A Masterpiece by William Powell Frith RA (1819-1909)

William Powell Frith RA (1819-1909)
Coming of Age in the Olden Time
Signed and dated W P Frith 1849 (lower right)
Oil on canvas , 127.8 x 200.3cm; 50¼ x 78¾in
Lot 574, to be sold in our Old Masters, British & European Paintings Part I auction on Wednesday 3rd September 2025.

“This is a tour deforce of painterly skill which took the artist many months to complete. The detail in the faces of all the numerous figures is breathtaking and the overall sentiment of the painting of jolly nostalgia is still entertaining to this day.” Victor Fauvelle.

Here Woolley & Wallis paintings specialist Victor Fauvelle describes this fabulously detailed narrative painting by Victorian artist William Powell Frith RA (1819-1909) titled, ‘Coming of Age in the Olden Time’, dated 1849, which will be appearing in our upcoming Old Masters, British and European Painting auction on 3rd and 4th September.

Frith began his career with literary subjects (from Shakespeare, Scott, and other authors) but in the 1850s he turned to contemporary scenes with three of the most well known examples being; ‘Life at the Seaside’ (or Ramsgate Sands) (1854, Royal Coll.), ‘Derby Day’ (1858, Tate, London), and ‘The Railway Station’ (1862, Royal Holloway, University of London).