Who's for tennis? John Lavery definitely was. He was an Irish painter, who moved easily in the highest echelons of society, both in Britain and on the continent. From 1913 he became famous for his portraits - in this year he painted the British royal family. He was also an official war artist for the British Royal Navy during the First World War. Here he shows a woman playing tennis with vigor, despite her fashionable Victorian clothing. The lady must have been a strong woman if she could handle playing a game wearing a heavy crinoline dress and tight stomacher.
A Rally
watercolour • 65.9 x 63.4cm
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John Lavery