Walter Brookes Spong

"Bersted" (1915)

Walter Brookes Spong (1851 - 2 March 1929 ) was an English stage and watercolor painter.^[1][2][3][4]

Spong was born in London. He married Elizabeth Twedle, and their daughter, Hilda (1875–1955), was an actress in theatre and movies, working in Australia, Europe, and America. Spong was a friend of noted Australian artists Tom Roberts,^[5] and Arthur Streeton.

In 1886,^[6] Spong moved to Australia, and became the chief scene painter with the Brough and Boucicault Comedy Company (may have accompanied them to Australia). In 1886, he was one of the founders of the Australian Artist's Association and the Victorian Art Society.

In 1898, Spong returned to England. In 1900, he was listed as a stage painter in the records of the Royal Adelphi Theater of London.

Spong died in 1929 in Nice, France.

Exhibitions of his works

His works have been exhibited at the Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Victorian Artist's Society (Australia), Society of Artists (Australia), Royal Institute of Watercolour Painters, Royal Academy (8) and Walker Gallery (66) in London, among others.

His works are represented in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Manly Art Gallery, The Mitchell Library, Sydney, and The Dixon Galleries, as well as corporate and private collections in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Notes

1. Obituary in New York Times (8 March 1929)
2. Callaway, Anita. Visual Ephemera: Theatrical Art in Nineteenth-Century Australia, UNSW Press 2000.
3. Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide, 2006/2007.
4. "SPONG COLLECTION SHOWN; Water Colors Seen at Reception Given by Artist's Daughhter.". New York Times. 18 October 1921. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
5. Croll, 'Smile to Bulldog', Ure Smith, Sydney, 1946
6. British artists (including Spong)