CECIL GORDON LAWSON (BRITISH 1851-1882)
The Foundling
signed and dated 1871 (lower right)
oil on canvas
44.5 x 34 cm

In 1871, Lawson was living with his parents at 15 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, along with his two older brothers Francis Wilfrid Lawson (1842–1935), a "historical painter and designer" and Malcolm Leonard Lawson (1847–1918), a "professor of music.

Lawson's first works were studies of fruit, flowers in the manner of William Henry Hunt; followed by riverside Chelsea subjects as shown in the present work. His first exhibit at the Royal Academy (1870) was Cheyne Walk, and in 1871 he sent two other Chelsea subjects. These gained full recognition from fellow-artists, if not from the public.