Ford Madox Brown
1821-1893
Ford Madox Brown was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style.
Ford Madox Brown was born at Calais and trained at Antwerp (under Wappers), in Paris, and at Rome, where he came into contact with the Nazarenes. Settling in England in 1846, he became a friend of the Pre-Raphaelites. While he was closely associated with the PRB, he was never actually a member. With his taste for literary subjects and meticulous handling, he had even an influence on their work. Rossetti studied briefly with him in 1848 and Brown's Chaucer at the Court of Edward III contains portraits of several of the Brotherhood. Ford Madox Brown remained close to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Brown's best-known picture, "The Last of England" was inspired by the departure of Woolner, the Pre-Raphaelite sculptor, for Australia. The painting is structured with Brown's characteristic linear energy, and emphasis on apparently grotesque and banal details, such as the cabbages hanging from the ship's side.
The other famous anthology piece that Brown painted, "Work", shows his dedicated craftsmanship and brilliant coloring, but is somewhat swamped by its social idealism. It attempted to depict the totality of the mid-Victorian social experience in a single image, depicting 'navvies' digging up a road, Heath Street in Hampstead, London, and disrupting the old social hierarchies as they did so.
In 1861 Brown was a founder member of William Morris's design company, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co, for which he designed stained glass and furniture. Dante Gabriel Rossetti also joined William Morris's company.
The major work of the later part of his career is a cycle of paintings (1878-93) in Manchester Town Hall, "Manchester Murals". It was a cycle of twelve paintings in the Great Hall of Manchester Town Hall depicting the history of the city. These present a partly ironic and satirical view of Mancunian history.
His son Oliver Madox Brown showed promise both as an artist and poet, but died of blood-poisoning. He was the grandfather of novelist Ford Madox Ford.
Ford Madox Brown died in 1893 and was buried in London in the St Pancras and Islington Cemetery, close to Muswell Hill.
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