Nathan Cooper Branwhite (c. 1775 – 18 March 1857) was an English miniature portrait painter,

watercolourist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the S ...

and engraver who was a member of the

Bristol School The Bristol School (or Bristol School of Artists) is a term applied retrospectively to describe the informal association and works of a group of artists working in Bristol, England, in the early 19th century. It was mainly active in the 182 ...

of artists. He was

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

's leading miniature portrait painter in the 1820s.

Life

Branwhite was born in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, the son of a poet,

Peregrine Branwhite Peregrine Branwhite (1745–1795?), was an English poet. Life Branwhite was son of Rowland Branwhite and Sarah (Brooke) his wife, and was baptised at Lavenham, Suffolk on 22 July 1745. He was brought up to the bombazine trade, which he carried on ...

, and became a pupil of

Isaac Taylor Isaac Taylor (17 August 1787 – 28 June 1865) was an English philosophical and historical writer, artist, and inventor. Life He was the eldest surviving son of Isaac Taylor of Ongar. He was born at Lavenham, Suffolk, on 17 August 1787, and ...

. He exhibited 13 miniatures at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

between 1802 and 1828. He was also a stipple engraver. By 1810 he was living in Bristol. He participated in the sketching activities of the Bristol School and was a friend of Edward Bird and James Johnson. In 1824 he was one of the organisers of the first exhibition of local artists at the new Bristol Institution. In 1832 he exhibited a number of works at the first exhibition of the newly formed Bristol Society of Artists, also at the Bristol Institution. Branwhite died on 18 March 1857 in

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is an inner suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The easter ...

. He had at least four children. His sons Nathan (1813–94) and

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

(1817–80) were both artists.

References

External links

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Branwhite, Nathan Cooper 1770s births 1857 deaths 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters People from St Albans 19th century in Bristol English watercolourists English portrait miniaturists English engravers Artists from Bristol 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists