Charles Henry Miller,
Lea River, Tottenham
Case Study
A late 19th-century oil painting by American artist Charles Henry Miller (1842-1922) depicting an evening view on the River Lea at Tottenham, London.
Assessment
The painting arrived with years of accumulated dirt and discoloured varnish. Following an examination via ultraviolet light, we also discovered numerous areas of relatively modern overpaint, including to the sky.
Approach
Following a clean, the modern overpaint, which had been applied in acrylic, covered extensive areas and was carefully removed. It included the entire sun, which had been added to cover a previous repair. The piece was then touched in where required and revarnished.
Result
The true quality of the piece, which had previously been hidden under overpaint, became apparent. It’s much closer in style to the often tonalist nature of the artist’s oeuvre.
Charles Henry Miller
(1842-1922)
Charles Henry Miller was an ingenious American painter of landscapes and a member of the National Academy.
Born in Manhattan, New York, Miller’s father, Jacob Miller, was an architect and evidently furnished his son with a natural aptitude for drawing. It’s fascinating to consider whether such skills are acquired via one’s DNA or through observation and nurture. His dexterity as a draughtsman served him well as, in 1859, he enrolled at the National Academy and had a painting hung there soon after. At 18, he was already receiving encouraging plaudits from both peers and tutors.
Today, he’s remembered for recording the ever-changing landscape of Long Island, during its transition from rurality to urbanisation.
He’s represented in numerous public collections including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Brooklyn Institute Museum, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Long Island Museum, Museum of the City of New York, National Academy of Design in New York, and the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.