Jackson Samuel Phillips 1830-1904

Samuel Phillips Jackson (1830-1904) was an accomplished watercolorist and oil painter who was born in Bristol in 1830. He was taught by his father, also named Samuel (1794-1869), who was another prominent 19th century artist.

Samuel Philips Jackson's earliest works were mainly in oils, but after his election as an Associate of the British Watercolour Society in 1853 he worked almost entirely in watercolour. He toured widely and exhibited at numerous venues including the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Watercolor Society. He contributed annually to their exhibitions and became a full member of the Society in 1876.

He specialized in river and sea views and enjoyed painting inshore and coastal scenes incorporating the stirring sunsets and fresh breezes found along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall. From his studios in Clifton and later Henley, he created works that were very popular and sold by many of the finest galleries of his time.

He moved from Clifton to Streatley-on-Thames in 1870 and in 1876 to Henley, later returning to his hometown of Clifton. He made a Continental tour in 1858, accompanied by his father, but otherwise his subjects were mostly coastal scenes in Devon and Cornwall and a few scenes in the Channel Islands and Wales. After his move to Henley in 1876 he chiefly painted Welsh views and the Thames Valley.