Backyard Poultry Forum

There is much conjecture about Atkinson’s artwork of gamefowl – whether they show idealized fowl, oriental influence, etc.

Arguments aside, my favorite Atkinson painting is this one titled ‘In the Barn at Ewelme’.

Reproduced by Dr Cedric Jones (1994) in his booklet ‘Game Pie by Islander’, Jones states “… just about everyone who was anyone in the fraternity at the time appears. How authentic this particular gathering was and indeed, whose barn it was, I really can’t say, but what an array of talent!”.



Jones lists the participants as follows:

At the scales: Herbert Atkinson, Jas Harris
At the table: Major J. Selwyn, A.J. Milden, H.B. Parsons
Left to right standing: Capt Alexander, R.J. Verney, W.A. Tunstall, G. Wreaks, L. Major, B. Jones, F.W. Leach, George Ruddle, Major Swaffield, George Matthews O’Preaulx, Dr Mellish, M. Festing, J. Gilliver
Front row: Capt Astley (referee), E. Atkins, L. Fitzbarnard, A.L Pulford
Setters: F. Graham Yoole (standing), William Gilliver.

I’d love to know where this painting hangs.

Not originals of course but according to my dear wife, I have far too many of his prints hanging in our house.
I'll try and find out where the original of the picture you posted is.

Most of Atkinsons painting are stylised and how do I know that? Because its actually possible to see black and white photographs of the very birds he drew.

I don't think that I've gone OTT with the chicken pictures, do you ?


































I've many more pictures but for some reason my beloved thinks that enough is enough.

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Cheers Truetome. As with most of this artwork, I suspect it hangs in a private collection.

No, I don't think you haven't gone OTT. There still appears to be some free wall space in the background. Unfortunately, I have to keep my bits n pieces away in a folio; I'd get shot if they went up on the wall.

I do like the Tunstall dark red. I understand that it was his son that was the artist.

Yes, I've seen the feathered world photos alongside the Atkinson artwork of the same fowl. Pegawl posted it on this site just a few months ago. Fairly compelling evidence isn't it.

got any copies of the black and white photos?

I'll find you a link to a guy over here who has the copy right to hundreds of black and white photos from the 1920s. He sells them at quite a price but you'll be able to see what he's got and idea of how the birds were.

Shooting is a word thats been banded around our house too.

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Not the link that I found a few years ago but its the same person. Have a sift through this.

http://www.poultryphotos.co.uk/prints.htm

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ive seen these ones. Extremely different to many birds you see today.

Some of the Oxfords kept here in the UK are very similar, I'm not sure which direction OEG in Australia have taken.

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The answer to that Truetome depends on who you ask. Any pics of your gamefowl?

Looks like all of us oxford blokes houses look the same inside, gamefowl on every wall. great stuff blokes...

Manna, great pic of the barn, seen it before, but always good to see it again..onya.

Truetome, cheers for the pic's....Just by chance you would'nt be B.T. ..as i know he's out your way..

Truetome, what happened to the pictures of your fowl? Pictures are always hard to comment on but I'm more interested in their breeding. Are they from any of the old 'native' english strains? cheers

i wondered the same thing.
Does anyone know just how many works atkinson produced

I dont think anyone would know just how many were churned out , I know of a grandfather clock that he painted with various scenes of the pit and fowl .In the painting at the beginning of the thread Atkinson and Harris stand at the scales , although in this pic its not noticeable , the scales are actually a cock holding the bar in its beak . They were actual scales which belonged to Lord Derby and broke down into a transportable size , at one stage fitzbannard owned these scales so I'm told . Mana I still havent located the info you wanted on Fitzbannard as yet but know I have something , please bear with me.......

I heard or read somewhere that Atkinson also painted gamefowl on dinner plates,anybody know.cheers