John Morgan, R.B.A.

Dr Norman Hill;
Sotheby's, London, 18 February 1970, lot 46;
Frost & Reed, London, where bought by a private collector in 1973 with whom remained until 2003;
Christie's, London, 26 November 2003, lot 33, where purchased by the present owner

Probably Royal Academy, 1870, no.370

The canvas has been lined, otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals an opaque varnish. There appear to be some flecks of retouching across the canvas, largely cosmetic and well executed. Held in a gilt plaster frame.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Elements of the present picture were based upon John Morgan's Royal Academy exhibit of 1860, Ginger Beer (sold Sotheby's, Belgravia, 9 March 1976, lot 82). Both pictures depict schoolboys buying sweet treats from a vendor in a schoolyard. In the earlier picture it is the eponymous ginger beer and cakes that the jovial old man is selling to the ravenous boys whilst the basket of the hawker in the later picture is filled with fruits of various kinds. The boy wearing a Glengarry cap in the centre of the composition in A Village School in Bedfordshire replicates the boy on the left of Ginger Beer and his classmate searching his pockets for elusive coins, is taken from the boy on the right in the 1860 picture. In Ginger Beer, this boy is looking for money to pay a school bully whilst in the present picture this element is captured in another figure grouping where the unfortunate boy's paper kite has been thrown into the boughs of a tree while the young scoundrel threatens to take his 'tuck' from him and knocks his hat to the ground. A Village School in Bedfordshire also includes the charming still-life of schoolboy pursuits in the foreground such as a toy-boat and cricket-set which links this painting to Morgan's successful painting exhibited in the previous year The Fight (offered in this sale, lot 19). He also inserted the contrast of the groundsman's son who is leaning against a lawn-roller and watching the richer children with a mixture of amusement and envy. One of the incidental details in the background on the left shows boys playing marbles, which became the basis for Morgan's exhibit of 1872 Marbles (Lytham St Anne's Art Gallery).

John Morgan's most successful paintings were those that depict the joy of childhood, the boisterousness of schoolboys as can be seen in the several paintings entitled Snowballing (Bethnall Green Museum of Childhood, London and another sold Christie's, 5 June 2008 lot 61), or throwing stones at a bottle balanced on a wall in The Cockshy (Christie's, 11 June 2004, lot 107) or playing The Tug of War (sold in these rooms, 1 September 1999, lot 1140).