Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 84 works by Stanhope Forbes in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Stanhope Forbes's most famous painting is A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach (1885). Forging the Anchor (1892) and John Tucker Murray (1876-1956) (1913) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 84 works by Stanhope Forbes in our catalog, the gallery presents the 55 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
The scene unfolds in 1884–85 as a lively fish auction takes place upon the sands of a beach near Newlyn. In A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach, Stanhope Forbes captures a moment of intense local industry. The air seems to hum with the energy of the crowd gathered around the catch. This work first met the public eye at the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1885.
Forging the Anchor, an oil on canvas work by Stanhope Forbes, was executed in 1892. The composition captures a group of Cornishmen engaged in the heavy labor of forging a huge anchor. This work reflects the artist's focus on the industrial and social realities of the Newlyn region.
In this 1913 oil on canvas, we find ourselves in the presence of John Tucker Murray, captured in a moment of profound stillness. He is seated at a desk, a figure of quiet contemplation, his form rendered in a three-quarter length portrait that feels deeply personal. The composition is balanced, with the subject positioned slightly off-center, creating a sense of natural presence rather than staged formality. There is a weight…
Stanhope Forbes presents a nocturnal scene in Study for Lighting up Time, capturing a fleeting moment of travel under the cover of darkness. A horse-drawn carriage moves through a dimly lit landscape, its path cutting through the shadows of the night. Within the vehicle, a driver and a passenger are caught in the warm, localized glow of a lantern. A woman sits inside the carriage, her form partially obscured by…
In this portrait of Miss Ormsby, later Mrs Homan, Stanhope Forbes presents a close-up view of the subject from the chest up. The composition is centered, positioning the woman against a dark, atmospheric background that recedes into shadow. This arrangement focuses the viewer's attention entirely on her presence. The color palette is dominated by deep, earthy tones, including browns, blacks, and ochre. These somber shades provide a quiet foundation for…
In the warm, amber glow of a late nineteenth-century gathering, Stanhope Alexander Forbes invites us into a moment of profound communal intimacy with his 1889 masterpiece, The Health of the Bride. This evocative oil painting serves as more than just a depiction of a wedding feast; it is a window into the soul of social ritual and domestic warmth. As we gaze upon the crowded table, we are immediately swept…
The portrait depicts an elderly man seated in a centered, frontal composition. He is positioned against a dark, indistinct background that offers no specific setting, focusing all attention on the figure. The subject wears a dark, rectangular suit jacket over a white shirt, with the light catching the fabric of the collar and the skin of his face. His expression is steady, and the lines of his face are defined…
The composition of this oil painting presents a cavernous munitions factory during the final year of the First World War. The viewer's eye is led through a deep perspective, moving from the immediate foreground of female workers toward a distant, brightly lit background. Massive, dark vertical structures of industrial presses and scaffolding frame the scene, creating a sense of immense scale. The color palette relies on earthy, somber tones, specifically…
The Garden Path by Stanhope Forbes presents a serene garden scene. The composition focuses on natural beauty and tranquility, capturing a peaceful walk through a flourishing garden. A winding path leads the viewer into the distance, inviting a sense of quiet exploration through the landscape.
The Orchard1882
12
Forging the Anchor1892 · Colchester And Ipswich Museum
13
The Little Smithy1894 · National Gallery of Wales
14
The Drinking Place1900 · Oldham Art Gallery
15
The Pedlar
16
A fishergirl, Newlyn
17
Teatime
18
Portrait of a lady
19
The Blue River
20
Study for 'The Health of the Bride'
21
Reflections
22
The Village Street, Newlyn
23
Portrait of a Woman
24
A Street in Newlyn
25
Gossips
26
Picking chrysanthemums
27
The Old Bridge of Relebbus
28
A Street Harmony
29
The Woolpack at Yalding
30
Lighting up
31
The Post Office, Newlyn
32
Portrait of an old Lady
33
Elizabeth Adela Forbes
34
Hide And Seek
35
The Harbour Window1910
36
Feeding the Pigs1921
37
Fitting Out, Mousehole Harbour1919
38
Penzance1924 · Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
39
On The Bridge1925
40
The Terminus, Penzance Station1924
41
Fading Leaf and Fallen Tree1937
42
Where the river bends
43
The Runaway Knock
44
A Dutch River Landscape
45
A Venetian backwater
46
A Venetian Gateway
47
Alexander Penzance from Newlyn
48
Preparations for Market, Quimperle, Brittany
49
Moroccan Arch
50
Study for home along
51
Study for the fleet in sight
52
Study of a Young Man
53
Contemplation
54
Boats at Anchor
55
After A Days Work
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Stanhope Forbes | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Harvard Art Museums |
Cambridge | 1 | John Tucker Murray (1876-1956) |
 National Gallery of Ireland |
Dublin City | 1 | Portrait of Miss Ormsby, later Mrs Homan |
 Tate Gallery |
London | 1 | The Health of the Bride |
 Victoria Art Gallery |
Bath | 1 | John Stone, Town Clerk of Bath |
 Science Museum |
London | 1 | The Munitions Girls |
 Nottingham City Museums And Galleries |
Nottingham | 1 | Florence |
 Colchester And Ipswich Museum |
Colchester | 1 | Forging the Anchor |
 National Gallery of Wales |
Cardiff | 1 | The Little Smithy |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
In this portrait of Miss Ormsby, later Mrs Homan, Stanhope Forbes presents a close-up view of the subject from the chest up. The composition is centered, positioning the woman against a dark, atmospheric background that recedes into shadow. This arrangement focuses the viewer's attention entirely on her presence. The color palette is dominated by deep, earthy tones, including browns, blacks, and ochre. These somber shades provide a quiet foundation for…
The scene unfolds in 1884–85 as a lively fish auction takes place upon the sands of a beach near Newlyn. In A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach, Stanhope Forbes captures a moment of intense local industry. The air seems to hum with the energy of the crowd gathered around the catch. This work first met the public eye at the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1885.
Forging the Anchor, an oil on canvas work by Stanhope Forbes, was executed in 1892. The composition captures a group of Cornishmen engaged in the heavy labor of forging a huge anchor. This work reflects the artist's focus on the industrial and social realities of the Newlyn region.
In this 1913 oil on canvas, we find ourselves in the presence of John Tucker Murray, captured in a moment of profound stillness. He is seated at a desk, a figure of quiet contemplation, his form rendered in a three-quarter length portrait that feels deeply personal. The composition is balanced, with the subject positioned slightly off-center, creating a sense of natural presence rather than staged formality. There is a weight…
A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach (1885). Forging the Anchor (1892) and John Tucker Murray (1876-1956) (1913) come next.
28 years old: A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach dates from 1885, and Stanhope Forbes was born in 1857.
A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach, Forging the Anchor, John Tucker Murray (1876-1956), Study for Lighting up Time, Portrait of Miss Ormsby, later Mrs Homan, The Health of the Bride, John Stone, Town Clerk of Bath, The Munitions Girls, The Garden Path and Florence. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 84 works by Stanhope Forbes, dated from 1878 to 1937.
Mostly in Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge), National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin City) and Tate Gallery (London). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1890s: 4 of the 55 works on this page were made then, Forging the Anchor among them.
On this page, the earliest is Florence (1878) and the latest Fading Leaf and Fallen Tree (1937).
Woman (4), Buildings (4) and Women (3), across the 55 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 9 of the 55 works on this page.
Realism, judging by the originals on this page.
Stanhope Alexander Forbes (1857-1947) stands as a pivotal figure in the development of the Newlyn School, a collective of artists who redefined British painting at the turn of the 20th century. More than simply a painter, Forbes was a keen observer of human experience, capturing the rhythms and realities of Cornish life with a remarkable sensitivity and an unwavering commitment to portraying the ordinary. His canvases aren’t grand historical narratives or mythological scenes; instead, they offer intimate glimpses into the lives of fishermen, farmers, children playing on the beach, and women engaged in domestic tasks – subjects often overlooked by earlier generations of artists.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, to a French mother and an English railway manager, Forbes’s early life instilled within him a unique blend of European artistic sensibilities and a deep connection to the natural world. His formal training at Dulwich College and the Royal Academy Schools provided a solid foundation, but it was his time spent studying under Léon Bonnat in Paris that truly shaped his approach – an emphasis on direct observation, tonal modeling, and capturing the fleeting effects of light. This Parisian influence is evident in his early works, characterized by a somewhat academic style, yet already hinting at the looser brushwork and vibrant color palettes that would become hallmarks of his later career.
Forbes’s relocation to Newlyn, Cornwall, in 1889 marked a transformative moment both personally and artistically. He married Elizabeth Armstrong, another talented painter who shared his passion for plein-air painting and a desire to break free from the constraints of the established art world. Newlyn, a bustling fishing village on the southwestern tip of England, provided an ideal environment for this artistic rebellion. The Newlyn School wasn’t formally organized as a group, but rather a loose association of artists who shared a common ethos – a rejection of stuffy studio practices and a commitment to painting directly from nature.
Influenced by the Barbizon School in France, Forbes embraced the concept of *en plein air*—painting outdoors. This approach allowed him to capture the immediacy of light and atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. He eschewed idealized forms and carefully constructed compositions, instead favoring a more spontaneous and intuitive style. His paintings are characterized by loose brushstrokes, vibrant colors, and a remarkable ability to convey the sense of movement and energy within his scenes. Forbes’s work stands in stark contrast to the highly polished, meticulously detailed works that were prevalent in the Royal Academy.
Forbes's subjects weren’t chosen for their inherent grandeur or historical significance; rather, he found beauty and interest in the everyday lives of the people who inhabited Cornwall. Fishermen hauling their nets, farmers tending to their fields, children playing on the beach – these were the figures that populated his canvases. He depicted them not as heroes or villains, but as ordinary individuals engaged in their daily routines. His paintings are imbued with a sense of warmth and humanity, reflecting his genuine affection for the people and landscape of Cornwall.
His style evolved significantly over time. Early works often featured more formal compositions and darker palettes, influenced by his Parisian training. However, as he spent more time in Newlyn, his paintings became increasingly vibrant and expressive, characterized by brighter colors, looser brushstrokes, and a greater emphasis on capturing the fleeting effects of light. He developed a distinctive technique for depicting water – shimmering reflections, dynamic ripples, and a sense of movement that captured the essence of the Cornish coast.
Stanhope Forbes’s contribution to British art is undeniable. He played a crucial role in establishing the Newlyn School as a significant force in the late 19th and early 20th-century art world, influencing generations of artists who followed. His commitment to *en plein air* painting, his focus on everyday subjects, and his distinctive style helped to pave the way for modern British painting.
His wife, Elizabeth Forbes, was equally important in this artistic movement, and their combined efforts established a thriving art school that nurtured countless young talents. Forbes’s legacy extends beyond his own paintings; he fostered a community of artists who shared his vision and helped to shape the cultural landscape of Cornwall. His work continues to be exhibited and admired today, offering a poignant reminder of the beauty and dignity of ordinary life.
Stanhope Alexander Forbes remains an important figure in the history of British art, his paintings offering a timeless celebration of Cornish life and the beauty of the natural world.
