Benjamin Williams Leader

Oil on board, signed and dated 1904 in the lower left. The frame could be the original and measures 24" x 28". Leader was born in Worcester as Benjamin Leader Williams, the son, and first child of eleven children, of notable civil engineer Edward Leader Williams (1802–79) and Sarah Whiting (1801–88). His father was described as a "non conformist dissenter" and his mother was a Quaker – their marriage in an Anglican church resulted in them being disowned by the Society of friends. Leader's father was a keen amateur artist – a friend of John Constable – and Benjamin would often accompany him on sketching trips along the banks of the River Severn. His brother, also Edward Leader Williams, later became a notable civil engineer who was knighted for his work, and is now mainly remembered for designing Manchester ship canal...

Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left. The painting depicts a couple taking a walk with their dog on a beautiful summers day in the English countryside. Benjamin Williams Leader RA (12 March 1831 – 22 March 1923) was an English landscape painter. The inspiration for these early works was the countryside around Worcester itself, "the cottages, farmhouses, lanes, hedgerows and churches, so exceedingly picturesque and beautiful". However, Leader did not finish his course of studies at the R. A, nor did he need to – his paintings proved to be in great demand by wealthy buyers and he achieved an enviable degree of commercial success within only a few years of his first sale. In 1857 he changed his name to Benjamin Williams Leader to distinguish himself from the many other painters with the surname Williams. In autumn of that year he travelled to Scotland, and painted A Quiet pool in Glen...

Signed and dated lower left. This 19th century oil on canvas was done by English landscape artist Benjamin William Leader. He was born in Worcester in 1831 as Benjamin Leader Will...