Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

Samuel John Lamorna Birch, RA, RWS (1869-1955)
Cottage by a Stream: The Artist's Last Picture, December 1954
Watercolour
8 x 13cm

Provenance:
The artist's daughter, by whom given to Austin Wormleighton whilst he was working on the Birch biography in 1995
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 2004-February 2005)

Literature:
Austin Wormleighton, A Painter Laureate: Lamorna Birch and his Circle (Whitefox Publishing, 2025), illustrated p.405

The artist suffered a stroke in the summer of 1954 but continued working right up to the end, keeping watercolours to hand upon the window sill by his bed at Flagstaff Cottage. Poignantly, this sketch was intended as a Christmas gift for a friend but it was never sent. Birch died on January 7th 1955.

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).