Walford Graham Robertson

Walford Graham Robertson
Walford Graham Robertson

Walford Graham Robertson

British painter, 1867–1948
BiographyPainter and theatre designer; born in London, into a wealthy family. Encouraged in artistic pursuits by introductions to Walter Crane, Thomas Armstrong and Edward Burne-Jones. He trained with Albert Moore and at National Art Training School, South Kensington. His first exhibition was at the New Gallery in 1889. He became a member of the New English Art Club in 1891 and Royal Society of British Artists in 1896. He was elected to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 1910. He painted imaginative Symbolist landscapes and portraits as well as designed sets and costumes for many stage productions in New York and London during the 1890–1900s. These included Oscar Wilde’s Salome for Sarah Bernhardt and Undine and Pelleas and Melisande for Mrs. Patrick Campbell. He wrote his own play Pinkie and the Fairies (1908) which was a notable success. He was a close friend and the studio companion of painter Arthur Melville. He retreated from the modern world in later life, living without electricity or piped water in Surrey.
Person TypeIndividual
Terms