William Evelyn OSBORN
Will Osborn, as he was known, was born in St Pancras, London, the eldest son of Edward M and Augusta K Osborn. His father was an Inspector of Factories for HM government.
The artist was an early member of St Ives Arts Club and appears in the Arts Club photograph (The Studio). His address in 1894 was in Manchester, but he lived and worked in St Ives from The Terrace in 1895-6 (possibly longer), and was known to barter art works for food and lodging. In 1896 he married the artist Dorothy WORDEN, who he may have met in St Ives. She had been a member of the St Ives Arts Club since 1893, and had been exhibiting locally and in Falmouth. The couple married in Exeter, and his exhibiting address from approximately 1898 was in Exmouth. Paintings also indicate that aside from London, the artist also spent some working time in Ludlow, Shropshire.
In 1906, after suffering some time with facial neuralgia (an extremely painful condition) thought at the time to stem from dental problems, Will died in Chelsea, perhaps as a result of over-dosing on pain relief medications.
media
Marine and coastal painter
works and access
2 works, Permanent Col, Falmouth Art Gallery: St Ives Pier (Smeaton's) and Hayle Flats
Tate Gallery Collection (on-line): Beach at Dusk, St Ives; + 1 other
exhibitions
Notts Castle (2)
L, M; RA; RBA; ROI
1987: Selected for NAG exhibition, Looking West
memberships
STIAC
misc further info
Note: The entry has been updated with new information from David Tovey, based on research by genealogist, A Marjoram.
references
Falmouth Art Gallery (Permanent Col on-line col pls)
Hardie (2009) Artists in Newlyn & West Cornwall p339
Johnson & Greutzner
Looking West Exhibition catalogue (See Hardie 2009 for repr)
Notts Exhibition catalogue (See Hardie 2009 for repr)
Public Catalogue Foundation (2007) Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly: Oil Paintings in Public Ownership
Tovey (2009) St Ives/A Social History + addendum to update;
The Studio (Vol 5, Apr 1895)
WCAA file;