Incident at Koorn Spruit (No Help from Bloemfontein.)

Wonderfully vivid illustration for the front cover of Part 24 of Eyre & Spottiswoode’s famous part-work history of the Boer War. Waugh has noted the caption-text in pencil verso; “Though it was courting death to show a hand, men lept [sic] to their feet and cheered the gunners as they passed. (quotation from page 567.) Page 569 With the Flag... “ With his name, address, and the price for the piece, a generous 2 guineas, beneath. The image is of the drivers of “Q” Battery Royal Horse Artillery recovering one of their limbers from the murderous ambush at Koorn Spruit - Sanna’s Post - an action for which four VCs were awarded. Born in Bordentown, NJ, Waugh trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art under Thomas Eakins, and later at the Académie Julian under Bougereau and Robert-Fleury. He came to England around 1894 and worked as an illustrator, contributing to the Graphic and other illustrated magazines, perhaps spending some time in South Africa as an artist-correspondent. On his return to America he began to produce the seascapes for which he is renowned and published several handbooks on technique including Painting by the Sea and Seascape Painting: Step by Step. His work hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and Durban Art Gallery, RZA.

Original artwork for With the Flag to Pretoria, (410 × 350mm), gouache and body-colour en grisaille on board, signed and dated. A little browned in places, board chipped at the extremities, but overall very good.