Timeline

1819

Born in England, he was the son of a prosperous innkeeper

1835

He enrolled into the Sass Academy in 1835 and then studied at the Royal Academy Schools.

1845

He was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy and was elected a full member in 1852.

Frith was a member of a circle of artist known as ‘The Clique’, Founded by Richard Dadd. Their work was characterized by a rejection of academic high art in favour of genre painting. They claimed that art should be judged by the public, and not constrained to conform to academic ideals.His early paintings reflect his interest in literature, with scenes from Shakespeare, Scott and Stearne. His work then became more modern in its subject matter, with Frith painting richly detailed scenes of Victorian life.

His first major success in this genre was Ramsgate Sands (1854) which was purchased by Queen Victoria. Other panoramas included Derby Day (1858), The Railway Station (1862), The Salon d’Or, Homberg (1871) and A Private View of the Royal Academy (1883)

Exhibitions