William Hemsley The Valentine

William Hemsley (1817–1906) was a British artist who specialized in genre paintings. William Hemsley, like his father, trained as an architect. Hemsley was a self-trained artist and lived most of his life in London, although he travelled throughout Germany and Holland. At one time, he appeared to have resided at 30 Halsey Street, Chelsea. He was elected to the Society of British Artists in 1859. Later, Hemsley became the Vice President of the organization, which became the Royal Society of British Artists after receiving the Royal Charter in 1887. He exhibited paintings there and also at the Royal Academy, Liverpool Walker Art Gallery, and Manchester City Art Gallery amongst others. His paintings can be found today at the Wellcome Library in London and public collections in Bath, Birkenhead, Hull, Leeds, Southport, and Wolverhampton.