Name: DAME LAURA KNIGHT, R.A. (1877-1970)
Brand: Baby June
Price: 8000.00 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

DAME LAURA KNIGHT, R.A. (1877-1970)
Baby June
signed 'Laura Knight' (lower right) and inscribed '"BABY JUNE" & her toys' (on a label attached to the reverse)
oil on canvas
20¹⁄₄ x 24¹⁄₈ in. (51.5 x 61.3 cm.)
Painted circa 1930

The artist's studio sale; Sotheby's, London, 26 November 1970, lot 96 (£140 to Drayton).
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 25 August 1972, lot 311A (£160 to J. Conrad).
Private Collection, UK.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 6 March 1998, lot 126.
Acquired from the above by The Peter Simon Collection.

New York, Howard Young Galleries, February 1931, no. 8, lent by the artist
Chicago, Findlay Galleries, July 1959, lent by the artist
London, Upper Grosvenor Galleries, 1967, no. 2, as 'Baby elephant', lent by the artist.
London, Upper Grosvenor Galleries, 75 Years of Painting, 5 - 28 June 1969, no. 13, lent by the artist.
London, Acquascutum Ltd., Regent Street, Circus Paintings, 26 May - 6 June 1970, no. 3, lent by the artist.
Nottingham, Castle Museum, Exhibition of Paintings by Dame Laura Knight, 11 July - 2 August 1970, no. 68, lent by the artist.

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Lot Essay

In the 1930s Laura Knight began to tour with Carmo's Circus across the Midlands. She was soon taken on as their official artist on a salary of two and sixpence a week. She lodged with the clown Joe Bert and his wife Ally who became lifelong friends and the subjects of her 1962 memoir A Proper Circus Omie.

Baby June was one of the elephants in Carmo's tour and a version of this painting was in the Alpine Club Exhibition in 1930.

The painting is no. #0841 in the catalogue raisonné of Dame Laura Knight currently being compiled by R John Croft FCA, the great-nephew of the artist. We are grateful for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry