John Evan Hodgson (1831-1895), Genre painter

Later Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Sitter in 5 portraits
Began his career working for his father's firm in St Petersburg. His study of old masters in the Hermitage collection persuaded him to abandon commerce for art, and in 1853 he returned to London and enrolled at the Royal Academy schools. His early works were of scenes of contemporary life and episodes from history; he later painted pictures of African life. He was a member of the St John's Wood Clique, a group of artists who shared an interest in historical genre painting. In 1873 he was elected an associate of the Royal Academy. He was appointed Librarian and Professor of Painting at the academy in 1882, and jointly wrote a history of the academy's first sixty years including biographies of its early members.