Alfred Walter Williams (18 July 1824 – 16 December 1905) was an English landscape painter during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

, and a member of the

Williams family of painters The Williams family of painters, also known as the Barnes School, is a family of prominent 19th-century Victorian landscape artists known for their paintings of the British countryside, coasts and mountains. They are represented by the artist Edw ...

Biography

Alfred Walter Williams was born on 18 July 1824 in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, one of identical twins; the second twin, Charles dying shortly after birth. He was the sixth son of the painter Edward Williams (1781-1855) and Ann Hildebrandt (c.1780-1851), and a member of the

, who were related to such famous artists as James Ward, R.A. and

George Morland George Morland (26 June 176329 October 1804) was an English painter. His early work was influenced by Francis Wheatley, but after the 1790s he came into his own style. His best compositions focus on rustic scenes: farms and hunting; smugglers a ...

. His father was a well-known landscape artist, who taught him how to paint; otherwise he received no formal instruction. Alfred's work was first accepted by the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in 1843, after which he regularly exhibited there, until 1890. Like his siblings he also exhibited 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 ...

, renamed the

Royal 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 1887. With the improved fortunes of Edward Williams' family, they moved in 1846 from Cromer Street to 32 Castelnau, Barnes in Surrey. There the large coach house was put to use as a family studio. The house exists to this day as 92 Castelnau. With the growing fame of the family they were known as the ''Williams School of painters'' or simply as the ''

Barnes School Barnes School, Deolali, is a boarding school in west India. It was established in 1925, on the basis of a 1718 original foundation. It is a private co-educational prep school. It is an Anglican school, founded in 1925, under the auspices o ...

''. Alfred had a close friendship with his brother

Sidney Richard Percy Sidney Richard Percy (22 March 1822 – 13 April 1886) was an English landscape painter during the Victorian era, and a member of the Williams family of painters. Biography Life and career Sidney Richard Percy was born Sidney Richard Percy Wi ...

and bride, and he boarded with them in 1857 for a while at their home ''Florence Villa'', in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

. Alfred Williams exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1843-1891 and works exhibited included scenes of the Thames, Around 1860 Alfred settled in

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

in Surrey. He is recorded in the 1861 census as boarding with Mr and Mrs Fitzsimon and in 1870 was at Mead Vale in Redhill, Surrey. In 1888, he married Ann HUTCHENCE (née THORNTON) in Reigate and became step-father to Rose Pricilla and Ada Louisa HUTCHENCE. In 1895 he had moved to 40 Croydon Road,

, close to his brother,

Arthur Gilbert Arthur Gilbert (19 December 1819 – 21 April 1895) was an English landscape painter during the Victorian era, and a member of the Williams family of painters. Biography Arthur Gilbert was born Arthur Gilbert Frederick Williams on 19 Decem ...

who lived in

Limpsfield Limpsfield is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs close to Oxted railway station and the A25.

. He died at 31 Francis Road,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

The Williams Family

Alfred Walter Williams was born into an artist family that is sometimes referred to as the

. His father and five surviving brothers (listed below) were all noted Victorian landscape painters. Three of the sons of Edward Williams changed their last names to protect the identity of their art. * Edward Williams (father) *

Edward Charles Williams Edward Charles Williams (10 July 1807 – 25 July 1881) was an English landscape painter during the Victorian Era, and a member of the Williams family of painters. Early life, family and education Edward Charles Williams was born in Lond ...

Henry John Boddington Henry John Boddington (1811 – 11 April 1865) was an English landscape painter during the Victorian era, and a member of the Williams family of painters. Biography Henry John Boddington was born Henry John Williams on 14 October 1811 in L ...

George Augustus Williams George Augustus Williams (4 May 1814 – 26 May 1901) was an English landscape painter during the Victorian era, and a member of the Williams family of painters. Biography George Augustus Williams was born on 4 May 1814 in London. He was the t ...

Art

Alfred Walter Williams produced grand and romantic landscapes in the best tradition of the Williams family, which through their popularity became the most successful Victorian family of painters. Alfred became a founder member of the Holmesdale Fine Arts Club, prominent in Reigate from around 1865. He counted amongst his friends Charles Davidson RWS (1820–1902) and a number of other noted artists including

Samuel Palmer Samuel Palmer Hon.RE (Hon. Fellow of the Society of Painter-Etchers) (27 January 180524 May 1881) was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and p ...

and the Linnell family. Wales, Scotland and Italy. He was a landscape painter in oils and occasionally watercolor and painted in a similar style to his brother Sidney Percy. According to Graves Dictionary, he exhibited 76 works at the Royal Academy, 42 at the British Institution, 79 at Suffolk Street, 4 at the New Watercolor Society and 108 at various other London exhibitions. One of his paintings is in the Victoria & Albert Museum. The many auction listings for ALFRED WILLIAMS, may be found at artnet.com (93 listings), findartinfo.com (49) and artprice.com (103) etc. His works are also often found in Hislop's Guide to the UK Art Market. His oils reach the thousands, can be found on auction house like

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

. More biographical information may be found in The Dictionary of Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood, The Dictionary of British Artists, and British Watercolor Artists by Mallalieu.

Museums

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

National Museums Liverpool National Museums Liverpool, formerly National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, comprises several museums and art galleries in and around Liverpool, England. All the museums and galleries in the group have free admission. The museum is a non ...

*Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens *Shipley Art Gallery *Atkinson Art Gallery Collection *Rotherham Museums and Galleries *Brighton and Hove Museums and Art Galleries *Leicester Art and Museum Service *

Lambeth London Borough Council Lambeth London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Lambeth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, and one of the 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council meets at Lambeth Town Hall ...

Notes

References

External links

*Paintings by Alfred Walter Williams in British Museums o
Art UK
*Paintings by Alfred Walter Williams o
Wikigallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Alfred Walter 1824 births 1905 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters Landscape artists People from Reigate 19th-century English male artists 20th-century English male artists