Richard Henry Nibbs
Illustration — A Moored Barque and Barge in a River, watercolour, 1884, Yale Center for British Art Richard Henry Nibbs (1816–1893) was an English painter and book illustrator who specialised in marine art. Nibbs was born in Brighton, Sussex (now East Sussex), England and educated at a school in Worthing (run by the father of watercolourist Henry Tidey). He lived in Brighton throughout his life.
Also recorded as Richard Henry Nibes · Nibbs · R.H. Nibs
Richard Henry Nibbs
Richard Henry Nibbs · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark
- Born
- 1816. · London.
- Died
- 1893. · Brighton.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Occupation
- painter, illustrator and printmaker.
- Fields
- marine and landscape.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Illustration — A Moored Barque and Barge in a River, watercolour, 1884, Yale Center for British Art Richard Henry Nibbs (1816–1893) was an English painter and book illustrator who specialised in marine art. Nibbs was born in Brighton, Sussex (now East Sussex), England and educated at a school in Worthing (run by the father of watercolourist Henry Tidey). He lived in Brighton throughout his life.
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wikidata · Q7326404 · wikipedia · Richard Henry Nibbs
In this article
Selected works
Selected works
Nibbs initially trained as a musician and became a professional cellist with the Theatre Royal orchestra. However, a lifelong love of art combined with a natural talent for detailed observation led him to become a self-taught painter - in both oils and watercolour - particularly of marine subjects. In 1840 a substantial inheritance allowed him to devote himself full-time to art. His marine art depicts scenes mainly off the coast of his native Sussex, France and Holland - though he also drew buildings and landscapes. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Royal Society of British Artists.
The recorded working language is English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are marine and landscape. Places of work recorded in the authority are London, Brighton and Netherlands. Work by Richard Henry Nibbs is recorded in the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich, Yale Center for British Art, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Towner Eastbourne and Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
• Illustration — Church of the Transfiguration, Pyecombe, Sussex Paintings: • Low Water: Newhaven Harbour, Sussex. • HMS Vengeance at Spithead (1851). • Queen Victoria landing at the Chain Pier, Brighton (1843). • Brighton promenade, 1850. • Shipping on the Thames. • Shoreham. • Philadelphia Harbour. Illustrated books: • Lower, Mark Anthony. The Churches of Sussex: With Historical and Archaeological Descriptions (1872) • Nibbs, R. H. Antiquities of Sussex (1872)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1816
Richard Henry Nibbs was born in 1816 at London.
1893
Richard Henry Nibbs died in 1893 at Brighton.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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London.
Birth place
Brighton.
Death place
Citations
References
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reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q7326404: Richard Henry NibbsWikimedia Foundation
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 16 August 2026.
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