Samuel Shelley facts for kids
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Samuel Shelley (born between 1750 and 1756, died 1808) was a talented English artist. He was known for painting tiny portraits called portrait miniatures. He also created beautiful pictures using watercolours.
Samuel Shelley taught himself most of what he knew about art. He became one of the best miniature painters of his time. Other famous miniature artists like Cosway, Smart, and Crosse were his peers. Besides portraits, he painted imaginative scenes with watercolours. These scenes often came from the works of famous writers like Shakespeare and Tasso. Other artists like Bartolozzi and Caroline Watson later made prints of his paintings.
Samuel Shelley's Artistic Journey
Samuel Shelley was born in Whitechapel, London. He mostly learned to paint by himself. His first art show was in 1773 at the Society of Artists. The next year, in 1774, he joined the Royal Academy Schools. There, he was inspired by the work of Sir Joshua Reynolds, a very famous painter.
During his career, Shelley used oil paints and illustrated books. He even made prints of some of his own artworks. But he is best remembered for his watercolour miniature portraits. He showed his art at important places like the Royal Academy and the British Institute.
In 1804, Shelley helped start a new art group. It was called the Watercolour Society. This group is now known as the "Old" society. He was the treasurer for this society until 1807.
Shelley also shared his knowledge by teaching art. Two of his students were Edward Nash and Alexander Robertson.
