Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 154 works by William Powell Frith in our catalogue
In short
William Powell Frith's best-known piece is The Derby Day (1858). You'll find it at the Tate Britain in London. Next on the list are Dr Johnson and Mrs Siddons in Bolt Court (1887) and John Knox Reproving Mary, Queen of Scots (1844). We have 154 works by William Powell Frith in our catalogue; this guide picks out the 100 best known, with the year, the museum and the story of each piece.
William Powell Frith's “The Derby Day,” painted in 1858, isn’t merely a depiction of a horse race; it’s a meticulously crafted panorama of Victorian society at its most vibrant and, frankly, its most stratified. Exhibited to immediate acclaim at the Royal Academy, this large oil painting captures a single afternoon – a fleeting moment frozen in time – yet offers an astonishingly detailed window into the lives, aspirations, and social…
In this work, titled Dr Johnson and Mrs Siddons in Bolt Court, the artist William Powell Frith presents a quiet, intimate encounter between two significant figures of the era. The painting captures Dr. Samuel Johnson and Mrs. Siddons in a moment of shared presence. It is a study of character and connection, rendered with the meticulous observation that defined Frith's approach to his subjects.
A Dramatic Encounter: Examining William Powell Frith’s “John Knox Reproving Mary” The painting "John Knox Reproving Mary," executed by William Powell Frith in 1844, stands as a cornerstone of Victorian genre art and a masterful depiction of a pivotal moment in Scottish history. More than just a visual record, it's an exploration of contrasting ideologies – piety versus pragmatism – skillfully rendered through meticulous observation and dramatic composition. The artwork…
The young man in this oil on canvas is William Powell Frith, captured in a moment of quiet introspection. Painted in 1838, the work presents the artist as a nineteen-year-old student, peering out from a time when his professional path was just beginning to take shape. At this stage, he is a resident of 6 Charlotte Street, a location that marks his early presence in the London art scene. The…
The oil painting titled Self-Portrait at the Age of 83 was executed by the artist William Powell Frith. Created in 1901, this work functions as a self-portrait, capturing the likeness of the artist himself. The subject depicted in the composition is William Powell Frith, presented in a bust-length view that focuses on the facial features and head of the sitter.
Feeding Time (My Lady's Pets)1860 · Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art
12
Eastham Ferry Boat1862 · Williamson Art Gallery - Museum
13
William Powell Frith1867 · National Portrait Gallery
14
Queen Alexandra (1844-1925) when Princess of Wales1867 · Royal Collection
15
Olivia unveiling1874
16
The Marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra)1878 · Royal London Hospital
17
Retribution1880 · Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
18
Self Portrait1883
19
After The Bath
20
Lovers
21
Portrait of a Lady La Marquise1885 · Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
22
The railway station
23
My First Attempt from Nature1837
24
An English Merry Making, a Hundred Years Ago1846
25
Dolly Varden1842
26
The Merry Wives of Windsor1843
27
The Highwayman1848
28
Measuring Heights (from Oliver Goldsmith's 'The Vicar of Wakefield')1842
29
The Sleeping Model1853 · Royal Academy of Arts
30
Mary, Queen of Scots Bidding Farewell to France, 15611851
31
Monsieur Jourdain's Dancing Lesson (from Molière's 'Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme', Act II, Scene 1)1850
32
Little Dorrit1859
33
The Two Central Figures in Derby Day1860 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
34
Many Happy Returns of the Day1856 · Mercer Art Gallery
35
Madame Jourdain Finds Her Husband Entertaining Dorimène and Dorante1860
36
Hugh and Dolly Varden (from the novel 'Barnaby Rudge' by Charles Dickens)1863
37
The Salon d'Or, Homburg1870 · National Gallery of Canada
38
Isabelle Asleep1867
39
Little Seamstress1865
40
The Knight and the Maid1868
41
Mary Elizabeth Maxwell, née Braddon1865 · National Portrait Gallery
42
In Naples, Portrait of the Artist1875 · Hospitalfield Centre For Art - Culture
43
For Better, For Worse1881
44
The Invalid1890 · Nottingham Castle Museum And Art Gallery
45
L'adieu de Marie Stuart1893 · Mercer Art Gallery
46
The Road To Ruin -
47
The Road To Ruin
48
The Crossing Sweeper
49
At the Opera
50
The Toilet
51
Evening Prayer -
52
Many Happy Returns of the Day
53
Coming Of Age In The Olden Time -
54
The Fair Toxophilites -
55
Evening Prayer
56
When we devote our youth to god
57
The Lover's Seat -
58
The Gossips
59
La Coranto -
60
A scene from Molieres LAvare
61
A may day celebration
62
Juliet o that i were a glove upon that hand
63
The ardour
64
The Miniature1883 · New Walk Museum - Art Gallery
65
Lancaster Sands, Lancashire1848 · Touchstones Rochdale Arts And Heritage Centre
66
The Railway Station - William Powell Frith2026
67
The derby day
68
The Village Clergyman
69
John Knox Reproving Mary -
70
Coming Of Age In The Olden Time
71
Portrait Of A Lady Resting With Her Dog
72
Dolly Varden
73
Coming Of Age In The Olden Time -
74
Claude Duval
75
The minstrel,
76
London Flower Girl
77
The Toilet -
78
The Miniature
79
John Knox Reproving Mary
80
Wandering Thoughts
81
Hogarth Brought Before The Governor
82
A Question Of Faith
83
The proposal
84
The new frock
85
Sir Roger De Coverley And Addison
86
Othello And DesdemonaFitzwilliam Museum
87
The Flower Seller
88
Lovers -Art Institute of Chicago
89
Study of Miss Mortimer holding a Parasol
90
The Lover's Seat
91
The Fair Toxophilites
92
The Artist's Model
93
Bedtime
94
The signal
95
Village merrymaking
96
Tenby prawn seller
97
Lord Foppington Relating his Adventures
98
Sterne's Maria
99
Poverty And Wealth
100
The novice
The four subjects that come up most often in these pieces, each with its best-known example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by William Powell Frith | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 National Portrait Gallery |
London | 3 | William Powell Frith, William Powell Frith, Mary Elizabeth Maxwell, née Braddon |
 Royal Collection |
London | 4 | Anne Page, Queen Alexandra (1844-1925) when Princess of Wales |
 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery |
Birmingham | 2 | Garden Flowers ( Making A Posy ), Retribution |
 Mercer Art Gallery |
Harrogate | 2 | Many Happy Returns of the Day, L'adieu de Marie Stuart |
 Sheffield City Art Galleries |
Sheffield | 2 | John Knox Reproving Mary, Queen of Scots |
 Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art |
Providence | 2 | Feeding Time (My Lady's Pets) |
 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki |
Auckland | 2 | Portrait of a Lady La Marquise |
 Tate Britain |
London | 1 | The Derby Day |
Pick a decade to see its standout piece.
The young man in this oil on canvas is William Powell Frith, captured in a moment of quiet introspection. Painted in 1838, the work presents the artist as a nineteen-year-old student, peering out from a time when his professional path was just beginning to take shape. At this stage, he is a resident of 6 Charlotte Street, a location that marks his early presence in the London art scene. The…
A Dramatic Encounter: Examining William Powell Frith’s “John Knox Reproving Mary” The painting "John Knox Reproving Mary," executed by William Powell Frith in 1844, stands as a cornerstone of Victorian genre art and a masterful depiction of a pivotal moment in Scottish history. More than just a visual record, it's an exploration of contrasting ideologies – piety versus pragmatism – skillfully rendered through meticulous observation and dramatic composition. The artwork…
William Powell Frith's “The Derby Day,” painted in 1858, isn’t merely a depiction of a horse race; it’s a meticulously crafted panorama of Victorian society at its most vibrant and, frankly, its most stratified. Exhibited to immediate acclaim at the Royal Academy, this large oil painting captures a single afternoon – a fleeting moment frozen in time – yet offers an astonishingly detailed window into the lives, aspirations, and social…
In this work, titled Dr Johnson and Mrs Siddons in Bolt Court, the artist William Powell Frith presents a quiet, intimate encounter between two significant figures of the era. The painting captures Dr. Samuel Johnson and Mrs. Siddons in a moment of shared presence. It is a study of character and connection, rendered with the meticulous observation that defined Frith's approach to his subjects.
In the quiet corners of late nineteenth-century England, domestic life was often defined by a delicate balance of social propriety and deep-seated familial devotion. William Powell Frith’s 1890 masterpiece, "The Invalid," serves as a profound window into this era, capturing a moment that is simultaneously heavy with the weight of illness and lightened by the warmth of human connection. The painting presents a domestic tableau where a family gathers around…
The oil painting titled Self-Portrait at the Age of 83 was executed by the artist William Powell Frith. Created in 1901, this work functions as a self-portrait, capturing the likeness of the artist himself. The subject depicted in the composition is William Powell Frith, presented in a bust-length view that focuses on the facial features and head of the sitter.
Top of the list is The Derby Day (1858), Tate Britain, London. Right behind it: Dr Johnson and Mrs Siddons in Bolt Court (1887) and John Knox Reproving Mary, Queen of Scots (1844).
39 years old. William Powell Frith was born in 1819, and The Derby Day dates from 1858.
The Derby Day, Dr Johnson and Mrs Siddons in Bolt Court, John Knox Reproving Mary, Queen of Scots, William Powell Frith, King Henry And Anne Boleyn Deer Shooting, Self-Portrait at the Age of 83, The Duel Scene from 'Twelfth Night' by William Shakespeare, Garden Flowers ( Making A Posy ), Anne Page and Mr Honeywood Introduces the Bailiffs to Miss Richland as His Friends (also known as rom Oliver Goldsmith's 'The Good Natured Man', Act III, Scene 1). You'll find the year and the museum of each in the list above.
We have 154 works by William Powell Frith in our catalogue, dated 1837 to 1901.
You'll find most of them in National Portrait Gallery (London), Royal Collection (London) and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (Birmingham). The museum list above has the full breakdown.
In 1860s, more than any other time: 11 of the 100 pieces on this page date from then, Feeding Time (My Lady's Pets) among them.
The earliest piece here is My First Attempt from Nature (1837); the most recent is Self-Portrait at the Age of 83 (1901).
Victorian era (14), Portraiture (5) and Victorian society (4), out of the 100 pieces on this page.
Oil On Canvas, used in 9 of the 100 pieces on this page.
Romanticism, as you can see in the pieces on this page.
You can see 3 of the pieces on this page at the National Portrait Gallery, London, including William Powell Frith, William Powell Frith and Mary Elizabeth Maxwell, née Braddon.
Yes. Every painting on this page is available as a hand-painted oil reproduction or a print, in the size that suits you. Just open the painting's page to order.
