Despite being very much a man of his time our Co-Founder, Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, supported female artists and valued their work. However, it probably did not hurt that female artists commanded much lower prices that male ones.

Sir Merton purchased this work circa 1900 thinking that it was by Edward Burne-Jones but he was fooled. An unscrupulous dealer had altered the signature and it was not spotted until 1928 when De Morgan’s sister, Mrs Stirling, spotted the error. She tried to persuade Sir Merton’s son to give her the painting for the De Morgan Foundation but thankfully it came to us. Ironically, Sir Merton had owned De Morgan’s ‘Phosphorus and Hesperus’ but he sold it. It is now with the De Morgan Foundation.

Sir Merton used some of his sculptures to create architectural spaces and vistas. Some of them are fixed into the very fabric of our building!

We have three works by Calvi, Milanese by birth and training, who made several busts like this of Othello from 1867 onwards. They are possibly a comment on slavery following the American Civil War as well as a challenge to neo-classism. It probably shows Ira Aldridge, the pioneering African-American actor who was the first man of colour to own a theatre in the UK. Sir Merton was a big fan of the stage and we have quite a collection of theatrical material from the Victorian era.

The presence of our sculpture collection on Art UK has generated a lot of useful identification research.

We have an interesting collection of European artworks thanks to Sir Merton but we are not sure how he came by them. It could be that he purchased some while abroad as is the case here as it was shown at the Paris Universal Exposition in 11.1890. He also lent work to such Expositions as, like many, he believed in them as benchmarks of quality.

Zatzka was an Austrian artist who produced both academy style work and things like this. He was trapped in a contract which limited his artistic output and so turned to pseudonyms including Joseph Bernard - the name originally associated with this work.

There is a photograph showing this work in Sir Merton’s business, the Royal Bath Hotel, which amply illustrates how he used art as an attraction.

Our 20th century collection contains many works by leading names but this painting by a local art teacher is the most popular with our visitors. I can see why – his approach to the composition, showing the musculature of the model’s back and how he has rendered the water, makes for a dramatic scene.

Williamson was painting master at Bournemouth College of Art 1926-1947 and the model was probably a student there. This painting was purchased after it had been at the Royal Academy in 1940. The Bournemouth College of Art is now the Arts University Bournemouth and an important fixture on the regional art scene.

Ward is currently my favourite artist represented in our collections. This is also one of our most popular paintings and has become an emblem for Dorset. It is very evocative of the interwar period’s interest in healthy outdoor leisure. Our staff have given it the nickname ‘Five Go Mad in Dorset’.

Ward was born at Worcester in 1888 and studied at Bournemouth Art School. Exhibiting at the Royal Academy from 1915, he was an accomplished etcher. In 1920 he became a founder member of the Bournemouth Arts Club, persuading artists such as Augustus John and Henry Lamb to exhibit. Ward also taught at the Bournemouth College of Art and was well remembered by his students.