Benjamin Williams Leader

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland · 1831–1923

Benjamin Williams Leader was a British landscape painter. == Life and work == === Early years and training === Leader was born in Worcester as Benjamin Leader Williams, the son, and third child of eleven children, of notable civil engineer Edward Leader Williams (1802–1879) and Sarah Whiting (1801–1888). 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, which was to become the theme of Leader's largest painting.

Independent artist guide by Momentable. Biography from Wikipedia; artworks credited to the museums that hold them.