William Robinson (1799–1839) was an English portrait-painter.

Life

William Robinson was a native of Leeds, where he was born in 1799. He was at first apprenticed to a clock-dial enameller, but came to London in 1820, and was entered as a student at the

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

. Robinson was also admitted to work in the studio of

Sir Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English people, English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was a ...

.Cust 1897, p. 56. About 1823 he returned to Leeds, and obtained a very considerable practice there and in the neighbourhood. He was commissioned to paint some large full-length portraits for the

United Service Club The United Service Club was a London gentlemen's club founded in 1815 for the use of senior officers in the British Army and Royal Navy – those above the rank of Major or Commander – and the club was accordingly known to its members as "The ...

in London, including one of the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

. He likewise drew small portraits, the heads being carefully finished, and the remainder lightly touched after the manner of

Henry Edridge Henry Edridge (1768 in Paddington – 23 April 1821 in London) was the son of a tradesman and apprenticed at the age of fifteen to William Pether, a mezzotinter and landscapist, and became proficient as a painter of miniatures, portraits ...

. He died at Leeds in August 1839, in his fortieth year.

Works

* Edinburgh (

Scottish National Portrait Gallery National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. Portrait holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Collec ...

): ''John Arbuthnot'' (oil on canvas).Oliver, ed. 2011.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Cust, L. H. and Houliston, L. R. (2004)
"Robinson, William (1799–1838), portrait painter"
In ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press. * Oliver, Valerie Cassel, ed. (2011)
"Robinson, William I"
In ''

Benezit Dictionary of Artists The ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists'' (in French, ''Bénézit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs'') is an extensive publication of bibliographical information on painters, sculptors, designers and engravers create ...

''. Oxford University Press. 1799 births 1839 deaths 19th-century English painters English portrait painters {{UK-painter-18thC-stub