Frederick Havill (1815 – April 1884) was an English artist of the 19th century. Havill contributed to multiple mediums, but is best remembered for his role in

portraiture A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this re ...

and for being a founding member of the modern English school of

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

Career

During the 1840s, Havill began his most active period leading to his showing at the

Royal Academy of Arts 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 purpo ...

in 1849 and continuing through to 1874, where he exhibited chiefly. Following the death of his first wife and subsequent remarriage in 1865, Havill moved to

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 ...

from

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, establishing his household in

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until his death in 1884. Within the art world of the 19th century, Havill is recognised as a "founder of the water colour school", as described by Huntley Carter in ''The New Age''. His most prestigious work is housed in the National Portrait Gallery, including his posthumous portrait of the Scottish physician and pioneer missionary

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

, an oil on canvas donated by John Lillie in 1896. Some is also held in the

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State Univ ...

. Havill's work has been offered at auction many times, with prices ranging from $500 to $2,375 depending on the size and medium of the artwork. ''The Astrologer'' sold for $2,375 at

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought to ...

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in 2013.Mutualart
Frederick Havill

Personal life

Havill married twice. With his first wife, Elizabeth, he had his only child Lucy Elizabeth in 1842, though she died in 1858. Elizabeth, too, died and Havill married Catherine Elizabeth Humphreys in 1865 in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London.Frederick Havill
on Still There

List of selected works

*''Portrait of John Glanville Hawker'' (1845)Viaf
Havill, Frederick (British painter, active from 1849, died 1884) Union List of Artist Names *''Portrait of Captain George Schreiber'' (1854) *''The Astrologer'' (1854) *''Portrait of David Livingstone'' (c.1873) *''The Decision of Edward I, King of England''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Havill, Frederick 1815 births 1884 deaths Havill family Artists from Exeter English portrait painters British watercolourists British Realist painters Modern painters