British Folk Art Racing Pigeons – Old Badge Hen & Holley Brothers Cock

Old Badge Hen & Holley Brothers Racing Pigeons British Folk Art Oil Attributed to J. Brown
Early 20th Century British Sporting Trophy Portrait with Painted Pedigree, Whitley Bay 1909 & Banff–Trehafod Racing Record

Highlights
• Attributed to J. Brown, British Naive / Folk Sporting School
• Rare double racing-pigeon trophy portrait
• Oil on board, early 20th century, circa 1930
• Chequered hen specifically identified as “OLD BADGE HEN”
• Old Badge Hen recorded as dam and grand-dam of successful racers
• Painted pedigree includes “1st Perth / Club & Fed.”
• Further apparent results include 1st Chester, 3rd Buxton and 2nd Craven Arms
• Blue-bar cock associated with “MESSRS HOLLEY BRO. BUTE”
• “1st Whitley Bay 09” apparently records victory in 1909
• Further racing references include Tynemouth, Perth and Banff
• “Wired 6.45 Day of Race” appears to preserve telegraphic reporting of racing information
• Important “BANFF TO TREHFOD” long-distance inscription
• Final wording appears to include “1st Club” and “1st 5/- Pool”
• Curated Auctions, London provenance
• Private London pigeon-fancier collection provenance
• Previously exhibited on private loan at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire

Introduction
A rare and extensively inscribed British racing-pigeon portrait attributed to J. Brown, combining the traditional characteristics of sporting animal portraiture with the documentary functions of a breeding pedigree and competitive racing record.
Painted in oil on board, the work depicts two individually characterised pigeons within an open landscape. The chequered hen occupies the lower left of the composition, while a larger blue-bar cock stands prominently upon a rocky outcrop.
Surrounding the birds are extensive original inscriptions recording names, pedigree relationships, race points, placings, monetary pools and what appears to be the telegraphic reporting of a racing result.
The painting is consequently of particular interest not simply as a decorative example of British sporting folk art, but as a surviving visual document of the historic British pigeon fancy.

Catalogue Details
Artist: Attributed to J. Brown
School: British Naive / Folk Sporting School
Title: Old Badge Hen & Holley Brothers Racing Pigeons
Date: Early 20th century, circa 1930
Medium: Oil on board
Signature: Unsigned
Subject: Racing pigeons / British sporting art / folk art
Painting dimensions: approximately 44 × 41 cm / 17.3 × 16.1 inches
Framed dimensions: approximately 57 × 52 × 2.5 cm / 22.4 × 20.5 × 1 inch
Frame: Substantial carved period wooden frame

Catalogue Note
Portraits of racing pigeons occupy a distinctive place within British sporting art. Successful racers and valuable breeding birds could be commemorated through paintings that preserved not only their appearance but also the details upon which their reputations depended.
The present work is particularly unusual because the two pigeons appear to have been commemorated for different forms of sporting distinction.
The left-hand hen is celebrated through her breeding legacy and the performance of her descendants, while the cock at right is accompanied by an extensive record of individual racing achievements.
Old Badge Hen
The chequered bird at left is explicitly identified as:
“OLD BADGE HEN”
The painted wording beside her includes:
“DAM OF 1ST PERTH”
“CLUB & FED. GRAND DAM”
Within pigeon-fancier terminology, “dam” denotes the mother of a pigeon and “grand-dam” its grandmother.
“Club & Fed.” refers to Club and Federation competition. A Federation represents a wider grouping of racing clubs, meaning that a bird achieving first at both Club and Federation level had distinguished itself beyond its immediate local club.
The inscription therefore appears to record Old Badge Hen as the mother of a pigeon achieving first from Perth at Club and Federation level and subsequently as the grandmother of further successful racers.
The difficult lower inscription appears to preserve three further performances:
“1ST CHES[TER]”
“3RD BUXTON”
“2ND CRAVEN ARMS”
This interpretation follows the conventional racing-pigeon formula of placing followed by race or liberation point. As part of the Chester lettering remains indistinct, that reading is retained as a considered interpretation rather than presented as an absolute transcription.
Taken together, the inscriptions identify Old Badge Hen as an important breeding or stock hen whose sporting reputation extended through successive generations.
The Holley Brothers Cock
The prominent blue-bar cock at right is associated with the painted heading:
“MESSRS HOLLEY BRO. BUTE”
The precise significance of “BUTE” remains unresolved.
Historical research has established that a Bute Homing Pigeon Society was instituted on the Isle of Bute in 1895, confirming that Bute possessed an organised pigeon-racing culture during the relevant historical period.
This does not, however, prove that the Holley Brothers were members of that society or residents of Bute.
Importantly, the painting itself does not visibly include the word “of”. The inscription is therefore retained exactly as painted rather than expanded into the unsupported identification “Holley Brothers of Bute”.
The cock's racing record includes:
“1ST WHITLEY BAY 09”
“1ST POOL”
“2ND TYNMTH”
“5TH PERTH”
The first appears to record a first-place performance from Whitley Bay in 1909.
“TYNMTH” is interpreted as the abbreviated place-name Tynemouth.
In organised pigeon racing, such place names normally represent race or liberation points from which pigeons were released to race back to their respective home lofts.
A further notation adjoining the Perth result appears to include “/10”. Considered alongside the explicit “09” following Whitley Bay, this may denote 1910, potentially preserving a chronology across successive racing seasons.
Wired 6.45 Day of Race
Another especially evocative inscription reads:
“WIRED 6.45 DAY OF RACE”
Within the historical context of early 20th-century pigeon racing, “wired” is consistent with the use of telegraphic communication to report or verify racing information.
The wording therefore appears to preserve an arrival or result communicated at 6.45 on the day of the race.
This period detail considerably enhances the documentary interest of the painting.
The Banff to Trehafod Inscription
Perhaps the most historically intriguing wording reads:
“… BIRD TO FLY BANFF TO TREHFOD”
“Trehfod” is very probably an abbreviated or variant rendering of Trehafod in the Rhondda Valley of South Wales.
If this identification is correct, the inscription commemorates a substantial long-distance flight from Banff in northern Scotland to Trehafod in South Wales.
The ordinal preceding “BIRD TO FLY” remains indistinct and has consequently not been expanded into a definitive assertion that the pigeon was either the first or second bird to accomplish the flight.
Another adjoining passage appears to resemble either:
“ALL STAGES TO BANFF”
or:
“ALL STAGED TO BANFF”
This may relate to progression through racing stages or increasing distances culminating in the Banff event, although its exact period meaning remains open to interpretation.
The concluding wording appears to include:
“1ST CLUB”
“1ST 5/- POOL”
The latter is consistent with historic British pre-decimal monetary notation, with 5/- representing five shillings, and appears to record victory in a five-shilling racing pool.
Together, these inscriptions make the painting effectively a painted pedigree, sporting trophy and race-performance archive.

The Artist
The painting is attributed to J. Brown on stylistic and comparative grounds.
Works associated with Brown are characterised by strongly delineated racing pigeons, careful differentiation of plumage and markings, simplified landscape backgrounds and extensive painted inscriptions documenting owners and sporting achievements.
The present painting is unsigned and is therefore conservatively catalogued as Attributed to J. Brown rather than presented as definitively by the artist.
Dating
The recorded Whitley Bay achievement in 1909, together with a possible 1910 Perth notation, represents racing information rather than necessarily the execution date of the painting.
The accumulation of racing and multi-generational breeding information suggests a retrospective commemorative portrait produced after the achievements recorded upon it had become established.
On current stylistic and comparative evidence, the painting is catalogued as early 20th century, circa 1930.

Provenance
Private London-based pigeon fancier collection.
Curated Auctions, London, Luxury Interiors: Including Exceptional Silver & Works of Art, 6 December 2024, Lot 370.
Acquired by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® in 2024.
Curated, researched and catalogued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Exhibition History
Privately loaned by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® and exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, Shropshire.
Dimensions
Painting: approximately 44 × 41 cm / 17.3 × 16.1 inches.
Overall framed dimensions: approximately 57 × 52 × 2.5 cm / 22.4 × 20.5 × 1 inch.

Condition Report
The painting is presented in good, honest condition consistent with its age and historic character.
There is age-related craquelure and surface variation, together with scattered marks and spotting. A visible vertical area of staining or discolouration is present towards the left side of the painted surface.
The substantial carved wooden frame displays age-related wear, scuffs, minor losses and evidence of historic repair and retouching.
Please examine the accompanying photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition report.

Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
Owing to the substantial dimensions and weight of the framed portrait, it will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.
International buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.

Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.

Attribution and Research
The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.
These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.

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