Artist's sketchbooks donated to Kennel Club
George Earl is believed to have been an early member of The Kennel Club.
Five sketchbooks by a renowned 19th century artist have been donated to The Kennel Club.
The sketchbooks by George Earl, along with microfilm copies, have been donated by the Earl-Tomaszewski family, Australian descendants of the artist.
George Earl (1824–1908) became well known during the Victorian period for his paintings of animals, especially sporting dogs. Nineteen of his paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1857 and 1882. He is also believed to have been an early member of The Kennel Club, which was formed in 1873.
The Earl family became well known as artists, with two of George Earl’s children and his brother Thomas William Earl also making a name for themselves as painters. The Kennel Club previously hosted an exhibition, The Art of the Earl Family, in 2022. It was the largest exhibition of works by the family.
The donated sketchbooks include preparatory sketches linked to some of George Earl’s most famous paintings, including Going North, Coming South, and The Field Trial. They will be displayed as part of the Drawings of Dogs exhibition at The Kennel Club Art Gallery which will open on 9 October.
Marianne Walker, art collection curator at The Kennel Club, said: “George Earl’s legacy has had an enormous impact across the art world as well as within the dog community, so we are delighted to have received such an important and prestigious donation.
“These pieces have never been exhibited to the public before, so we are looking forward to introducing his work to a whole new audience.”
Image © The Kennel Club
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