Myles Birket Foster

Myles Birket Foster (1825–1899) was an English illustrator and watercolourist whose landscapes are typical of the Victorian age. He was perhaps the most successful British watercolorist of his generation, in a field crowded with talent.

Born in North Shields, he moved to London as a child and became an apprentice wood engraver to Ebenezer Landells. However, he soon transferred his skills to landscape draughtsmanship and worked for many important periodicals, including Punch and the Illustrated London News. His illustrations appeared in many novels and poetry books of the period.

Though in no way a Pre-Raphaelite himself, he was on friendly terms with Burne-Jones and William Morris decorated his house at Witley, Surrey. Birket Foster was elected as a member of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) in 1862 and went on to show around 400 of his works at the Society’s exhibitions.

Although well known for his Surrey paintings, particularly from the Godalming area, he also travelled widely, and painted the countryside along the Rhine, the Swiss lakes and in Italy, especially Venice.

He is buried at All Saints Church in Witley. His son, also Myles Birket Foster (1851–1922), was an organist who composed cantatas for children's voices and wrote a History of the Philharmonic Society, 1913.

External links

• Myles Birket Foster
• Myles Birket Foster (1851–1922)