Famous 19th Century British Artists & Painters

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 1 
William Blake
(English Poet Who is Considered a Seminal Figure in the History of the Poetry of the Romantic Age)
William Blake
18
Birthdate: November 28, 1757
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom
Died: August 12, 1827
William Blake, author of The Songs of Innocence and of Experience, was a prominent figure of the early phase of the Romantic Age, known as the pre-Romantic era. Known for his visual artistry and poetry, he was also a staunch abolitionist and a forerunner of the "free love" movement.
 2 
J. M. W. Turner
(Romantic painter)
J. M. W. Turner
14
Birthdate: April 23, 1775
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: December 19, 1851

J. M. W. Turner was an English printmaker, painter, and watercolorist best remembered for his imaginative landscapes and expressive colorizations. Intensely reclusive and eccentric throughout his life, Turner lived in poor health and squalor for the last few years of his life. He was portrayed by actor Timothy Spall in the 2014 biographical film, Mr. Turner.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti
4
Birthdate: May 12, 1828
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
Died: April 9, 1882

Known for founding the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a legendary poet and painter of the 19th century. His illustrations also adorned the books of his poet sister Christina Rossetti. Known for volumes such as The House of Life, he also influenced the Aesthetic movement.

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 4 
John Ruskin
(Art Critic and Painter)
John Ruskin
5
Birthdate: February 8, 1819
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: England
Died: January 20, 1900

The leading English art critic of the Victorian era, John Ruskin was a hugely influential figure in the latter half of the 19th century. Also a philosopher and prominent social thinker, he wrote on varied subjects like geology, architecture, education, botany, myth, ornithology, literature, and political economy. He founded the charitable trust Guild of St George.

 5 
John Everett Millais
7
Birthdate: June 8, 1829
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Southampton, Hampshire, England
Died: August 13, 1896
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
5
Birthdate: June 7, 1868
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Townhead, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Died: December 10, 1928

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, and artist. He was married to fellow artist Margaret Macdonald, and they both were influential on the European design movements Art Nouveau and Secessionism. Mackintosh is considered one of the most important figures of Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style). In his later years, he worked largely as a watercolorist. 

 7 
Aubrey Beardsley
(Illustrator)
Aubrey Beardsley
4
Birthdate: August 21, 1872
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Brighton, England
Died: March 16, 1898

Aubrey Beardsley was an English illustrator and author, whose works emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. A leading figure in the aesthetic movement, he was deeply influenced by black ink drawings. He attended classes at the Westminster School of Art before beginning his career as an artist. He was considered an eccentric person.  

 8 
Thomas Cole
(Painter)
Thomas Cole
4
Birthdate: February 1, 1801
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bolton, Lancashire, England
Died: February 11, 1848
 9 
Vanessa Bell
(Painter)
Vanessa Bell
6
Birthdate: May 30, 1879
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London
Died: April 7, 1961
 10 
John Tenniel
(Illustrator)
John Tenniel
4
Birthdate: February 28, 1820
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bayswater, London, England
Died: February 25, 1914
 11 
Branwell Brontë
(Painter, Poet, Writer)
Branwell Brontë
5
Birthdate: June 26, 1817
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Yorkshire
Died: September 24, 1848
 12 
Gertrude Jekyll
(Horticulturist, Painter, Gardener, Non-fiction writer, Botanist, Architect)
Gertrude Jekyll
4
Birthdate: November 29, 1843
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London
Died: December 8, 1932

Landscape architect Gertrude Jekyll was born into an affluent family and grew up in a refined environment, learning music and traveling. Initially interested in painting, she gave it up to focus on gardening when she developed eyesight problems. She built around 400 gardens and also collaborated with Sir Edwin Lutyens.

 13 
Edward Burne-Jones
3
Birthdate: August 28, 1833
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Birmingham, England
Died: June 17, 1898
 14 
W. S. Gilbert
(Dramatist)
W. S. Gilbert
3
Birthdate: November 18, 1836
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Southampton Street, London, England
Died: May 29, 1911
 15 
Duncan Grant
(Painter)
Duncan Grant
3
Birthdate: January 21, 1885
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Rothiemurchus, Aviemore, Scotland
Died: May 8, 1978
 16 
Alfred Sisley
(Impressionist Landscape Painter)
Alfred Sisley
3
Birthdate: October 30, 1839
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 29, 1899
 17 
William Holman Hunt
(Painter, Artist)
William Holman Hunt
3
Birthdate: April 2, 1827
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cheapside
Died: September 7, 1910
 18 
Arthur Rackham
(Former Illustrator best-known works include the illustrations for Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm)
Arthur Rackham
3
Birthdate: September 19, 1867
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vauxhall, London, England, United Kingdom
Died: September 6, 1939
 19 
Louis Wain
(English Artist)
Louis Wain
4
Birthdate: August 5, 1860
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Clerkenwell, London, England
Died: July 4, 1939
 20 
John Singleton Copley
(American Painter Known for His Work ‘Watson and the Shark’)
John Singleton Copley
3
Birthdate: July 3, 1738
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: September 9, 1815
 21 
E. H. Shepard
(English Artist and Book Illustrator)
E. H. Shepard
3
Birthdate: December 10, 1879
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom
Died: March 24, 1976
 22 
Arthur Ransome
(Author)
Arthur Ransome
3
Birthdate: January 18, 1884
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Leeds, England
Died: June 3, 1967
 23 
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton
3
Birthdate: December 3, 1830
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Died: January 25, 1896
John William Waterhouse
4
Birthdate: April 6, 1849
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: February 10, 1917
 25 
Richard Dadd
(Painter, Illustrator)
Richard Dadd
3
Birthdate: August 1, 1817
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Chatham
Died: January 7, 1886
 26 
Stanley Spencer
(Painter)
Stanley Spencer
3
Birthdate: June 30, 1891
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cookham, England
Died: December 14, 1959
 27 
John Atkinson Grimshaw
(Painter)
John Atkinson Grimshaw
3
Birthdate: September 6, 1836
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Leeds
Died: October 13, 1893
 28 
Kate Perugini
(Painter)
Kate Perugini
3
Birthdate: October 29, 1839
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: London
Died: May 9, 1929
 29 
Wyndham Lewis
(Painter, Writer, Journalist, Editor, Novelist)
Wyndham Lewis
3
Birthdate: November 18, 1882
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Amherst
Died: March 7, 1957

Known as one of the co-founders of Vorticism, a London-based art movement, author-painter Wyndham Lewis is best remembered for his books such as Tarr and The Apes of God. His paintings mingled features of Cubism and Futurism. In his later life, a pituitary tumor made him blind and practically ended his career.

 30 
Elizabeth Thompson
(Painter)
Elizabeth Thompson
3
Birthdate: November 3, 1846
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lausanne
Died: October 2, 1933
 31 
Elizabeth Siddal
(Painter, Poet, Art model, Visual artist, Model)
Elizabeth Siddal
3
Birthdate: July 25, 1829
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Holborn
Died: February 11, 1862
 32 
Philip de László
(Painter)
Philip de László
4
Birthdate: April 30, 1869
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: November 22, 1937
 33 
George Frederic Watts
(British Painter and Sculptor Known for His Contribution and Influence on the Symbolist Movement)
George Frederic Watts
3
Birthdate: February 23, 1817
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Marylebone, Middlesex, England
Died: July 1, 1904

George Frederic Watts was a British painter best remembered for his association with the Symbolist movement. Watts achieved fame for his allegorical works like Love and Life and Hope. In addition to being a painter, George Frederic Watts was also a sculptor. He is credited with sculpting the famous Physical Energy statue at Rhodes Memorial in South Africa.

 34 
Augustus John
(Painter, Etcher)
Augustus John
3
Birthdate: January 4, 1878
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tenby
Died: October 31, 1961
 35 
Alfred Munnings
(painter)
Alfred Munnings
3
Birthdate: October 8, 1878
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mendham, Suffolk
Died: July 17, 1959
 36 
Thomas Lawrence
(Painter)
Thomas Lawrence
3
Birthdate: April 13, 1769
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bristol, England
Died: January 7, 1830
 37 
John William Godward
(Painter)
John William Godward
3
Birthdate: August 9, 1861
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Wimbledon
Died: December 13, 1922
 38 
Edmund Leighton
(Painter)
Edmund Leighton
3
Birthdate: September 21, 1852
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London
Died: September 1, 1922
 39 
Ford Madox Brown
(Painter)
Ford Madox Brown
3
Birthdate: April 16, 1821
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Calais
Died: October 6, 1893
 40 
Roger Fry
(Artist and art critic)
Roger Fry
3
Birthdate: December 14, 1866
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London
Died: September 9, 1934
 41 
Laura Knight
(Painter, Autobiographer)
Laura Knight
3
Birthdate: August 4, 1877
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Long Eaton
Died: July 7, 1970
 42 
Dora Carrington
(Painter)
Dora Carrington
3
Birthdate: March 29, 1893
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Hereford
Died: March 11, 1932
 43 
Henry Scott Tuke
(Painter)
Henry Scott Tuke
3
Birthdate: June 12, 1858
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: York
Died: March 13, 1929
 44 
George Cruikshank
(Caricaturist)
George Cruikshank
3
Birthdate: September 27, 1792
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England
Died: February 1, 1878
 45 
William Etty
(English Artist Best Known for His History Paintings Containing Nude Figures)
William Etty
3
Birthdate: March 10, 1787
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: York, England
Died: November 13, 1849
 46 
Evelyn De Morgan
(Painter)
Evelyn De Morgan
3
Birthdate: August 30, 1855
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London
Died: May 2, 1919
 47 
Edward Gordon Craig
(English Stage Designer, Theatre Director, Theatre Theorist and Actor)
Edward Gordon Craig
3
Birthdate: January 16, 1872
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England
Died: July 29, 1966

An illegitimate child of architect Edward Godwin and actor Ellen Terry, Edward Gordon Craig later grew up to be one of the pillars of modernist English theater. While he began his career acting at the Lyceum Theatre, he later switched to set designing. The Art of the Theatre remains his best-known written work.

 48 
Ben Nicholson
(painter, sculptor)
Ben Nicholson
3
Birthdate: April 10, 1894
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Buckinghamshire
Died: February 6, 1982
 49 
Samuel Palmer
(British Landscape Painter and Poet)
Samuel Palmer
3
Birthdate: January 27, 1805
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London, England
Died: May 24, 1881
 50 
John Gould
(Ornithologist)
John Gould
3
Birthdate: September 14, 1804
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lyme Regis, United Kingdom
Died: February 3, 1881