Walter Wallor Caffyn specialised in painting landscapes, in particular harvesting and river scenes.  He lived for many years at Dorking in Surrey and he painted the local views there and in neighbouring Sussex.  He also made intermittent excursions to Yorkshire.

By the end of the 19th century, as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution, a large and prosperous middle class had emerged in England.  Many people had moved away from the country into the city to further their business interests and they wanted paintings which would remind them of their rural past.  This created a huge demand for landscape paintings and Caffyn and his contemporaries produced many paintings to satisfy this market.

Like many Victorian painters, Caffyn was attracted to Surrey because of its woodland, rolling hills and picturesque cottages.  He painted using a fluid brush stroke and natural colours with touches of warm reds, yellows and browns.  Often in his work he incorporates an impressive panoramic view over distant landscape in the background whilst creating intimacy in the foreground with quite detailed foliage and flowers.  He often painted birds in his work; it is not unusual to find a kingfisher hidden away somewhere or a moorhen skimming the water.

Caffyn was a very English artist and his paintings were popular with his contemporaries.  He painted several works in collaboration with the Angling painter H.L. Rolfe.

Exhibited:

Royal Academy 1876-1879
Royal Society of British Artists (Suffolk Street)
Royal Institute of Oil Painters