Alfred Tidey, The Ham Stone Quarry, Somerset, Late 19th Century, Watercolour

An original late 19th-century watercolour painting, Alfred Tidey, The Old Ham Stone Quarry, Somerset.This impressive large watercolour, in mellow tones and soft brushstrokes, by Victorian painter Alfred Tidey (1808–1892) is a poetic rendition of the quarry at Ham Hill in Somerset. Hamstone is a distinctive, warm honey-coloured building stone, used to construct buildings in many of the pretty villages and towns of south Somerset. More grand examples include Montacute House and Brympton House, near Yeovil. Ham Hill Stone can be readily sawn and dressed and as a consequence is woven into the fabric of many medieval churches in Devon, Dorset and western Somerset in the form of door and window surrounds.In the 19th century there were twenty-four small quarries operating on Ham Hill employing some 200 men. In later Victorian times industrial quarrying expanded significantly, with upwards of 200 small family-run quarries and masonry businesses operating on site. Painted by Tidey in the latter decades of the 19th century, however, here the artist’s vision is one of youthful recreation and exploration—a young figure scampers up the rockside overgrown with foliage—not of Victorian industry. Titled ‘The Old Ham Stone Quarry’, it celebrates the quarry not as a place of industrial innovation but rather as a picturesque site of an ancient practice—dating back to Roman times at Ham Hill—that links human civilisation and the very earth itself.Alfred Tidey (1808–1892) was a miniature painter, born in Worthing, Sussex. His father was a schoolmaster and his younger brother, Henry Fryer Tidey (1814–1872), also became an artist. While still young he came to London, where he attracted the notice of Henry Neville, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny. He began to exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1831, and in 1836 he sent a miniature of Sir John Conroy to the Duchess of Kent. This led to the Duchess’s daughter, the young Queen Victoria, commissioning him in 1841 to paint a miniature of the Hon. Julia Henrietta Anson, one of her maids of honour. Further notable commissions included Queen Victoria’s daughter, the Empress Frederick, and granddaughter, Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He continued to exhibit miniatures at the Royal Academy regularly until 1857, but seldom after that date. He also exhibited some watercolour drawings, ending in 1887. Three of his final works appeared in 1891 in the exhibition of the Dudley Gallery Art Society, of which he was a member.In watercolour with white bodycolour highlights and scratching out.Presented in a smart gilt frame with wash line mount in Ingres Cover Fabriano mount board. Hampton Hill Gallery, Hampstead label on the back of the frame.Image size: 45.2 x 61.5cm. Frame size: 63.5 x 79cm.All artworks come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Signed: Monogrammed lower right. Inscribed: Inscribed lower right. Height: 45.2cm (17.8″) Width: 61.5cm (24.2″) Condition: In good condition for its age. The picture may have minor imperfections such as slight marks, toning, foxing, creasing or pinholes, commensurate with age. Please see photos for detail. Presented: Framed.