John Absolon (1815–1895)

John Absolon was a British painter and book illustrator, particularly known for his rural landscapes. Born in Lambeth, London in 1815, he began painting portraits in oil when he was just fifteen years old, and first began exhibiting when he was seventeen. He worked in his early years as a scenery painter for the theaters in Drury Lane and Covent Garden. Absolon studied in Paris from 1835 through 1839, abandoning oil painting when he returned to London, taking up watercolour instead and joining the New Watercolour Society. He exhibited at many societies and galleries throughout his career, including the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Manchester City Art Gallery; Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, London; Royal Society of British Artists; London; and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, London. He died in 1895.