Walke mystery

[Mark F. Jenkins]

As I mentioned, my wife's anniversary present to me this year was an original Henry Walke watercolor, and a mystery. The painting is one thing; the mystery is what the painting is of. My wife bought it on ebay from a seller in London, England.

Here's the painting. It appears to me to be in Walke's late/mature style, almost certainly post-Civil War, and is relatively unusual for being a landscape (he did do a few, but ships and 'action' images are more usual for him). It is unquestionably an original watercolor, and definitely a Walke; I have seen enough of his work to recognize his style (plus, he signed it on the back, which pretty much seals it).

(I had to manipulate the image a bit to take out the flash flare, which you still can see a trace of in the center...)

On the back, besides Walke's name, is an all-but-illegible scrawl which I think might be Walke's handwriting as well, but it's definitely not the neat hand he had earlier in life. It reads in one place, "by Henry Walke, Rear Admiral, U.S.A. Navy." That's straightforward. In another place, though, it reads, to me, as "Dundoff was poor. Very poor." And in another location, as far as I can make out, it reads, "In the ground of (Logie?) (Loyie?) Elphinstone (of? and?) the (Hon. Sr Made Biscower?)" which makes absolutely no sense to me. If it's some view of a place in England, it would make slightly more sense, but without those clues, I don't see anything particularly English in the scene depicted.

Any ideas?

 

[5fish]

It someone's estate... his brother's home in upstate of New York or maybe his home back in VA. Beach.... What year was the painting done in.... Maybe some random home...

 

[AndyHall]

Congratulations on your anniversary, and a wonderful gift.

Those names all sound British which, combined with a seller in London, suggests to me that's where the focus should be. "(Logie?) (Loyie?) Elphinstone" may be the Scots peer Lord Elphinstone (1828-93). There is a Dunduff Castle on the Firth of Clyde, south of Prestwick.

Lord Elphinstone was an officer in the Royal Navy up to 1870; perhaps he and Walke crossed paths at some point. Here is a summary of Elphinstone's service:

http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=1473

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Sounds reasonable... wonder if there's a photo of Dunduff somewhere... off to the Interwebs!

 

[JAGwinn]

Native fauna: I see two yucca near-side the road; and elevated chicken house; wild turkeys in the right corner fenced pasture; some flame maple trees in autumn flash; and some deciduous trees still green; 3 crow on the rail fence and a group of turkey buzzards circling in the sky.
Seems a climate similar to midlands South Carolina.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

My immediate impression was "American," rather than "English" (or, perhaps, "Scottish"). Though I wonder if, it was some place Walke visited in England and made a rough sketch of, and then years later went to paint it, if some things he didn't quite remember were finished with more familiar details? The house does look rather reminiscent of houses Walke would have been familiar with in tidewater Virginia.

I know Walke did pop around the British Isles a bit, even while he was commanding the USS Sacramento after the end of the Civil War; he even appears as a "juror" in the catalog of the 1865 Dublin International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures, though of what I'm not certain.

 

[AndyHall]

Yes, it doesn't really seem very British in its subject.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Hm. I just found a reference to a Sir John Elphinstone, Baronet of "Logie Elphinstone"... reference

"Logie" is not a word I'm familiar with. There must be a Scottish or British meaning.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

This building is referred to as "Logie Elphinstone"...

It doesn't look much like the painting, though the building could of course have looked different 150 years ago... and as I speculated, if Walke didn't completely remember how it looked, that's an additional layer to go through. This building is located a little northwest of Aberdeen, evidently.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Holy gee whiz, how cool is that? Amazing what you can find on Ebay! Congratulations on the best gift ever!

You really do need a Brit- especially with titles, meaning, holdings and what it all means, beyond a mystery. Love to know what happened that Walke had to make that note to himself

Agree with Andy, it doesn't look very British? If someone comes along with a photo of a manor house in Scotland that will sound silly but it doesn't. The house just doesn't look like a house you'd see in the UK countryside. It's a great house though!

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

I came across a reference to Logie Elphinstone burning down in the 1970s, and afterwards being rebuilt. Presumably they wouldn't have changed the look too much, but that's an additional variable. (Any of our friends from across the pond anywhere in the vicinity of Aberdeenshire?)

 

[leftyhunter]

Native fauna: I see two yucca near-side the road; and elevated chicken house; wild turkeys in the right corner fenced pasture; some flame maple trees in autumn flash; and some deciduous trees still green; 3 crow on the rail fence and a group of turkey buzzards circling in the sky.
Seems a climate similar to midlands South Carolina.

Good eye for detail!
Leftyhunter

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I came across a reference to Logie Elphinstone burning down in the 1970s, and afterwards being rebuilt. Presumably they wouldn't have changed the look too much, but that's an additional variable. (Any of our friends from across the pond anywhere in the vicinity of Aberdeenshire?)

Kids just moved back to the area- I can email someone. Daughter in law would love that kind of question, too- she's just finished a grad degree in UK history. If there's an answer to be found, probably get 10 pages back.

 

[mcfb50]

There's a postcard here circa 1909:
http://dearjackhistory.blogspot.com/2015/07/16-logie-elphinstone.html

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

There's a postcard here circa 1909:
http://dearjackhistory.blogspot.com/2015/07/16-logie-elphinstone.html

Also doesn't look much like the painting. There can't possibly be two such places, I suppose...

 

[Mike Serpa]

Also doesn't look much like the painting. There can't possibly be two such places, I suppose...

It does look like the photo in post #9. Not your paining for sure.

 

[NedBaldwin]

Theory:

In the 1880s Lord Elphinstone was involved in the Canada Pacific Railroad and the Canada Northwest Land Company. He acquired 1,000s of acres in Canada and built a ranch somewhere in Manitoba. The painting could be of his place there.

Also doesn't look much like the painting. There can't possibly be two such places, I suppose...