Augustus Wall Callcott

Sir Augustus Wall Callcott (20 February 177925 November 1844) was an English landscape painter.

Life and work Callcott was born at Kensington Gravel Pits, His first study was music and he sang for several years in the choir of Westminster Abbey. But at the age of twenty he had determined to give up music, became a student of the Royal Academy, and began his artistic career as a painter of portraits under the tuition of John Hoppner. The first picture he exhibited was a portrait of Miss Roberts, and its success at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1799 is said to have led to his final choice of painting as a profession.

His preference for landscape, including river and coast scenery, soon showed itself, and after 1804 he exhibited nothing but landscapes for many years. The skill of his execution, the elegance of his design, and the charming tone of his works caused his reputation to rise steadily. In 1806 he was elected an associate of the Royal Academy, and in 1810 a full Academician. The care which he bestowed upon his pictures restricted their number. From 1805 to 1810 he exhibited about four pictures a year, in 1811 ten pictures, and in 1812, six. From that year to 1822 he exhibited only seven works in all, but among these were some of his best and largest, such as The Entrance to the Pool of London (1816), The Mouth of the Tyne (1818), and A Dead Calm on the Medway (1820). Another important picture was Rochester (1824).

Family His wife, Maria, was a writer on art and travel. His brother, John Wall Callcott, was a noted composer.