Samuel Prout

Samuel Prout was born in 1783; the son of a Plymouth bookseller . He was a renowned painter of landscapes and scenic views, preferring to work either in water-colour or on engravings. He always showed an inclination towards drawing and painting, and was particularly inspired by John Britton, whom he met in 1801. The next year he began to study under Britton and, in 1803, he exhibited for the first time at the Royal Academy. In 1810 he became a member of the Royal Water-colour Society. He moved to Normandy in 1818 and developed his outstanding talent for depicting the picturesque. In his thirties he developed a taste for travel, and for painting market-places and cathedrals. In 1824 he visited Italy and later that year he exhibited at the salon in Paris. Frequently in bad health, Prout continued to travel and to exhibit his beautiful water-colours on a regular basis until his death in 1852.