Howard Helmick
, American, 1840-1907
Title
News of the Land LeagueDate1881
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
80.5 x 105 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1985
Object numberNGI.4507
Label TextFounded in 1879, the Land League led a lengthy campaign for tenants’ rights through agitation, boycotting and refusal of rents. This painting is particularly topical, as it coincided with the passing of Gladstone’s second Land Act in 1881 in response to consistent demands for fair rent, fixity of tenure and free sale of holdings. Helmick divided his time in the 1870s and 1880s between England and Ireland, making lengthy visits to Cork, Kerry and Galway. The theme of literacy and politics recurred in the work of numerous artists in Ireland.