William James Webbe

William James Webbe (or Webb) (born 13 July 1830 in Redruth, Cornwall, England – died 1904 in England) was an English Victorian painter and illustrator, known for his rustic, religious, and book paintings. His landscape style in particular links him to the Pre-Raphaelites, and after travelling to the Middle East in 1862 he painted many Biblical subjects in the spirit of Orientalism.

Life Webbe was born on 13 July 1830 at Redruth, Cornwall, and baptized on the 23rd of that month at St Austell, Cornwall. He was one of eight children of Wesleyan Church minister Rev. Samuel Webb and Sarah née Stirrup. He married Besse before 1871, the couple had two children, Wilfred Mark Webb and Ethel Alice Webb, and lived in London. He travelled abroad, to Dusseldorf, where he study art, where he was probably influenced by Nazarenes art. Webbe returned to England in 1853, and made his debut at the Royal Academy. He took part in exhibitions at the Royal Academy, the British Institution, and the Royal Society of British Artists from 1853 to 1878. According to Webbe's great great grandniece, Jennie Shelley, "In the 1901 census William aged 70 and his wife Besse aged 52 were living at 4 Marlborough Rd, Ealing, Middlesex, and his occupation was artist. Also at that address was his daughter Ethel who was a science mistress." His brothers, Samuel Webb and Thomas Stirrup Webb, emigrated to New Zealand. Samuel was a pottery manufacturer in Stoke on Trent, William's mother, Sarah Stirrup, also "came from generations of pottery manufacturers".

Works A White Terrier by a Mossy Bank with Flowers. Opaque glue-based paint, followed by resinous glazing, and brush, perhaps pen, on heavy off-white paper, 1871

A Hedge Bank in May, 1855 Twilight, c. 1855 Cattle and a Fram, 1856 The White Owl, 1856 Strawberries, 1860 Lambs, 1860 The Collared Thief, 1860 Early Lambs, 1861 A Rabbit, 1862 Street in Jerusalem, 1863 Ploughing on Mount Zion, 1864 The Lost Sheep, 1864 A White Terrier by a Mossy Bank with Flowers, 1871 A Plough Team outside Jerusalem, 1879 Perch on a River Bank

Book illustrations

6 books printed by Raphael Tuck and Sons: The 23rd Psalm The Influence Of Beauty by Keats Feld Blumen (poetry in German) Bluen Botschaft (poetry in German) Homes Of England by Felicia Hemans The Sower And The Seed by Helen Marion Burnside Other books for adults: The Holiday Train by Frederick Longbridge The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond. A Little Dinner at Timmins's and Notes of a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo by William Makepeace Thackeray, Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1879 The Childrens Friend, 1893 Eton Nature-Study And Observational Lessons (2 volumes) by M.D. Hill and Wilfred Mark Webb The Heritage of Dress. Being Notes on the History and Evolution of Clothes by Wilfred Mark Webb, The Times Book Club, London, 1912 Illustrated Natural History by W. G. Ridewood, Richard Tuck, London, 1902 The Friendly Visitor Bible stories for children: Bible Stories And Pictures by James Weston Bible Pictures And Stories (New Testament) by James Weston Bible Pictures And Stories (Old and New Testament) The Beautiful Story Charming Bible Stories Young Folks Story Of The Bible Old Testament Stories by Robert Tuck