William Caddick facts for kids

William Caddick (1719 – 29 December 1794) was an artist from Liverpool, England. He was known for painting portraits of people. A "limner" is an old word for a portrait painter, especially one who painted small pictures.

About William Caddick

William Caddick was friends with other famous artists. These included Richard Wright and George Stubbs. Stubbs was a very well-known painter of horses.

His Family Life

From 1766, William Caddick lived in a part of Liverpool called Old Hall Street. He likely died there in 1794. He married Eliza, also known as Elizabeth, Wood. She was from Burslem and came from a famous family of potters. Eliza was born in 1724 and died in 1795.

William and Eliza had two sons, William Caddick, junior, and Richard. Richard was born around 1750. William junior was probably younger than Richard. Both sons also became painters. Because of this, the father is sometimes called Caddick senior. It can be tricky to tell which Caddick painted certain pictures.

In 1780, William Caddick junior showed a painting at the Royal Academy exhibition. This was a very important art show. The painting was called 'Portrait in the character of Circe'. Since his father was 61 at the time, people believe his son painted it. This portrait was restored in 2001. It is thought to be of a person connected to George Stubbs. This shows that the Caddick family stayed friends with Stubbs.

His Art Career

William Caddick was the only artist listed in Liverpool's first Street Directory. This directory was published in 1760. His name was first spelled Caddock in these books. The spelling changed to Caddick in 1774.

Caddick was seen as a very important artist in Liverpool. He was asked to be the President of the Liverpool Society of Artists. He accepted this important role.

Known Artworks

Not many of William Caddick's paintings are still known today. The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool has four of his works.

One of these paintings is a portrait from 1747. It shows Aaron Wood, who was William Caddick's brother-in-law. People said that Aaron Wood was a very lively and happy person. He was known for never swearing or chewing tobacco. He was considered one of the merriest men in the area.