Lot 138: William Tom Warrener (British, 1861-1934) "A young Parisienne"

"A young Parisienne"
signed with initials (centre left)
oil on board
45 x 32cm (17 11/16 x 12 5/8in).

William Tom Warrener was born in 1861, and studied at the Lincoln School of Art. He later gained a scholarship at the Slade, and exhibited at the Royal Academy several times during the 1880's and 90's. He exhibited also at the Paris Salon, winning a gold medal in 1887. Warrener lived and painted in Montmartre, France, where his circle of friends included Toulouse Lautrec, who greatly admired his work. Warrener is the model for Lautrec's famous poster "L'Anglais au Moulin Rouge", and was sketched and painted by him on several occasions. Warrener returned to Lincoln in the early 1900's, where he founded the Lincolnshire Drawing Club in 1906, later the Lincolnshire Artists Society. He remained their President until his death in 1934.
The inaugural exhibition of Warrener's works "L'Anglais au Moulin Rouge" was held at the Usher Gallery, Lincoln in 1974, in which this painting was included. A copy of the exhibiton catalogue accompanies this lot.