(1846 - 1930)
Walter Greaves was born in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea; the son of a boat builder and waterman. He and his brother Henry first met Whistler in 1863. In 1876, four of Walter Greaves’ works were shown at the Royal Aquarium. Greaves and Whistler parted company in 1888, after which Greaves’s career faltered but he received some recognition from 1911, when he had a solo exhibition at the London Gallery. In 1922 his painting ‘Hammersmith Bridge’ was purchased for the Tate and in the same year he had a further exhibition at the London Gallery. Greaves was elected an honorary member of the Chelsea Arts Club in 1921. He died in West London Hospital, Hammersmith, aged 84.
