(1817 - 1904)
George Frederick Watts, historical and portrait painter, was born in London, the son of a maker of musical instruments. At the age of ten he was apprenticed to the sculptor William Behnes and entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1835. After visiting Italy he returned to London in 1847, when his composition ‘Alfred’ won first prize in the House of Lords competition. However it was not until the 1880s that his pictures began to gain recognition and after exhibitions of his work in Manchester, New York and at the Grosvenor Gallery, London, he quickly established himself as a leading painter. Watts twice refused a baronetcy but finally accepted the Order of Merit.
