WALKER'S GALLERIES

c.1890 - 1962

Walker's Gallery

Walker's Galleries was founded around 1890 in New Bond Street, London by Augustus Joel Walker (1868-1965), art dealer, artists' colourman, frame-maker and fine art publisher and is first noticed with an exhibition of the works of Leighton Ward in June 1900 followed by the works of Hardwicke Lewis 16-31 May 1901. Walker was born in Wandsworth the son of a tailor he died three years short of his century in Odiham, Hampshire. Located at 118 New Bond Street, London the Gallery is known to have staged the first exhibition of the Seven and Five Society of Artists in April 1920. The Gallery, under the auspices of its proprietor, published 'Walker’s Quarterly' 1920-1932, each edition being devoted to a monograph on an individual artist or a specific aspect of art. These included David Roberts (1796-1864), Thomas Shotter Boys (1803-1874), John Sell Cotman (1782-1842), William Callow (1812-1908), Henry Holiday (1839-1927), John Frederick Lewis, John Bagnold Burgess (1829–1897), Henry Bright, Edward Morison Wimperis (1835-1900), Charles Bentley (1808–1854), Francis Nicholson (1753–1844), Samuel Lucas (1805–1870), James Holland (1799–1870), and others. Its closure was announced in the Westminster and Pimlico News of 5 January 1962 and refers to an exhibition of Whistler's work in 1892 when the gallery was part of the Goupil Group at 115-116 New Bond Street and in 1896 Augustus Walker moved the Galleries to 118 New Bond Street. Suffolk artists who exhibited at Walker's Galleries include Alan Blyth, Alice Levine Fowler, Sybil Hamilton Hastings, Helen Jane Mackenzie, Finlay Mackinnon, Alfred William Rich, Jørgen Francis Sedgwick, Tom Simpson, Mabel Mary Spanton, Emma Thornhill, Tom Van Oss, John George Walker and Evelyn Jane Whyley. It is sometimes referred to as Walker's 'Gallery'