The Little Girl at the Door by Harriet Halhed

Born in Australia, Harriet Halhed (1850-1933) came to England as an orphan, aged six, to be brought up by her aunt in Harbledown, near Canterbury.

She went on to train at the Sidney Cooper School of Art, the Royal College of Art in London and then with artist Louis Deschamps in Paris. This French influence, along with the work of James McNeill Whistler, is evident in her paintings.

Halhed returned to Kent in the mid-1890s where she set up a studio in Sevenoaks to teach art classes. She regularly exhibited work in London and Paris.

One of the best examples of her work, The Little Girl at the Door, was shown at the Royal Academy and Paris Salon in 1910.

Originally bought by some of her former pupils as recognition of her work, it now hangs in The Beaney where it has become a favourite for many visitors.

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