Abraham Solomon (

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

7 May 1823 – 19 December 1862 Biarritz) was a British painter. Born as the second son of Meyer Solomon, a Leghorn hat manufacturer, by his wife Catherine, in Sandys Street, Bishopsgate in east London. His father was one of the first Jews to be admitted to the freedom of the city of London. Two members of the family besides Abraham became artists. A younger brother,

Simeon Solomon Simeon Solomon (9 October 1840 – 14 August 1905) was a British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelites who was noted for his depictions of Jewish life and same-sex desire. His career was cut short as a result of public scandal following hi ...

, acquired much acclaim as an associate of the Pre-Raphaelites and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1858 to 1872; his later crayon drawings of idealised heads are still popular. At the age of thirteen Abraham became a pupil in Sass's school of art in Bloomsbury, and in 1838 gained the Isis silver medal at the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

for a drawing from a statue. In 1839 he was admitted as a student of the Royal Academy, where he received in the same year a silver medal for drawing from the antique, and in 1843 another for drawing from the life. Solomon died in Biarritz in France, of heart disease, on 19 December 1862, the same day on which he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy. He married, on 10 May 1860, Ella, sister of Dr. Ernest Hart; she survived her husband.

Works

His first exhibited work, ''Rabbi expounding the Scriptures'', appeared at the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

in 1840, and in the following year he sent to the Royal Academy ''My Grandmother''DNB, 1900. "now belonging to a cousin" and a scene from Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's ''

Fair Maid of Perth ''The Fair Maid of Perth'' (or ''St. Valentine's Day'') is an 1828 novel by Sir Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels. Inspired by the strange, but historically true, story of the Battle of the North Inch, it is set in Perth (known at the ti ...

.'' These were followed (at the Academy) by a scene from the '' Vicar of Wakefield'' in 1842, another from Crabbe's ''Parish Register'' in 1843, and a third from ''Peveril of the Peak'' in 1845. ''The Breakfast Table'', exhibited in 1846, and a further scene from the ''Vicar of Wakefield'' in 1847, attracted some attention. In 1848 appeared ''A Ball Room in the year 1760'', and in 1849 the ''Academy for Instruction in the Discipline of the Fan, 1711'', both of which pictures were distinguished by brilliancy of colour and careful study of costume. ''Too Truthful'' was his contribution to the exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1850, and ''An Awkward Position''—an incident in the life of Oliver Goldsmith—to that of 1851. In 1851, also, he sent to the British Institution ''Scandal'' and ''La petite Dieppoise''. In 1852 appeared at the Academy ''The Grisette'' and a scene from

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...

's ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

''—the quarrel between Mariane and Valère, where Dorine interferes—and in 1853 ''Brunetta and Phillis'', from the ''Spectator''. In 1854, he sent to the Academy ''First Class: The Meeting'' (National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa), and ''Second Class: The Parting'' (National Gallery of Australia, Canberra). Both were engraved in mezzotint by William Henry Simmons in 1857, and evidenced a great advance in Solomon's work. They show an originality of conception and design which is not apparent in his earlier work. His next contributions to the Royal Academy were ''A Contrast'' in 1855, ''The Bride'' and ''Doubtful Fortune'' in 1856, and '' Waiting for the Verdict'' in 1857. The last picture greatly increased his popularity; but its companion, '' Not Guilty'', exhibited in 1859, was less successful. Both became the property of C. J. Lucas, esq., and were also engraved by Simmons. ''The Flight'', ''Mlle. Blaiz'', and ''The Lion in Love'' (also engraved by Simmons) were exhibited at the academy in 1858; ''Ici on rase, Brittany'' and ''The Fox and the Grapes'' in 1859; ''Drowned! Drowned!'' in 1860; ''Consolation'' and ''Le Malade Imaginaire'' in 1861; and ''The Lost Found'' in 1862. ''Art Critics in Brittany'' appeared at the British Institution in 1861. His last work, ''Departure of the Diligence at Biarritz'', is now at the

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

, Egham.

References

;Attribution:

External links

Abraham Solomon artwork database and exhibition history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Abraham 1823 births 1862 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters English Jews Jewish painters Painters from London People from the City of London Artists' Rifles soldiers 19th-century English male artists Sibling artists