Gilbert Joseph Holiday (British, 1879-1937) The Fall; and The New Line one signed 'Gilbert Holiday' (lower left) watercolours on paper 35 x 52cm, a pair (2) Footnote: Gilbert Holiday spent his early years in St John’s Wood, Westminster, where he had ample chance to observe the horses and troops of the Royal Horse Artillery first-hand. After his studies at the Royal Academy of Art (1897–1902), he began working as an illustrator for magazines including The Strand, Tatler and The Graphic. During the First World War, he served as a war artist for The Graphic and a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery on the Western Front. He was later made a Reconnaissance Officer, assigned with sketching enemy positions in No Man’s Land. From the 1920s onwards, Holiday focused on a variety of sporting subjects and became well-known for depicting national racing events including the Grand National, The Derby and other race meetings. He is renowned for his unrivalled ability to capture the expression and movement of horses. In April 1933, Holiday broke his back in a hunting accident, but continued to paint until his death in 1937.