Sir William Russell Flint, R.A., P.R.W.S., R.S.W. (1880-1969)

Both stylistically and from the costumes of the sitters the present watercolour appears to date from circa 1916-19 when Flint was honing his art as a watercolourist, rather than an illustrator. Employed by the Illustrated London News, 1904, he also illustrated limited editions of the classical authors for the Medici Society, 1907-8. During the First World War Flint served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and later as a Captain in the R.A.F., when he came out of uniform he found that there was demand for his watercolours and he ceased to be an illustrator.