Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

Samuel John Lamorna Birch, RA, RWS (1869-1955)
Fowling Pool
Scratch signed and dated S. J. Birch/ 95 (lower right)
Oil on panel
26.5 x 35.5cm

Provenance:
The Collection of the Late Austin Wormleighton (1937-2019) (lots 1-34)

Exhibited:
Plymouth City Museum, Falmouth Art Gallery, Lamorna Birch RA RWS: A Retrospective (November 1987-February 1988; and August-September 1997)
Warrington Museum & Art Gallery; Salford Quays, The Lowry; Birkenhead, Williamson Art Gallery, Shades of British Impressionism, Lamorna Birch and his Circle, A Memorial Exhibition, October 2024-February 2025
Penzance, Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Entranced by a Special Place (June-September 2018)
Penzance, Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Lamorna Birch: A Painter Laureate (October 2025-January 2026)

Literature:
Austin Wormleighton, A Painter Laureate: Lamorna Birch and his Circle (Whitefox Publishing, 2025), illustrated p.37

This early study was one of the last pictures signed `S. J. Birch`. Birch was soon to leave Cornwall for studies in Paris and when he returned in 1896 he had adopted the additional name of `Lamorna` in order to distinguish his work from that of another artist, Lionel Birch (Fl.1898-1916). Thereafter his pictures were signed `S. J. Lamorna Birch`.

This picture shows a scene in the Vale of Trevider, close to the artist's home. The pool was a breeding place for wild duck. The Birch children were taken here for picnics, nature rambles and for sketching wild flowers, frogs and butterflies. Birch's elder daughter, Mornie, recalled that the pool was especially memorable for the clumps of oversize flag irises growing at the water's edge.

LOTS 1-34
THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE AUSTIN WORMLEIGHTON

Samuel John Lamorna Birch, RA, RWS (1869–1955) was a British landscape painter closely associated with the artistic communities of Cornwall. Born in Egremont, Cheshire, Birch spent much of his early childhood in modest circumstances following the death of his father. His mother moved the family to Manchester where Birch began to show an early aptitude for drawing, despite receiving only a limited formal education.

Birch initially trained as a clerk and worked in cotton mills but he pursued art with determination, enrolling at the Académie Julian in Paris during the 1890s. There, he absorbed influences from French Impressionism, working en plein air and developing a sensitivity to light and atmosphere that would define his mature work. His time in France was crucial in shaping his painterly approach, encouraging looser brushwork and a brighter palette than was typical in British art of the period.

In 1895, Birch settled in Lamorna Valley in Cornwall, a location that would become central to both his identity and artistic output, so much so that he adopted ‘Lamorna’ as part of his name. He became associated with the Newlyn School and Birch’s style combined Impressionist techniques with a distinctly British sensibility, characterised by vibrant colours, textured brushstrokes and an emphasis on the play of natural light.

His subject matter focused largely upon the Cornish landscape: sunlit valleys, rugged coastlines, sparkling streams and pastoral scenes. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Birch often emphasised decorative qualities and emotional resonance over strict realism, creating works that feel immediate, lyrical and personal.

Birch achieved considerable success during his lifetime, becoming a member of the Royal Academy in 1934. His legacy in popularising the Lamorna Valley as an artistic hub and in bridging British and French painting traditions in his own distinctive idiom cannot be overestimated. Today, his work is remembered for its celebration of light, colour, and his great love of the enduring beauty of the Cornish landscape.

Austin Wormleighton (19372019), wholly synonymous with Birch expertise and a distinguished historian of the Newlyn artists, wrote the definitive biography about Birch, ‘A Painter Laureate: Lamorna Birch and his Circle’ (recently republished by Whitefox Publishing, 2025). This readable but learned account of Birch’s life shows Austin’s skill at lucid narrative (derived from a career in journalism) and his evident admiration for the artist’s oeuvre. Austin’s support of, and contributions towards, many exhibitions of Birch’s work brought him into contact with like-minded enthusiasts. He will be fondly remembered for his gentle, affable demeanour; his profound knowledge that was always lightly worn; and for his passionate love of Birch’s work.

Many of these works by Birch were included in the exhibition Lamorna Birch: A Painter Laureate at Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance (October 2025-January 2026)