“Painter of historical genre and scenes of Victorian life. Born near Ripon, Yorkshire,
Frith was forced by ambitious parents to take up painting against his will. He studied
at Sass’s Academy and Royal Academy Schools. He was elected Associate of the Royal
Academy in 1845 and became a full member in 1852. During the 1840s a member of the
Clique, with Richard Dadd, A.L. Egg, H.N. O’Neil and John Phillip. Early subjects
all historical and literary scenes, the subjects being taken from such sources as
Shakespeare, Molière, Scott, Goldsmith, Dickens and Sterne. In his autobiography
Frith claims that he was always “strongly drawn towards illustration of modern life”.
It was not, however, until the Pre-Raphaelites had made modern genre acceptable that
Frith tried his hand at this type of subject. A visit to Ramsgate in 1851 gave him
the idea for his first panorama of Victorian life ‘Ramsgate Sands’, exhibited at
RA in 1854. The picture was an enormous success, and was bought by Queen Victoria.
Encouraged by this, Frith went on to paint a succession of similar panoramas, for
which he is now best known. He also painted several moralistic series. In addition
to these, he continued to paint historical and sentimental subjects, becoming steadily
more repetitive, his colours growing thinner and dryer. Frith exhibited at the Royal
Academy for sixty years, from 1840-1902, and also at the British Institution and
Society of British Artists, Suffolk Street. A self-portrait is in the MacDonald Collection
at the Aberdeen Art Gallery. A sale of works from his own collection was held at
Christie’s on June 14, 1884.”
(Wood, Christopher. The Dictionary of Victorian Painters. 2nd ed. Woodbridge: Antique
Collectors' Club, 1978. Print.)
Life at the Seaside, 1852-4
Oil on Canvas
30 1/3 x 61 in
Bought from the artist by Messrs Lloyd, 1854; from whom bought by Queen Victoria, 1854