Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

Samuel John Lamorna Birch, RA, RWS (1869-1955)
February, My Garden, Lamorna
Signed and dated S. J. Lamorna Birch/ 1945 (lower right), inscribed in pencil "February", My Garden, Lamorna (on the stretcher)
Oil on canvas
86.5 x 101.5cm

Provenance:
Purchased at the Royal Academy by Sir George Eltherton, 1945;
By family descent to the previous owner, from whom purchased by Austin Wormleighton, 2011;
The Collection of the Late Austin Wormleighton (1937-2019) (lots 1-34)

Exhibited:
London, The Royal Academy, 1945, no. 232
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.377

The picture was purchased at the RA in 1945 by Sir George Etherton, one time Lancashire County Solicitor, and it passed by descent within his family until it was acquired by Austin Wormleighton in 2011. Sir George had kept dutifully the catalogue and correspondence with Birch and those papers are offered now with the picture. A slip of paper in Birch's hand gives the artist's own title as `February: In My Garden, Lamorna`.

The subject depicts the stream by the artist's studio in the Lamorna Valley, just ¼ mile from the sea. The studio was the favourite of the four that Birch had used within the valley as it was close enough to running water for him to fish for trout whenever he wished. The family home, Flagstaff Cottage, can be seen through the trees beyond.

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).