'Young Lady Seated' by Charles James Turrell, 1876, Royal Academy London, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII

Description

Signed upper left, 'C. J. Turrell' for Charles James Turrell (British-American, 1845-1932) and dated 1876.
Framed dimensions: 12 x 1 … more Signed upper left, 'C. J. Turrell' for Charles James Turrell (British-American, 1845-1932) and dated 1876.
Framed dimensions: 12 x 1 x 10 inches

Charles James Turrell was one of the most talented miniaturists of his age. Born in London, he studied under a Mr. Sargeant, perhaps Frederick Sargeant who exhibited at the Royal Academy, before visiting the United States in 1867 where he painted miniatures at the studio of photographer Napoleon Sarony. During this time, Turrell had distinguished sitters including members of the Vanderbilt, Whitney, and Morgan families. While in America, Turrell married and would go on to maintain successful careers in both New York and London where, in 1869, he opened a studio on Bond Street.

Turrell exhibited widely and with success including annually at the Royal Academy (1873-1904), the Society of Miniaturists (1873 – 1932), the Brooklyn Art Association (1868), the Pennsylvania Academy of Art (1901) and at the Paris Salons. His sitters included Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and Queen Alexandra, when she was Princess of Wales (1884). In 1890, he was appointed official miniature painter to Queen Victoria. Turrell's work is held in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace as well as in the permanent collections of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, London's Victoria & Albert Museum and the Mount Vernon Collection in Washington D.C., among others.

Reference:
E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 13, page 863; Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Peter Hastings Falk, Sound View Press 1999, Vol. 3, page 3354; Mallett’s Index of Artists, Daniel Trowbridge Mallett, Peter Smith: New York 1948 Edition, R.R. Bowker Company 1935, page 444; The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940, J. Johnson and A. Greutzner, 1980 Edition, Antique Collectors’ Club 1976, page 511; Dictionary of British Miniature Painters, Daphne Foskett, Praeger Publishers: New York 1972, Vol. 1, page 555; et al. less