William Powell Frith

William Powell Frith ( January 19 , 1819 - November 9 , 1909 ,was an English painter specialising inportraits and Victorian era narratives, who was elected to the Royal Academy in 1852 .

Life and Career

Born in Aldfield , North Yorkshire , William was encouraged to take up art by his parents whowere hoteliers in Harrogate . he began his career as a portrait painter and first exhibited at the British Institution in 1838 . In the 1840s he often based works on theliterary output of writers such as Charles Dickens and Sir David Wilkie .

He was also a member of TheClique , which also included Richard Dadd . His most famous painting isDerby Day a genre scene of the race at Epsom Downs . This 1858 composition was bought by Jacob Bell for £1,500.Another well-known painting was Railway Station a scene of Paddington station . In 1865 he was chosen to paint theMarriage of the Prince of Wales.

Later in his career he painted two series of five paintings, Road to Ruin ( 1878 ) and Race for Wealth ( 1880 ). He retired from the Royal Academy in 1890 but continued to exhibit until 1902 .

Frith was a traditionalist who made known his aversion to modern-art developments in a couple of autobiographies -Autobiography and Reminiscences ( 1887 ) and Further Reminiscences( 1888 ) - and other writings.

External Links

• William Powell Frith at Artcyclopedia (images from various Museums andimage galleries)