Oil On Panel By Florence Adelina Hess

Florence Adelina Hess (1891–1974)

A wonderful British Impressionist oil on panel by Florence Adelina Hess, a notable figure associated with the celebrated Staithes Group and Fylingdales Group of artists.

Depicting an Angler and Bridge, the painting beautifully captures a fisherman wading into a Yorkshire river, set against the backdrop of a stone arched bridge and rolling hills.

Hess was the most prominent pupil and studio assistant to the Yorkshire painter Mark Senior. This piece perfectly reflects Senior’s influence on her technique. Works by Hess with this particular, provenance are highly sought after by collectors of the Northern Impressionist school.

The back of the panel offers a window into the painting's history, boasting fantastic provenance:

The Bradford Exhibition Label: Features the official, vintage paper label from the City of Bradford Corporation Art Gallery, Cartwright Memorial Hall, clearly marked as Loan/Exhibition No. 37.

The Artist's Studio Label: Includes a highly charming, partially remaining secondary label handwritten with the title "Sketch", highlighting the piece's origins as a fresh, immediate en-plein-air study.

The Doris Bilbrough Collection: Acquired directly from the artist’s estate by Doris Bilbrough (née Sykes), who served as the trusted cook to the Hess household during the 1930s.

Condition: There are some light cracks to the wooden panel, however this does not affect the integrity of the painting, which remains in a good, stable condition. Housed in a complementary 20th-century frame showing some light, age-related wear and character marks.

Frame: Height 27.5 x Width 32.5. Picture Height 22.5cm x Width 28cm.

Florence Adelina Hess (1891–1974)

Hess is historically celebrated as part of the outer circle of the Staithes Group—a pioneering artists' colony based in the North Yorkshire fishing village of Staithes, which included esteemed figures like Dame Laura Knight and Harold Knight. The group focused on direct, realist, and impressionistic observations of rural and coastal life.

Later in her career, she became a dedicated and keen member of the Fylingdales Group of Artists, founded in 1925, which further solidified her status as one of Yorkshire’s premier regional painters. She was also elected a member of the Women's International Art Club (WIAC), showcasing her prominence in the wider, national twentieth-century art scene.

While Hess spent time living in London, her heart remained in the North. Her most celebrated works depict: The dramatic shorelines of the Yorkshire coast (particularly around Runswick Bay, Sandsend, and Whitby), The sweeping expanses of the Yorkshire Moors, The tidal marshlands and coastal edges of Norfolk.

Hess exhibited her artwork widely and to great acclaim throughout her lifetime. Her paintings were accepted into prestigious national exhibitions, most notably at the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) in London and the New English Art Club (NEAC), alongside frequent curation within major provincial public galleries, including the City of Bradford Corporation Art Gallery (Cartwright Memorial Hall).

Date of manufacture : 1920 - 1940