Robert John Hammond

Robert Hammond was a late 19th and early 20th century painter of genre, landscapes and rural scenes, especially cottages, gardens and river landscapes.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century there was an exodus from the country to the Britain’s towns and cities, looking for work in the emerging industries.  The ‘new money’ in England, saw a nostalgic demand for idealised rural scenes, rich landscapes and pretty cottages, with men, women and children, working in the fresh air and enjoying coutry pursuits -  scenes that reminded them of the life they left behind.  It was a very romantised view of life in the country, which in reality was far from removed from the idyllic scenes shown in these paintings.  Hammond’s paintings were typical of this period with cottages and roses round the door, pretty girls, picking fruit or gathering kindling and rosy cheeked children at play in the sunshine.

A Birmingham artist, Hammond exhibited at the Royal Society of Artists in Birmingham and at the Manchester City Art Gallery.