Frank Moss Bennett
Frank Moss Bennett was a British painter of portraits, historical scenes and architecture. He was known for his posthumous portraits, particularly of soldiers killed during the First World War, which were commissioned by grieving relatives as a remembrance of their sons and husbands.
Early life
Frank Moss Bennett was born on 15 November 1874 in Liverpool, England. He was educated at the Clifton College, a private boarding school in Bristol where he met Edward Francis Wells who would become a lifelong friend and fellow artist. Bennett and Wells followed the same educational path, first studying at the Slade School of Fine Art, then St John's Wood Art School, and finally at the Royal Academy Schools in London where Bennett won the Gold Medal and a Travel Scholarship. The latter enabled Bennett to spend a year travelling in Italy with Wells.Career
He painted portraits as well as historic and religious paintings. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1898 to 1928 as well as the Liverpool Art Gallery from 1899 to 1932. More recently, his work has been auctioned by Christie's and Bonhams. His portrait of Theodore Martin is at the National Portrait Gallery in London.His historical genre paintings are particularly popular. They were complemented by his accurate knowledge of period costume and furnishings. Bennett had a large collection of Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century costumes. An impressive example from the collection is seen worn by the man on the left-hand side in the painting Nearing the end. The garment is also illustrated in the biographical book 'Frank Moss Bennett, 1874-1952, ' and it is currently in the costume collection of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Virginia, USA. Where it is described as
This garment was also illustrated in the 'Costume' series of cigarette cards on a card titled 'A Man of Fashion 1775'. Bennett designed all 50 cards in the series which appeared in cigarette packets in October, November and December of 1929. The cards were produced by Mardon, Son and Hall of Bristol, the firm that dealt with the advertising for Imperial Tobacco. This is just one example where Bennett's paintings were reproduced as prints for commercial use.