David Bates, was born in Cambridgeshire. Once his artistic talents became evident, Bates spent much of his early life in Worcestershire, where he apprenticed to be an artist in both oils and watercolours. After completing his apprenticeship, Bates expanded his horizons by choosing to explore other parts of the British Empire. Most notably, he visited the Trading Company in North Africa, and used the time there to depict scenes of nature in Africa. He also spent time in both Switzerland and Egypt. Upon his return to Great Britain, Bates began painting scenes of Southern England, Northern Wales, and Scotland. These scenes would become his hallmark as he began to make a name for himself in the elite art world.
Bates’ style was to paint pleasant naturalistic landscapes, truthful in detail but often idealized. From 1868 to 1893, he exhibited his works at the Royal Academy, the Royal Society of British Artists at Suffolk Street, the Grosvenor Gallery, the Royal Birmingham Society, and the Grafton Gallery, London, England. He was also a member of the New Watercolour Society, although ultimately, his detailed oil paintings were where he received the most acclaim. He reached what was perhaps the pinnacle of his career when Lord Frederic Leighton (1830-1896 – President of the British Royal Academy of Arts and acclaimed painter in his own right), fell in love with and purchased a Bates snow scene depicting the Hollymount Woods. Bates paintings can now be found in museums throughout England, most notably in the Liverpool Museum of Art and the Worcester City Museum. Bates’ son John Bates Noel (fl. 1870 – 19278) continued the family tradition by becoming a painter in his own right.
The New Forest, the subject of this painting, is located in Southern England. It was once exclusively owned by the British Royal Family although it is now a public National Park full of interesting nature and wildlife.