Oil on canvas, 38.1cm by 52.7cm.
Signed, inscribed and dated l.l. ‘Winning the Derby, 1847/ H. Alken’.
Henry Thomas Alken was the son of a sporting artist, with whom he initially trained. He later studied with the miniature painter J.T.Barber (1774-1841) and early in his career was a miniaturist. However, he eventually turned to painting sporting and coaching subjects, working in both oil and water colour. He was also an extremely skilled etcher and caricaturist. His son, Henry Alken Jnr. (1810-1894), also became a fine sporting artist.
