Thomas Blinks

C. G. B. Poulter
Surrey Rifle Association, Bisley Camp (and sold: Christie's, London, November 7, 1997, lot 144, illustrated)
Private Collection (acquired at the above sale and sold, Sotheby's, New York, November 3, 2015, lot 103, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale

Lined. The surface is clean. Under UV: scattered dots and dashes of inpainting throughout. Larger spots of inpainting visible to the left in the trees and in the sky and at center right on the horse's face. Inpainting to address prior frame abrasion visible along the extreme edges.
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.

Thomas Blinks’ painting, Walter Winans on the Running Deer Range, Wimbledon Common is a celebration of English country life and a portrait of the extraordinary English gentleman, Walter W. Winans (1852-1920). Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, to American parents, Winans spent most of his life in England and Scotland. Perhaps best-known as a gifted marksman, he won a gold medal at the 1908 London Olympics and a silver medal at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics (where there was also an art competition for literature, painting, architecture, music and Winans won a gold medal in the sculpture category for his American Trotter). He also authored ten books, with titles as diverse as The Art of Revolver Shooting (1900), The Modern Pistol: and how to shoot it (1919), Deer Breeding for Fine Heads (1913) and Animal Sculpture (1913).

Winans was an integral member of the United Kingdom’s National Rifle Association, founded in 1859 for the "promotion of marksmanship in the interests of the Defense of Realm and permanence of the Volunteer Forces, Navy military and Air” (National Rifle Association’s Royal Charter, 1894). Early competitions were held on Wimbledon Common, as shown in the present work, where the founders of the association, Earl Spencer and the Duke of Cambridge, held manorial rights. Queen Victoria fired the first shot of the inaugural competition in July 1860, which led to Annual Meetings that have drawn men and women every year (except during the World Wars). In 1878, journalist Edward Walford wrote "these annual gatherings are attended by the élite of fashion, and always include a large number of ladies, who generally evince the greatest interest in the target practice of the various competitors, whether it be for the honor of carrying off the Elcho Shield, the Queen's or the Prince of Wales's Prize, or the shield shot for by our great Public Schools, or the Annual Rifle Match between the Houses of Lords and Commons" (Edward Walford, 'Putney', Old and New London, vol. 6, London, 1878, p. 489-503).

As London’s population continued to swell and push the boundaries of the city, the National Rifle Association felt increasing need to find an alternative site for the yearly events. The last Annual Meeting to be held on Wimbledon Common was in 1889, suggesting that the present work, dated 1888, was Blinks’ tribute to the land. By 1890, the Association moved to Bisley, Surrey, where the present work was once located and where the Association remains headquartered today.