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Victorian Art in Britain |
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Frank
Holl ARA
1845-1888
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Frank Holl was born in Kentish Town, London on July 4th 1845. He was the son of Francis Holl, a notable engraver. He was educated at Heath Mount School, Hampstead, following which, at the age of 15, he became a probationer at the Royal Academy schools. In 1868 Frank Holl won the Travelling Scholarship, but resigned it a year later, as he felt that the travel was not benefiting him. Initially Holl painted genre, and occasionally extremely effective social realism pictures. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1869. In 1878 he exhibited his famous social realism picture “Committed to Newgate,” and a portrait of Samuel Cousins the engraver. The Cousins portrait was a tremendous success, and determined that his career in the future would be primarily as a portrait painter. In the same year Holl became ARA, and in 1882 a full Academician. Frank Holl was not strong physically, and was of a
nervous disposition. This made the painting of portraits of the “great
and the good” a real trial for the unfortunate painter. Like many
other Victorian artists he was possessed by a powerful work ethic, and
overworked, and grossly over-taxed his strength. In 1888 Holl sent in
his pictures to the Royal Academy summer exhibition, and departed on a
short visit to Madrid. On his return the exhausted artist suffered a
fatal heart attack on the 31st July. Sir Henry Rawlinson in (1881), diplomat, politician, and academic (1810-1895).
Sir Frederick Slee Roberts (1881), afterwards Field Marshall Lord Roberts
(1832-1914). “Bobs” was the hero of the Victorian enlisted
soldier, and Kipling’s “Soldier of Empire.” |
