William Hole (artist)

William Brassey Hole RSA (7 November 1846 – 22 October 1917) was an English artist, illustrator, etcher and engraver, known for his industrial, historical and biblical scenes.

Hole was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, the son of a doctor, Richard Hole and his wife Ann; His father died in the cholera epidemic of 1849, when William was only 3 years of age, and the family relocated to Edinburgh, Scotland, shortly afterwards. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, then served an apprenticeship as a civil engineer for 5 years, although he really wanted to be an artist.

In 1869, he sailed from Swansea to Genoa, and spent the next 6 months travelling and sketching around Italy. In Rome he made the acquaintance of Keeley Halswelle who gave him practical advice on art. It was Halwelle whose criticism encouraged Hole to endeavour to become a professional painter.

On returning to Edinburgh, Hole entered the School of Design, then won admission to the life school of the Royal Scottish Academy, first exhibiting there in 1873; in 1878 he was elected an associate of the Academy. Around this time he took up etching and was accepted into the Royal Society of Painters and Etchers (RE) in 1885; he was already a member of the Royal Scottish Watercolour Society (RSW) from 1884. He eventually became a full member of the Academy (RSA).

Hole went on to specialise in painting industrial and historical material. Although an Englishman by birth, he devoted much of his energies to Scottish national subjects and purposes.

Principal paintings include "End of the '45" (1879), "A Straggler of the Chevalier's Army", " Culloden", "Prince Charlie's Parliament" (1882), "If thou hadst known" (1885) and "The Canterbury Pilgrims" (1889). Other paintings included "Medea in the Island of Circe", several based on Arthurian legend, and several depicting the life of fishermen on the west coast of Scotland, exhibited in 1883-84. Of the latter, "The Night's Catch" and "The fill of the two Boats" were praised by critics.

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