Circa 1904. With art class stamp to mount, signed Edward Ridley, Class number “1360”, subject number 8C and listing his age as “21”. Blind stamped ‘E.S.K’ to lower left of drawing, for The Examined School of South Kensington, the precursor to the Royal College of Art which was situated in what is now the V&A.Plus stamped “Work Accepted for Certificate” and a further label stating “For A.M. CERT., GROUP III (1904/5)” pasted to rear.Edward Ridley was a portrait and figure painter, born in Birmingham. He studied at Birmingham School of Art and was a Gold Medalist. Ridley''s paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (of which he was elected a member in 1944) and the Birmingham School of Art. He later became head of art at the Birmingham Municipal School of Art, and dedicated his life to teaching. He was, for some time, the art critic for the Birmingham Mail. He worked on the Birmingham Education Committee and subsequently for Chelte...