Maclise was born in Cork and moved to London in 1827 to further his education as a painter. He began his career painting portraits, but he soon gained a reputation as an historical painter, with many of his scenes based on literary sources. His talent was such that he was commissioned to do several large frescoes for the House of Lords, all based on grand themes and national heroes. He also illustrated several books, most notably A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest.
Harry Rusche, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
This page was last revised: June 06, 1997