THOMAS CRANE (1808-1859) The Midday Break Oil on canvas, 47 x 40cm Signed with initials and dated 1842. Inscribed verso 'Thomas Crane 12 Maryland St. Liverpool' Born in Chester in 1808, Crane...

THOMAS CRANE (1808-1859) The Midday Break Oil on canvas, 47 x 40cm Signed with initials and dated 1842. Inscribed verso 'Thomas Crane 12 Maryland St. Liverpool' Born in Chester in 1808, Crane moved to London in 1824 to attend the Royal Academy Schools. He studied there for two years and was awarded a medal for his draughtsmanship. He then returned to Chester where he embarked on a career as a miniaturist. In 1832 he exhibited his work at the Liverpool Academy for the first time, he continued to exhibit there throughout his lifetime and in 1838 he was elected a full member of the Academy. He returned to London for a brief period and then moved to Liverpool; The Midday Break is inscribed verso with an address at Maryland Street in Liverpool and dates from the early 40s. The painting depicts a young man in the extreme foreground of the work, seated under an old tree; a large shovel rests to one side. He appears to be taking a much needed break from the day's work. In the right middle ground we see a woman walking towards him, a baby in one arm and a parcel in the other. She is probably delivering lunch to her husband. Her husband's gaze is slightly weary but longing too. Due to poor health Crane and his family moved again to Torquay and then back to London, he died in 1859, leaving his wife and four children behind. His son Walter Crane (1845-1911) is the well-known artist and illustrator In his obituary he was referred to as ''most successful in portraits of females and children, both in oil and water-colours; his treatment of such subjects being so elegant and so full of fancy as almost to make them ideal works, yet without compromising their likeness.''

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