensive restoration work which was funded by the Newfoundland Dog Club of America. Following the restoration work which was coordinated by Ron Pemberton, the painting went on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 2002 to 2005. The painting went on loan to

The Kennel Club The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also oper ...

in 2009 in order to form part of the Pets & Prizewinners exhibition at the Kennel Club Art Gallery in London. Prior to this display, it had been unseen in the UK for over fifty years. The coloration of the breed as featured in the painting has become known as a "

Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his animal art, paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. However, his best-known works are the lion sculptures ...

". A 19th century copy of the painting by George Cole was sold by auctioneers

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought to ...

for £7,200 in March 2007.

Aesthetics

The dog is painted against a threatening dull sky, in order to highlight the dog himself with the darkened markings on his head standing out. The dog reclines on a quayside, while water ripples against the sea-wall. The shadow of the dog is cast on his own flank. The painting was described by ''

The Art Journal ''The Art Journal'' was the most important British 19th-century magazine on art. It was founded in 1839 by Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, 6 Pall Mall, with the title ''Art Union Monthly Journal'' (or ''The Art Union''), the first issue of 7 ...

'' as being "one of the best and most interesting publications of the year", and "Mr Thomas Landseer's first great effort in this department of the art".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Distinguished Member of the Humane Society 1831 paintings Dogs in art Paintings by Edwin Henry Landseer Collection of the Tate galleries

Background

Aesthetics

See also

References