Ford Madox Brown

Pre-Raphaelite associate Ford Madox Brown (1821-1893) created morally complex history paintings while mentoring the movement's founders. Born in Calais to a British family, he trained in Belgium under painters including Romantic master Gustaf Wappers. In Paris, he copied Old Masters at the Louvre and exhibited at the French Salon before settling in London. When Rossetti asked him to become his teacher, Brown connected with the Pre-Raphaelite circle despite never officially joining the Brotherhood.

Work (1852-65) became his most ambitious painting, a complex allegory of Victorian labor showing a street excavation with figures representing all social classes. The Last of England (1855) poignantly depicts emigrants departing for Australia, the artist and his wife serving as models. Brown spent his final years painting Manchester Town Hall murals depicting the city's history. Today Work hangs at the Manchester Art Gallery, while The Last of England is at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The Tate Britain preserves additional works.