Marshall Claxton
Illustration — Lady Godiva (1850; Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry). Marshall Claxton (12 May 1811 – 28 July 1881) was an English subject, genre, landscape and portrait painter.
Also recorded as Marshall C. Claxton
Marshall Claxton

Marshall Claxton · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark
- Died
- Marshall Claxton died on 28 July 1881. · London.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- painter · sculptor · photographer
- Fields
- genre · portrait
- Known for
- Lady Godiva
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — Lady Godiva (1850; Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry). Marshall Claxton (12 May 1811 – 28 July 1881) was an English subject, genre, landscape and portrait painter.
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Note VALÉORINE
Marshall Claxton was a painter, photographer and sculptor, of British nationality. The painter was born in Bolton and died in London.
Among the works is Lady Godiva. The work spans genre and portrait. Works are held at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Bolton Museum and Derby Museum and Art Gallery, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q4222884 · wikipedia · Marshall Claxton
In this article
Life
Life
Subjects and genres recorded for the work are genre and portrait. Works named in the authority record are Lady Godiva. Work by Marshall Claxton is recorded in the collections of National Gallery of Victoria, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Australia and Victoria and Albert Museum.
Claxton was born in Bolton, Lancashire, the son of a Wesleyan Methodist minister, the Rev. Marshall Claxton, and his wife Diana. Marshall studied under John Jackson, R.A., and at the Royal Academy school where he enrolled on 26 April 1831. He married and had two daughters, Adelaide and Florence Claxton, both of whom became artists in their own right. His picture "Suffer little children to come unto me" was described in Household Words as 'the first important picture' painted in Australia. He died on 28 July 1881, in London. Paintings by Claxton have been held in the Royal collection, Derby Art Gallery, and Herbert Art Gallery in England, as well as the Dickinson collection in the Art Gallery of New South Wales. His work has also been displayed in St. Paul's College, University of Sydney, and The King's School, Parramatta. He was also known for his depictions of Wesleyan and Methodist subjects, made popular as prints.
Identity
Identity
Marshall Claxton is recorded as a citizen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Recorded with the occupation photographer. Classed in the genre genre painting. Classed in the genre portrait.

The death of John Wesley. Mezzotint by J. Sartain after M. Claxton., 1800-1899, by Marshall Claxton
Marshall Claxton · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection

Sir Astley Paston Cooper. Mezzotint by W. O. Geller, 1841, after M. Claxton., by Marshall Claxton
Marshall Claxton · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1813
Marshall Claxton was born on 12 May 1813.
1881
Marshall Claxton died on 28 July 1881.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Marshall Claxton was born at Bolton.
Birthplace
Marshall Claxton died at London.
Deathplace
Bolton.
Birth place
London.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4222884: Marshall Claxton
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Marshall Claxton”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Literature
Literature
27936, 1864-05-11, [CLAXTON (Marshall), peintre; FULLER; NIXON], Art Sales Catalogues Online. 27284, 1863-04-22, [JERVOIS (Capt.); DOYLE (Richard), peintre; WOOLNOTH (T.A.), peintre; CLAXTON (Marshall), peintre], Art Sales Catalogues Online.
Claxton, Marshall, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011
Claxton, Marshall (1813–1881), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2018
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Marshall. Claxton. 0-dict-biogCl-Cu.html#claxton1.
- 2.Macmillan, David S., 'Claxton, Marshall (1813–1881)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 22 August 2011.
- 3.Marshall Claxton, BBC, accessed August 2011
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Macmillan, David S.: Claxton, Marshall (1813 - 1881), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, MUP, 1969, pp 424–425.
- Lionel Henry. Cust. Claxton, Marshall. 11. 13.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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