For depictions of late nineteenth and early twentieth century London topography, in terms of ordinary street scenes - the shops and the houses, it would be hard to beat the work of the little-known watercolourist Evacustes Phipson (1854-1931). The careful information given in his works (tiny as they are) is fully matched by the charm and personality of his style.
Our graphics collection holds work from throughout Evacustes Phipson’s career, from his youth to old age, and his work is very consistent. All are in watercolour and are compact and self- contained, favouring old, humble, or picturesque buildings, often on street corners. They are painstakingly recorded and seemingly of great accuracy (occasionally and deliberately leaving out some signs of modern life) and invariably are finished off with the title, artists’ name and date, rendered in his very distinctive and exceptionally neat handwriting.
Phipson’s work features in many London local history collections but particularly in Croydon where he resided. A publication about him was issued in 2020 by the Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society giving a great deal of background to his interesting and unusual life and attitudes.