Percy Bigland (1858–1926) was an English portrait painter.

Life

Bigland was the son of Edwin Bigland, of

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

in 1856. He was educated like his brother at the

Sidcot School Sidcot School is a British co-educational private school for boarding and day pupils, associated with the Religious Society of Friends. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England. The school is based in the Mendip Hills near the village of W ...

as his family were Quakers. Bigland studied art in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

in Germany for seven years before returning to England where he lived in London,

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe. The ...

and Buckinghamshire. He was a regular exhibitor until 1925 at institutions in London and the provinces. Bigland painted his elder brother,

Alfred Bigland Alfred Bigland (1855 - 1936) was an English industrialist and an MP from 1910 to 1922. Life Bigland was born on 15 March 1855, son of Edwin Bigland, of Birkenhead. He was educated at the Quaker school at Sidcot. As a supporter of the First Wor ...

who was an M.P. This portrait is in the

Williamson Art Gallery The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum is an art gallery and museum situated in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England and houses Wirral's art collection. History The art gallery and museum opened on 1 December 1928, the single-storey building is Neo- ...

in Birkenhead. His most notable subject was the Prime Minister

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

, but he also went to America three times to include the department store owner Isaac H Clothier,

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

dean Elizabeth Powell Bond and landowner and philanthropist William Poole Bancroft in his list of sitters. In 1891 he was elected to the

Royal Society of Portrait Painters The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a charity based at Carlton House Terrace, SW1, London that promotes the practice and appreciation of portraiture art. Its Annual Exhibition of portraiture is held at Mall Galleries, and it runs a commi ...

in 1891 and in 1893 he painted

Elizabeth Hanbury Elizabeth Hanbury (9 June 1793 – 31 October 1901) was a British philanthropist who worked with Elizabeth Fry. She is thought to have been Queen Victoria's "oldest subject"; she died in 1901, aged 108 years and 144 days. Life Elizabeth Sanders ...

who was then 100 years old. Bigland died aged 68Percy Bigland
Government Art Collection, retrieved 10 January 2015 in 1926.

Legacy

Bigland has twenty paintings in British national collections.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigland, Percy English Quakers Artists from Birkenhead 1856 births 1926 deaths 19th-century English male artists 20th-century English male artists People educated at Sidcot School