The Life of Frances C. Fairman
Frances Caroline Fairman was a British watercolourist, painter in oils, and illustrator. Born in Kent, she studied under Louis Henri Deschamps in Paris, though she lived and worked in London for most of her life. Her professional career flourished from approximately 1864 until 1917. During her travels, she visited the Americas, including Florida and Brazil, and made watercolour landscape sketches in Switzerland.
In her later years, Fairman was involved in a legal incident in London involving a hansom cab driver on Fulham Road, which resulted in a fine. She died in Chelsea, London, at age 85.
Artistic Career and Royal Commissions
Known as "the Lady Landseer" for the quality of her canine portraits, Fairman was celebrated for her ability to capture animal life. Her work included portraits of many royal pets, having painted nearly 30 royal pets during her lifetime. This included works for Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and Queen Alexandra. She even had use of a studio at Buckingham Palace.
Her notable works and exhibitions included:
- The painting We owe it to King Edward, exhibited at the Albert Hall.
- The photogravure The agreement: England and Japan, 1902.
- Exhibitions of canine portraits at Clifford Galleries in London.
- Illustrations for books such as Dogs by Cox, Harding.
