FRASER, Robert Winchester

1848 - 1906

Robert Winchester Fraser was born at Findrack, Aberdeen, Scotland on 25 July 1848 and baptised at Lumphanan, Aberdeen on 12 September 1848, one of the seven sons and two daughters of Dr Robert Winchester Fraser (14 March 1819-8 June 1892), an army surgeon major, and his wife Mary Anne née Anderson (1820-8 October 1898). In 1861, Dr Robert Fraser settled at Bedford with his children several of whom took up painting including Robert James Winchester Fraser, Francis Arthur Anderson Fraser (1846-1924); Garden William Fraser (1856-1921) (who signed paintings as W.F. Garden); George Gordon Fraser (1859-1895); Arthur Anderson Fraser (1861-1924) and Gilbert Baird Fraser (1865-1947). Robert Winchester Fraser was a landscape painter who exhibited at Dudley Gallery; the Walker Art Gallery; Manchester City Art Gallery; Royal Academy 1876-1902; Royal Society of British Artists; Royal Hibernian Academy; Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and the Royal Scottish Academy from London 1889 and 1889, from Bromley, Kent 1887, Hemingford Grey, Huntingdonshire 1888 and from Mildenhall, Suffolk 1899. His subjects are mostly views of the south of England and include ‘It was on an April Morning’, ‘Honey Hill, Bedford’ and ‘Near Pickhurst, Kent’. He married at St Pancras, London in 1877, Emma Elizabeth Purser, who was born at Cardigan, Bedfordshire. In 1881, he was living at 47 Ellington Street, Islington, London with his 30-year-old wife Emma Elizabeth, and two children, Robert James Winchester, born at Cardigan and Francis George Gordon (1879-1931), born at Islington, they later moved to Worlington, Mildenhall, Suffolk. In his later years he became ‘More fond of the bottle than was good for him’. Robert Winchester Fraser was of East View, Worlington when he died at the Bristol Hotel, Gibraltar, on 13 January 1906 while on his way to visit a brother in Malaga, Spain. A full family tree and other information on this family is given in 'The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920' by H.L. Mallalieu and an article on the family by Charles Lane appeared in the 'Watercolours Magazine' (Winter 1989).

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 47 Ellington Street, Barnsbury, N.
1880 715 Honey Hill, Bedford
         773 At Bromham, Beds.
         779 A Promise of Spring
         868 Near Biddenham, Beds.
1881 615 Stoke, Suffolk
         854 The Estrelles, from Garibondy, near Cannes
from 111 Highbury Hill, North London
1882 1019 Solitude - watercolour
         1042 The Bend of the River - watercolour
1884 1026 Eventide - watercolour
         1182 Pasture-lands - watercolour
1885 1162 A Woodland - watercolour
1886 1149 Over the Fields - watercolour
         1275 Near Lochford, Hants. - watercolour
from 124 Holmesdale Road, Bromley Common, Kent
1887 1131 Near Pickhurst, Kent - watercolour
         1201 The Lower Pond, Keston - watercolour
         1250 The Brook - watercolour
from Hemingford Grey, St Ives, Hunts.
1888 1462 Alfter Rain: Witton, Hunts. - watercolour
from Gloucester Villa, Hampton Hill
1889 1394 Autumn - watercolour
from Glenthorne, Staines
1892 1278 The Lock - watercolour

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Works by This Artist