Lot 758: Victorian mermaids on the shore

Charles Altamont Doyle (1832-1893) Victorian mermaids on the shore pencil and watercolour on paper 8 ¾ x 14 in. (22.3 x 35.5 cm.)

22.3 x 35.5 cm.

London, Victoria and Albert Museum, Richard Doyle and his family, November 1983-February 1984, no. 180.

L.G. Duke; Sotheby' s, London, 29 April 1971, lot 110, as by J.E. Millais, where purchased by the present owner.

Charles Altamont Doyle was the younger brother of Richard (Dickie) Doyle (1824-1883) and father of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Charles's talent developed with the example of his brother before him. Fairies and the fantasy world feature, but his witty observation of the social scene, as seen in the present watercolour, was another aspect of his work.