Francis Wilfred Lawson was born in Wellington, Shropshire, England in 1842. Nothing is known about his training as an artist. The 1861 England Census his occupation was given as Clerk for a shipping company, however, in the 1871 Census it was given as Historical Painter and Designer and his address as 15 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London. His next-door neighbour at 16 Cheyne Walk was the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882). The 1881 Census gave his address as 28 Trafalgar Square, London and his occupation as Figure and Historical Painter. By 1891 he had returned to Chelsea and in the Census that year his address was given as 61a Chelsea Square and his occupation as Artist - Portrait Painter. By 1901 he had moved to 45 Tavistock Square, St. Pancras, London.
Between 1867 and 1913 he exhibited at the Suffolk Street Gallery, Royal Academy, New English Art Club, Grosvenor Gallery, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and Royal Society of British Artists in London; the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool; Manchester City Art Gallery; Royal Birmingham Society of Artists; Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts; and at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.
At one time the artist Charles Samuel Keene (1823-1891) had a studio in Lawson's house.
Lawson was elected a member of the Art Workers Guild in 1884. His brother was the artist Cecil Gordon Lawson (1851-1882). He died on 13 February 1935. At the time of his death he was living in Charterhouse, Farringdon, London.
Text source: Art History Research net (AHR net)
Text source: Art History Research net (AHR net)
