Attributed to W.S. Hedges (British Active 1833-1846)
Parliament Buildings, Georgetown, British Guiana, Circa 1835
oil on canvas
Size: 14 x 21 in (with frame 19 ½ x 26 ½ in)
ZJ19930
The English artist W.S. Hedges is known for his detailed paintings and sketches that give unique insight into colonial life in the Southern United States, Barbados and British Guiana (now Guyana). Hedges travelled extensively, visiting British Guiana in the early 1830s where he painted several views of the country including Georgetown which lays on the Atlantic coast on the east bank of the Demerara River estuary. This painting depicts the arrival of Sir Lionel Smith (1778-1842), in the front carriage with his family, as Governor-in-Chief of British Guiana at Georgetown, Demerara on May 27, 1835. The event was celebrated by W.S. Hedges in his painting signed and dated 1835, which sold at Christie’s New York in 2013 for $62,500.00 USD. The painting was also published by Day & Haghe, London as a hand coloured lithograph. The parliament buildings shown were designed by Joseph Hadfield in 1829 and completed in April, 1834. It is interesting to note that the front section of the right-hand wing nearest the shore is missing in this unsigned version. One wonders if this painting is the original study by either Hedges or an unknown artist and the basis of the final version and print, an earlier study used as the basis of the painting and print, or a copy using artistic license. The scene pays particular attention to detail and is an impressive visual record and illustration of the local colonial life. The presence of blacks and whites coexisting in a common setting is a testimony to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire and its colonies. The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 abolished slavery in most British colonies, with British Guiana officially following suit in 1834.
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