William Henry Ward

WILLIAM HENRY WARD (Birmingham, 1850 - 1882).
"Interior with figures".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
It has patches on the back.
Measurements: 81 x 69 cm.

William Henry Ward developed an excellent technique in his still lifes, an aspect that is appreciated in this painting of costumbrista subject in which the still life occupies a central place and receives a detailed treatment. The right qualities are extracted from each piece: the red glow of the apples, the luster of the metal, the ball of wool and the vegetables piled in the basket. A London street, with its houses lined up, is silhouetted in the distance under a blue sky, with the two women in the foreground. The younger one, wearing a bonnet, prepares to leave, and the other remains seated next to the food she is probably displaying for sale.

William H. Ward was an English artist born in Birmingham. He painted mainly fruit, still life and genre subjects. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1850 to 1872, as well as in Suffolk Street, the British Institution and elsewhere in London. William Ward exhibited in Birmingham between 1877 and 1882. He was elected a member of the Birmingham Society of Artists in 1856 and was on the local board between 1858 and 1868. His address is listed as Balsall Heath Road, Pershore Road in Birmingham.