William John Wainwright

1855 - 1931

Originally apprenticed to the stained-glass workers John Hardman & Co, Wainwright later studied at Birmingham School of Art under Edward R Taylor. He then continued his studies in Antwerp and Paris, returning to London in 1884 where he briefly shared a studio with William Breakspeare. At the encouragement of Walter Langley and Edwin Harris he moved to Newlyn and he appears in the group photograph of the “Brotherhood of the Palette” taken in Newlyn in 1884. In 1879 he was a founding member of the Birmingham Art Circle along with Walter Langley, Joseph Southall, Edwin Harris and William Breakspeare. He was also a long-time member of the Royal Society of Birmingham Artists.