Edgar Bundy ARA RI RBA was a distinguished painter of genre scenes and a member of the Royal Society of British Artists.

Born in Brighton, it seems Bundy was predominantly self-taught, aside from some rudimentary instruction as a child from ‘Alfred Stevens’, presumably the artist and sculptor Alfred Stevens (1817-1875). Nonetheless, he began exhibiting at the Royal Academy at the budding age of 19 and would continue to do so until his death at the age of 60.

His success was owed both to his lively brushwork and the subject matter to which he devoted his career. Historical genre scenes were sought after in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. At a time of such industrial progress, which saw the world ever-changing, viewers also pined for a reminder of a simpler, idealised time gone by. 

Popular, too, were his paintings depicting scenes from famous literature, such as the works of Charles Dickens. The rise in literacy levels, and indeed in literary publications, accrued an audience for animated depictions of Dickens’ animated characters.

He often utilised a rich colour palette to capture his characters in a lively manner. This vivacity is often further amplified by the positioning of limbs in theatrical posturing. Figures’ intentions are made clear and their emotions are evident. Critics often praised him for many of these elements, hailing his works as ‘distinctly characterised,’ ‘well drawn and soundly painted,’ with a ‘skilfully designed,’ manner.

Today, Edgar Bundy remains an interesting case study of a self-taught artist rising through the echelons to become a regular at the Royal Academy.

He’s represented in numerous public collections including at the Walker Art Gallery, Birmingham Museum, and the Charles Dickens Museum in London.

Exhibited

Royal Academy, Paris Salon, Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Institute. 

Public Collections

Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, Charles Dickens Museum in London, Elizabethan House Museum, Ferens Art Gallery, Gallery Oldham, Grundy Art Gallery, Hunterian Museum, McLean Museum and Art Gallery, Milford House, Somerset Heritage Centre, The Black Watch Castle & Museum, The Highlanders' Museum, Touchstones Rochdale, Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum, Ulster Museum, University of Westminster, Walker Art Gallery, Wellcome Collection, Birmingham Museums Trust.

Reviews

“‘A Country Cousin’ (269) is an example of that excellent painter Mr Edgar Bundy in his happiest vein. The country cousin, a very comely, pretty lass, has come up to town to see her rich relations, and she is seated in the hall, with her offering of a basket of vegetables and some poultry, where she is superciliously regarded by the liveried men servants. The maiden is dressed in her best green frock and red cloak, and she is evidently supremely unconscious of the ridicule she is arousing.”

The Studio (1903) following an exhibition at the Royal Institute of Water Colours. The companion piece, an oil painting with the same name, was shown at the Royal Academy during the same year.

Timeline

1862

Born in Brighton.

1881-1922

Exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy.

1891

Became a member of the Royal Institute and the Royal Society of British Artists.

1907

Won a medal at the Paris Salon.

1915

Elected an Associate of the Royal Academy.

1922

Died in London.