Scottish artist and illustrator, William Russell Flint, was born Edinburgh in 1880. Educated at the Edinburgh Institution, he honed his skills as a lithographic draughtsman whilst taking classes at the Royal Institute of Art, Edinburgh, after which he worked as an illustrator in London, producing illustrations for editions of several books including H. Rider Haggard’s ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ and Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’.
Flint is known for his enchanting depictions of women, inspired by the work of Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Flamenco dancers are also a common subject, depicted frequently throughout his career following trips to Spain.
Flint was elected President of Britain’s Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours (now the Royal Watercolour Society) in 1936 to 1956 and was knighted for his contributions to British art in 1947. Commercially successful in his time, Flint’s success is reflected in his presence in the collections of the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum.
