Identity:

Francis ('Frank') Powell was a landscape, coastal and marine watercolour painter. He married Eliza Lockett (d. 1912) and subsequently Annie Macnab.

Life:

Powell, who studied at the Manchester School of Art, exhibited at the Old Watercolour Society from 1856. He became a member of The Arts Club in 1865, retaining membership until 1914. In 1867 he became an associate of the Old Watercolour Society, and a member in 1876, the society by then having gained a royal charter. In 1878 he became a founding member of the Royal Scottish Society of Watercolour Painters and was appointed its first President. He was knighted in 1893.

In 1894 Powell wrote to JW to express his 'personal pleasure' that JW had been elected an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Society of Watercolour Painters. He declared himself 'an ardent admirer of your fascinating painting', and expressed his desire that JW should submit a work to the society's annual exhibition [#05263].

Bibliography:

Wood, Christopher, The Dictionary of Victorian Artists, Woodbridge, 1971.