Harry Hall

19th Century sporting horse portrait oil painting of the racehorse Blink Bonny

1857

Harry Hall ( 1814–22 April 1882) was an English equestrian painter, whose works were in high demand by horse owners. His output was prolific and he was the foremost racehorse portraitist of his time: his style has been described as being "strikingly modern... when compared with many of his contemporaries". He also produced other types of portraits and shooting scenes. Hall was born in Cambridge sometime around the middle of the second decade of the 19th century in either 1813 or 1814. He first appeared as an artist at Tattersalls (famous English horse market), working on a number of their publications; initially British Racehorses and The Sporting Review. He graduated to become chief artist of "The Field" magazine. He produced a great volume of work, much of which was engraved. The Sporting Magazine published 114 engreved plates by Hall, he also worked for The Illustrated London News. Hall began life as a portrait painter, and exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy, from 1838, however his career was established on his first equestrian work being given at the Royal Academy in 1845 when he exhibited a Suffolk cob from Newmarket. He worked from his home, Willoughby House, Newmarket from 1846, and frequently across England and Europe. He worked continuously and very successfully, therefore with no need for exhibiting from 1860.