Louis Davis
| Louis Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1860 Abingdon, Oxfordshire |
| Died | 1941 |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | Christopher Whall |
| Known for | Illustrator, water colourist, stained glass artist |
| Notable work | Works of Louis Davis |
| Movement | Pre-Raphaelite, Arts and Crafts Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Webster |
Louis Davis (May 1860 – 1941) was an English watercolourist, book illustrator and stained-glass artist. He was active in the Arts and Crafts Movement and Nikolaus Pevsner referred to him as the last of the Pre-Raphaelites.
Louis Davis was born May 1860 and raised in Abingdon, Oxfordshire on East St Helen Street. He was the son of Marianne and Gabriel Davis. His mother, also known as Mary Ann, was from Ewelme, Oxfordshire. His father was a manufacturer, with an interest in the Davis Engineering and Launch Building Company, which built and refurbished boats, barges and canals. Gabriel Davis was also a grain, alcohol and coal merchant. Louis Davis had two older brothers, Arthur and David, and a younger brother named Oliver.
Davis married the much younger Edith Jane Webster in 1901 in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Due to the similarity between the faces of women in his works and that of a picture of Edith, it is probable that she was his model for much of his glass work. The couple never had children, but Edith's sister, Ethel, lived with the couple and was a companion and housekeeper for a period of time.
Edith and Louis were both injured due to an accidental gas fire and the resulting fumes in 1915. Davis seemed to have suffered a stroke, lost his ability to speak, and occasionally required a wheelchair for mobility. Edith fully recovered from the incident.
Davis died in 1941 after which Edith sold their home and studio and returned to East Anglia where she was raised. She died in the late 1970s.
Davis was educated at Abingdon School. Recognised as talented, he was awarded a foundation scholarship based upon his artistic skill in 1871.
In 1891 he became a student of the glass artist, Christopher Whall, at his combined home and studio in Dorking. One of Whall's first students, Davis lived with his mentor's family for a time. Davis assisted Whall on one of the windows commissioned by the St Mary's Church in Stamford, Lincolnshire. He also, among other talented artists, was within the circle of artists with whom Whall had mentored and collaborated.
...
Wikipedia