Trained in Paris, Walton was a talented watercolourist, influenced by the Scottish masters, Melville and Crawhall. The child’s self-absorption in the picture captures a mood portrayed in many Glasgow School portraits (not to mention Whistler’s), harking back to the blank stares of Bastien-Lepage’s rural labourers. Walton’s figure studies are relatively rare as following her marriage in 1896 she decided to concentrate on flower painting, a curbing of talent due to the responsibilities of marriage and family, which faced countless women artists of the period.

Constance Walton, 1866-1960

Constance Walton was part of the Glasgow artistic dynasty which included her brothers, Glasgow Boy, E A Walton, and the designer, George Walton, who worked with Charles Rennie Mackintosh; and her niece, Cecile Walton. Constance Walton was part of the group known as the Glasgow Girls, who were trained at the Glasgow School of Art, and this watercolour reflects the influence of Arthur Melville and Joseph Crawhall. All the other artists mentioned can also be found in the Fleming Collection.