Henry Sandham

Henry Sandham (24 May 1842 – 21 June 1910)

The Notman studio was renowned for its composite photographs, consisting of carefully posed photographs of individuals mounted on painted backgrounds, a technique devised by Sandham. One particularly challenging composite, consisting of more than 300 separate people, won an award at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris.

In 1865, Sandham had married Agnes Fraser, the sister of his mentor. In early 1880, Sandham and his wife toured England and France. In December, they were visiting Boston, Massachusetts, intending only stay for a short while to complete some portrait commissions, but instead they ended up staying there for nearly twenty years. It was at this time when he decided to focus more on art and less on business. Besides his illustrations, he was also known for portraits, including one of Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, and his historic paintings. During his period in Boston, his works were regularly shown at the Boston Art Club and the American Watercolor Society of New York, and he exhibited at Hermann Wunderlich's New York gallery in 1888 as well as the World's Columbian Exposition (1893), Cotton States and International Exposition (1895), and Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition (1897).

Sandham moved to London in 1901, and continued his career there, with works shown at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1905 to 1908. His wife died in 1906, and he died in 1910. He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

Gallery

Record sale prices At the Cowley Abbott Auction, Important Canadian Art (Sale 2), December 1, 2022, Lot #111, Catching Waterlilies (1889), oil on canvas, 24 x 34.5 ins (61 x 87.6 cms ), Auction Estimate: $50,000.00 – $60,000.00, realized a price of $156,000.00.

At the Cowley Abbott Auction, Artwork from an Important Private Collection - Part II, June 8, 2023, Low Tide, Murray Bay, oil on canvas (1884), 20 x 34 ins ( 50.8 x 86.4 cms ), Auction Estimate: $60,000.00 - $75,000.00, realized a price of $192,000.00.

Associations Art Association of Montreal Boston Art Club Boston Society of Watercolor Painters Copley Society Ontario Society of Artists Paint and Clay Club Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Society of Canadian Artists