Louis John Steele

Louis John Steele (30 January 1842 – 12 December 1918) was an English-born New Zealand artist and engraver. He was born in Reigate, Surrey.

Biography Steele's parents were the surgeon John Sisson Steele and Harriet ( Thompson). Steele studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris before journeying to Florence. Steele returned to Paris some time before 1870, and was living in the city during the Franco-Prussian War and the time of the Paris Commune. He returned to Britain shortly afterwards, and exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1872 and 1875. From 1881 to 1886, Steele showed etchings at the academy.

Steele married Marie Louise Alexandrine Piatti some time before 1871. They had two sons, Ernest Henri and Louis John Sisson Piatti (born August 1871). In New Zealand, Steele painted portraits, racehorses, and scenes from history. Some of his history paintings were on a large scale, produced in collaboration with other artists. it was based directly on Théodore Géricault's famous Raft of the Medusa.