Hansom Cab at All Saints

Adolphe Valette 1876 - 1942

Summary

An atmospheric, smog-filled, winter scene of a hansom cab parked on Grosvenor Square (All Saints). The street is Oxford Road, Manchester, seen from the corner of Devonshire Street. The cab and horse, parked at the curb to the left of the scene, are in profile. To the right, the horse has its head lowered to the ground as it feeds from a nosebag and has a small blanket draped over its back. A male figure stands on the back of the cab, leaning on its roof. Several figures make their way along the pavement between the cab and a wall crowned with an iron railing fence, beyond which are the silhouettes of bare trees standing in the grounds of the twin-towered Scottish Presbyterian Church (now demolished), its hazy form visible against a darkening sky.

Display Label

Hansom Cab at All Saints 1910 Adolphe Valette 1876-1942 Oil on jute This view is from Oxford Road, Manchester, looking across All Saints, so named after the church which was formerly in the centre of the gardens. The building with twin towers in the background is the now demolished Scottish Presbytarian Church. The painting, with its flattened composition and decorative linear treatment of the tree branches, shows the influence on Valette of Japanese prints which were much admired by Impressionist artists. Purchased 1928.35