Walter Frederick Osborne

Walter Osborne was born 17 June 1859 in Rathmines, Dublin. His father, William Osborne RHA (1823-1901), an animal painter, had married Anne Jane Woods, of O'Brien's Bridge, Co. Clare. Walter was the second of three children. He began his education at Rathmines, Dublin and later at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin. He travelled to Antwerp, where he received training at the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten, between the years 1881-3. It was here, where the teaching of Charles Verlat and in the influence of Netherlandish and French artists influenced Osborne's style. Fellow students who had attended the academy at Antwerp also travelled to Brittany with Osborne and become part of the British naturalist school of painting, which dominated the early part of his career. Osborne spent a lot of time with his parents in Dublin. In between his Irish winters he depicted rural genre scenes set in the rural areas of England, while making frequent trips to English galleries and museums. From 1877 he exhibited annually at the Royal Hibernian Academy, becoming an academician in 1886, while simultaneously sending works to exhibitions in Birmingham, London and Liverpool. From the 1890's onwards, family life forced Osborne to remain in Dublin. He set up a studio at 7 St. Stephen' s Green and depicted Dublin street scenes showing the influence of French impressionism by the powerful portrayal of light manipulation in his work. It was portraiture, however, which dominated the subject matter of his later works. The preferable taste of the art market was portraiture and Osborne needed to provide financial assistance to his family. His sister, Violet Stockely died in the year 1893 giving birth to his niece. Osborne died from pneumonia, 24 April 1903 in Dublin. He is buried at Mount Jerome cemetery, Harold's Cross, Dublin.