Arthur John Elsley

Private Collection, New Jersey (and sold, Sotheby's, New York, February 20, 1992, lot 116, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale

Terry Parker, Golden Hours: The Paintings of Arthur J. Elsley 1860-1952, Somerset, 1998, p. 129, illustrated p. 85

This work has an old lining. The surface is clean and the colors remain vibrant. There is minor buckling at all four corners and a 1 1/2 inch rectangular bump in the door at upper center. Under UV: old varnish fluoresces green unevenly. Brushy dashes of retouching cover the width of the doorway just above and below the umbrella; longer lines of retouching are visible on the door frame at the extreme left edge; scattered finely applied inpainting to address frame abrasion in the lower left corner, along the upper left edge and in the upper right corner; two small areas of retouching in the background to the left of the mother's face; and lightly applied, feather-like retouches are visible along the lower right edge. There are additional small scattered areas of retouching in the snow and on the center girl's proper right knee.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Home at Last is a highly skilled representation of the type of subject for which Elsley was best known. A widely popular artist in Victorian and Edwardian England, Elsley was first renowned for his depictions of canine subjects, and later, genre scenes focusing on images of childhood. As the artist's models were often his impatient children and energetic animals, photography increasingly became a useful tool for study— and one such image was used to paint the collie puppy his daughter Marjorie rescues from the cold in the present work.