Henry Mayo Bateman Interior Drawings and Watercolors

Henry Mayo Bateman English, 1887–1970 Lady at her Vanity Watercolor on paper 9 ½ by 10 ½ in. W/frame 18 ½ by 19 ½ in. Signed & dated 1904 lower on left H. M. Bateman was noted for his "The Man Who..." series of cartoons, featuring comically exaggerated reactions to minor and usually upper-class social gaffes, such as "The Man Who Lit His Cigar Before the Loyal Toast", "The Man Who Threw a Snowball at St. Moritz" and "The Boy Who Breathed on the Glass at the British Museum." He was born in the small village of Sutton Forest in New South Wales, Australia. His parents were Henry Charles Bateman and Rose Mayo. His father had left England for Australia in 1878 at the age of 21 to seek his fortune, then returned to England briefly in 1885 before going back with an English wife. Soon after Henry was born, his strong-willed mother insisted that they return to London 'and civilisation'. He had one sister, Phyllis, three years younger. Henry remained in England for the remainder of his life except for one disappointing visit to his birthplace.[citation needed] Henry was always drawing from an early age, consistently producing funny drawings...