Items Similar to Richard Wintzer, A Young Woman & Bathing Machine, Drawing
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11
Richard WintzerRichard Wintzer, A Young Woman & Bathing Machine, Drawing1904
1904
About the Item
This early 20th-century drawing by German artist Richard Wintzer (1866-1952) depicts a lady standing before a bathing machine. It’s a risque portrayal given the date so it’s likely that it’s his wife, Alma.
She stands with one arm on a wooden door, posed as if at ballet practice, dressed in a sleeveless swimming costume. The bathing machine protects her dignity from the gaze of potential beach onlookers. In 1904, when Wintzer produced this charming drawing, times were a little different and ladies were expected to cover up. In 1907, Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer had the audacity to don a swimsuit, which revealed her arms, legs and her neck, during a visit to the USA. She was arrested for public indecency. If Wintzer’s wife Alma had wandered too far from the confines of the bathing machine, she too could’ve suffered the same fate. Of course, for men, the rules didn’t apply with equal fervour.
Bathing machines were a common sight during the late 18th and throughout the 19th century. These small mobile changing rooms were often wheeled into the water, allowing the incumbent to paddle with privacy. First witnessed in Margate, England, they reached their heyday following Queen Victoria’s regular use, including on the beach at Osborne House. But as time progressed, they became a rather stagnant metaphor of traditional thinking with many rotting across various shores. The Edwardian press was quite humorous in its descriptions of these decaying timber antiques with one reporter referring to them as “cheerless Noah’s Arks”. There were also numerous accidents involving them toppling over or rolling out to sea while inhabited - much to the disdain of the floating passenger. A mournful poem from 1907 reads:
How I gloat o’er thee, decaying,
With thy tiny window swaying
In the breeze, scornfully saying,
“Thou hast been,”
Bathing machine.
Thy last sad days, what shall they be?
Sans wheels, sans steps, a box so wee,
That only fowls will roost in thee,
Just at e’en,
Bathing machine.
Can I see thee on the seashore,
Lying unused, wanted no more,
Without the sigh! Thou’rt gone before,
A thing unclean,
Oh! Bathing machine.
So it’s quite clear that when Wintzer sat upon the sand to complete this little sketch, the bathing machine was into its last phase. Which perhaps adds a sense of poignancy to Alma’s rather glamorous posture.
How do you feel about bathing machines? Can you see them making a comeback?
Richard Wintzer was a writer, composer and painter. He studied at the academies in Berlin and Leipzig and later became a portraitist for the newspaper Berliner Lokalanzeiger.
Signed/dated lower right and held within a contemporary glazed frame.
Established in 2017, Brave Fine Art is a premier English art dealership based in Cheltenham with clients including national galleries and country estates. Our team includes a conservator, logistics specialist and art historian. Over 1,000 paintings have been transported to the US and Canada safely.
Our aim is to price fairly from the start and continually evolve the collection. Around 40 new discoveries are added every month. If you have any questions at all, we’d love to hear from you.
- Creator:Richard Wintzer (1866 - 1952, German)
- Creation Year:1904
- Dimensions:Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Artwork presents well. Minor foxing.
- Gallery Location:Cheltenham, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2328211655222
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 2017
1stDibs seller since 2023
128 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Cheltenham, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- William Albert Ablett, In Her Boudoir, DrawingBy William Albert AblettLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis evocative early 20th-century scene by French artist William Albert Ablett (1877-1937) depicts a lady sitting on a footstool while draped over a sofa. Her head is partially turne...Category
1920s Art Deco Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Chalk
- 19th-Century Swiss School, Montbenon, Lake GenevaLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis mid-19th-century Swiss school drawing depicts the beautiful Esplanade de Montbenon in Lausanne, Switzerland. The picturesque gardens of the Esplanade de Montbenon provide a spl...Category
1830s Folk Art Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil
- George H Hay, Spinning Wool, WatercolourLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis late 19th-century watercolour by Scottish artist George H Hay RSA (1831-1912) depicts four young ladies, wearing outfits synonymous with the 1820s, spinning wool within a simple...Category
1890s Romantic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Watercolor
- 19th-Century Austrian School, Lady Riding A Grey MareLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis charming mid-19th-century European watercolour depicts a young lady riding a grey mare before a view of Berg Perchtoldsdorf, Austria. During the 19th century, aristocratic wome...Category
1860s Victorian Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsGouache, Watercolor, Paper
- John Varley OWS (Attributed), Italianate Landscape With FiguresBy John VarleyLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis charming early 19th-century watercolour attributed to English artist John Varley OWS (1778-1842) depicts an Italianate vista with trees, distant town, and figures. Varley was a...Category
1830s English School Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Watercolor
- George Goodwin Kilburne, The Finishing Touch, WatercolourBy George Goodwin KilburneLocated in Cheltenham, GBThis early 20th-century watercolour by British artist George Goodwin Kilburne (1845-1932) depicts a loving scene from the early 19th century. With her daughter looking on, mother adj...Category
1910s English School Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Watercolor
You May Also Like
- Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820, Horace Vernet (French 1789-1820)By Émile Jean-Horace VernetLocated in Sydney, NSWHorace Vernet (French 1789-1863), Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820. This is a charming detailed pen and ink study for “Vernet’s The Artist’s Studio” which was painted in 1820. I...Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Ink
- Kyffin Williams OBE RA, pen and ink study, Welsh 20th Century, figurativeLocated in Petworth, West SussexSir John Kyffin Williams, OBE, RA (Welsh, 1918–2006) Study for The Agony in The Garden Pen and ink Signed with initials `KW’ (lower right) 18 x 10....Category
20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Ink, Pen
- “On Alert”By Jean Baptiste Édouard DetailleLocated in Southampton, NYOriginal pen and India ink drawing on heavy card stock of French soldiers on horseback by the well known French military artist, Edouard Detaille. Signed lower left and dated 1882. ...Category
1880s Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk, Archival Paper, Pen
- British turn of the 20th century ink drawing of an allegory of timeLocated in Petworth, West SussexSidney Herbert Sime (British, 1867 – 1941) An allegory of lost Time Ink on paper Signed ‘S. H. SIME.’ (lower right) 6.5/8 x 5.7/8 in. (17 x 14.5 cm.) Sidney Sime...Category
Early 20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk, Paper
- British, early 20th Century oriental scene by female artist Katie BlackmoreLocated in Petworth, West SussexKatie Blackmore (British, 1890 – 1957) Oriental fantasy Ink and gouache on paper Signed ‘K Blackmore’ (lower right) 9 x 8.3/8in. (22.8 x 21.2 cm.) A Scottish figurative and decorative artist, Katie Blackmore was closely associated with both Jessie Marion King...Category
20th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk, Paper, Gouache
- 19th Century drawing attributed to John Flaxman of a classical maidenBy John FlaxmanLocated in Petworth, West SussexAttributed to John Flaxman (British, 1755- 1826) Study of a classical maiden Pen and ink on paper 5.1/2 x 3.1/8 in. (14 x 8 cm.)Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk, Paper, Pen