Frederick W. Watts (Born 1800 – Died 1870) is thought to have been born in Bath on 7th October 1800 and baptized as William Watts in 1801 in St. Albans. His early years have always been something that can be described as a mystery. In 1817, it is most likely that he enrolled as William Watts in the RA Schools and subsequently changed his name to Frederick William Watts. He did this to avoid confusion with William Watts who was a landscape painter. While at the RA School, he was awarded Silver Medals and from 1821 until 1862, he got the opportunity to exhibit at the London Royal Academy. The artist also exhibited at Suffolk Street Galleries, the British Institution, and at the New Watercolor Society. From 1821, he lived in Hampstead, where Constable John also lived, and being some 25 years older than Watt, he had a marked influence on Watts’s style.
Watts moved down the hill to Camden Town in 1830 and finally to Haverstock Hill. Watts painted landscapes throughout Wales and England, and visited Sussex, south and north Wales, Devon, Derbyshire, Isle of Wight, and, of course, Essex and Suffolk. He painted many views around Middlesex and north London and views on the Thames. In 1826, he visited France and exhibited views of Rouen that same year at the British Institution. The artist was highly successful mainly because of his portrayal of the landscape of England and widely collected in his lifetime. His art was collected throughout the 20th century in North America, Europe and Britain.
