George Cochrane Kerr (fl.1873-1906)

A Londoner, most of the recorded history about the life of George Cochrane Kerr relates strictly to his skill with his chosen medium, watercolor. It is known he went abroad to France to study in the 1870s, and impassioned works of the country's coastal views dominate his output during this decade. Once returned to Britain, the art takes a nationalistic turn, and great seascape and harbor views from throughout southern and eastern England emerge. The most often painted location by him appears to be summer scenes of Ramsgate.

Kerr exhibited regularly from 1873 through 1906, annually with the Society of British Artists and the New Watercolor Society, and more than 14 times with works in the Royal Academy. For most of these he lists his address as Sudbrook Park, Petersham. This Richmond borough of London is often called the countryside within the city, and its elevated hill offers a nice view of the nearby Thames that many artists have flocked to over the centuries.

We strongly believe that Kerr is the same artist who goes on to some prominence as one of the primary illustrators of the famous children's series "Old Mother West Wind Stories", authored and edited by Thomas Burgess.