Snaffles (1884 - 1967) was born Charlie Johnson Payne. The child of a bootmaker, Snaffles was from an early age determined to join the army. Although he was too young to join the fighting in South Africa at the start of the century, Snaffles enlisted as a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery. In 1906 he was forced to leave because of illness - however, these military experiences had a profound impact on Snaffles and influenced many of his later works. In the years before the First World War Snaffles was a regular contributor to a number of periodicals including Sporting and Dramatic. During the war itself Snaffles put his skills to use producing sketches for The Graphic which featured some of his experiences on the Western Front in France.It was in the inter-war period that Snaffles really emerged as the leading sporting artist of his day. His personal interest in all things to do with hunting and field sports as well as his visit to India in this period honed his immense talent in capturing the essence and humour of the sporting scene. Unlike many other sporting artists of his day Snaffles tended to focus on individual hunting characters rather than panoramic scenes with many characters. Some of his most famous pictures include 'The Finest View in Europe' (depicting a hunt follower viewing the scene ahead of him ) and 'The Worst View in Europe' (depicting a jockey and his horse approaching a difficult fence in the heavy rain).
Snaffles is undoubtedly one of the most sought after sporting artists of the twentieth century.
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