Art Gallery

Draper, Herbert (1864 - 1920), painter of historical and imaginative subjects and portraits of his contemporaries. Born in London. Studied art at St John’s Wood School of Art and in 1884 gained admission to the RA Schools. In 1887 he was awarded a prize of £40 for a design for a wall decoration. He also gained the Landseer Scholarship for two years at £40 p.a. Travelled at that time in Spain, Morocco, Italy, France, Holland and Belgium. Worked in Paris at the Académie Julian in 1891 and took a studio for the winter 1891-92 at Rome.. He actually decided to live abroad to paint in the beautiful light of Italy, but wrote to Lord Leighton first to ask his advice. Leighton - no stranger to travel - advised him that there was no light for painting like the light of an English summer, and this was enough to persuade the younger man to abandon the life on the Continent. Returned home and established a studio in Kensington. Exhibited at the RA from 1887. Achieved his first public success with "The Sea Maiden" exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1894, and became a very popular painter of his day. Draper married a Miss Ida Williams, and they had one daughter. From 1896 they lived in Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London, neighbours of John William Waterhouse. A retrospective exhibition was held in 1913 at the Leicester Galleries. Died in London on 22nd September 1920.