George Goodwin Kilburne (1839-1924)
George Goodwin Kilburne R.I., R.O.I, R.M.S, was a genre painter, specialising in accurately drawn interiors with figures. He was born in Norfolk and educated in Kent, and at the age of 15 went to London to serve a 5-year apprenticeship as a wood engraver with the Dalziel brothers, engravers and illustrators. He remained with the firm for a further year before leaving to take up watercolour and oil painting as a profession, quickly becoming one of the most sought after and well-known artists in England. Kilburne's paintings often portrayed the upper classes and ultra-fashionable female beauties in opulent late 18th and early 19th century settings. His depiction of this beauty was heightened by his attention to detail with dress, and richly decorated interiors. During the period his paintings would have been considered traditional, especially compared to the work of contemporaries such as James McNeill Whistler and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Kilburne began exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1863, and was elected a member of the New Watercolour Society in 1866. He exhibited at the Royal Academy (1863-1918, 37 works), Suffolk Street, New Watercolour Society, the Grosvenor Gallery and elsewhere. Many of his pictures became popular through prints. His work can be seen in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, Russell-Cotes Museum and Art Gallery and the Sheffield Art Gallery, among others.
Paintings for sale by George Goodwin Kilburne:
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