William Powell Frith - Artist Info

About William Powell Frith

  • Biography

    The son of a prosperous innkeeper, Frith had to be persuaded by his ambitious father to pursue a career as a painter. He enrolled into the Sass Academy in 1835 (other alumni include Millais and Rossetti) and then studied at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1845 he was appointed RA of the Royal Academy and was elected a full member in 1852. He also showed at the Royal Society of Artists, Suffolk Street and the British Institution.

    Frith was a member of a circle of artist known as 'The Clique'. Founded by Richard Dadd, their work was characterized by a rejection of academic high art in favour of genre painting. They claimed that art should be judged by the public, and not constrained to conform to academic ideal...

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