Thomas Francis Dicksee
Thomas Francis Dicksee (1819–1895) was a British painter. He was a portraitist but is best known as a painter of historical genre subjects, most often single imaginary "portraits" of young women from literature or history, many from the works of Shakespeare. Dicksee belonged to an illustrious artistic family.
Also recorded as T.F. Dicksee · Dicksee
Thomas Francis Dicksee

Thomas Francis Dicksee · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark
- Name
- Thomas Francis Dicksee
- Born
- 13 December 1819
- Birthplace
- London, England
- Died
- 6 November 1895 13 December 1819
- Training
- H.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Occupation
- painter.
- Fields
- genre.
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Documentary summary
Thomas Francis Dicksee (1819–1895) was a British painter. He was a portraitist but is best known as a painter of historical genre subjects, most often single imaginary "portraits" of young women from literature or history, many from the works of Shakespeare. Dicksee belonged to an illustrious artistic family.
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Born In · outgoing
London
Place
Pencil sketch by George Henry Harlow, 1814, http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/largerimage.php?mkey=mw05495

Died In · outgoing
London
Place
Pencil sketch by George Henry Harlow, 1814, http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/largerimage.php?mkey=mw05495
Citizen Of · outgoing
United Kingdom
Place
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q7789765 · wikipedia · Thomas Francis Dicksee
In this article
Biography
Biography
His brother was the artist John Dicksee (1817–1905), whose son was Herbert Dicksee, who often painted dogs. Thomas's son was Sir Frank Dicksee (1853–1928), president of the Royal Academy from 1924 until his death. He painted somewhat similar subjects to his father, but with a wider range and more flamboyant treatment; medieval figure subjects were a speciality. Thomas's daughter Margaret Isabel Dicksee also painted in a similar vein, with more sentimental subjects usually of women and children.
Subjects and genres recorded for the work are genre. Work by Thomas Francis Dicksee is recorded in the collections of Te Whare O Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, Art Gallery of South Australia, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum and Art Gallery of New South Wales.

William Allen. Lithograph by C. Baugniet after T. F. Dicksee., by Thomas Francis Dicksee
Thomas Francis Dicksee · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Thomas Francis Dicksee • Born — 13 December 1819 • Birthplace — London, England • Died — 6 November 1895 13 December 1819 • Place of death — London, England • Training — H. P. Briggs.
Life and career
Life and career
Thomas Francis Dicksee was born in London on 13 December 1819 and was the pupil of H. P. Briggs. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1841 until the year of his death. He produced a series of portraits of family members, and also painted idealised portraits, including the Shakespearean characters Ophelia, Beatrice, Miranda and Ariel. A Juliet is in the Sunderland Art Gallery, and At the Opera is in the collection of Leicester Art Gallery. A portrait of Lady Teasdale is in the Adelaide Art Gallery, Australia and an Ophelia (1875) is in the Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts. Dicksee would become particularly well known for his depictions of Shakespearean heroines and exhibited a total of seven at the Royal Academy. Other oil paintings have been seen in several auctions including Christ of the Cornfield, Distant Thoughts, and paintings of Beatrice, Miranda, and Amy Robsart. He died in London on 6 November 1895. He lived in Fitzroy Square, Bloomsbury.
Gallery
Gallery
• Illustration — Ophelia, 1865 • Illustration — Ophelia, 1873, Touchstones Rochdale, England • Illustration — Juliet on the Balcony, 1875, McManus Galleries, Dundee, Scotland • Illustration — Amy Robsart • Illustration — Juliet, 1877, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Sunderland, England • Illustration — Little Florist, Gallery Oldham, Greater Manchester, England • Illustration — Miranda,1895, auction sold at Sotheby's • Illustration — Ophelia,1864, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Spain • Illustration — Anne Page, 1862, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C. • Illustration — Ideal Portrait of Lady Macbeth, 1870, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, England • Illustration — Christ of the Cornfield, 1883 • Illustration — Beatrice, 1883
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. It is also recorded that anthony White. Walker, 1852, after T. An episode in Shakespeare's Two gentlemen of Verona: Launce lecturing to his dog Crab. Dicksee, 1847, after T.F.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q7789765: Thomas Francis Dicksee
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Thomas Francis Dicksee”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q7789765: Thomas Francis DickseeWikimedia Foundation
Institutional 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.
Elsewhere in Paintings
19,183 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Thomas DoughtyArtist
- Thomas Eyre MacklinArtist
- Thomas Falcon MarshallArtist
- Thomas FearnleyArtist
- Thomas Frank HeaphyArtist
- Thomas GirtinArtist
- Thomas Gold AppletonArtist
- Thomas Griffiths WainewrightArtist
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