Painting of an 1850s horserace makes world record
An early version of the William Powell Frith painting The Derby Day, which hung in a New England beach hut for 50 years, has made a world record for the artist.
The painting of an 1850s horserace sold for £505,250 at Christie’s, London, on 15 December.
Frith’s completed The Derby Day hangs at the Tate Britain gallery in London.
The version just sold hung in the unlocked shed until a friend of the owner suggested it might be of value.
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (5 January 2012)
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.