Cocks, Bertram Henry - portrait of Annie Margaret Bradley

This miniature portrait is signed and dated "B H Cocks 1943", for Bertram Henry Cocks (1883-1959). In the 1891 census, he lived at 36 Howard St Reading with his parents and siblings. His father was a clerk and traveller. In 1912 Bertram married Alice E Harding.

The portrait is inscribed on the reverse "The late Miss A M Bradley, Vice president of Reading Guild of Artists". This for Annie Margaret Bradley (1863-1941). She can be found in the census records and in 1871 was living in Western Elms Ave with her parents, Robert and Eleanor Bradley, her brother and sister, and with her father appearing to be a chartered accountant for various organisations.

In 1891 Annie was a 27 year old art student living with her widowed mother at Easby House, in Western Elms Ave. Reading. She was born in Reading and seems to have lived there all her life. For the 1901 census, she was visiting her sister, Eleanor Skrimshire and her daughters in Farnborough .

The Reading Guild of Artists has very kindly provided the information below which is extracted from the 1980 book by Eric Vernon Watson. "A History of the Reading Guild of Artists 1930 - 1980" published by the RGA, ISBN 0 9507267 0 2

"Miss Bradley was Vice-President of The Reading Guild of Artists from 1939-41 and died in office. She exhibited in the first exhibition in 1930, and served continuously on the RGA Council for the first eight years of its existence. Council meetings were at that time held in her home at 31 Coley Hill, Reading. She is variously described as a sound and competent painter in both oils and watercolour. After her death, her house passed to her niece Miss E May Skrimshire, who was also an active RGA member, and committee meetings still continued there.

Mr Bertram Cocks became Publicity Officer in July 1934 and continued for many years as a prominent and active councillor. In 1934. He rarely missed a meeting, and was voted £2 as publicity officer in 1940. In the exhibition of 1940 he showed four miniatures. By 1942 four works had become the upper limit for members to submit, and "we find Bertram Cocks exhibiting his customary four miniatures." In the same year he was one of a 'hard core' who helped maintain the RGA's activities during the difficult wartime period. The 1944 exhibition included four of his miniatures. In 1947 he resigned as Councillor and Publicity Officer, but then he seems still to be Publicity Officer until February 1952. In the years 1948-51, Bertram Cocks was still showing miniatures every year without fail."

The last mention is as follows (page 113):
"...the loss ... of two very well loved founder members. Bertram Cocks, who long ago had done such sterling work as Publicity Officer and who, year after year without fail, exhibited his beautiful miniatures, was seen no more after 1959." 945