William James Müller (1812-1845) was born in Bristol, his father a Prussian émigré, his mother a Bristolian. He served as an apprentice to the Bristol artist James Baker Pyne from whom he developed his skill as a draughtsman, specialising in landscapes. William Müller (detail from Some Who Have Made Bristol Famous).

He travelled through Europe in the mid-1830s, sketching views, and in 1838 he became one of the first British artists to tour Egypt. He was particularly adept at capturing scenes of the Nile and the desert, though his drawings and watercolours were considered better than his rather awkward oil paintings. There are a number of his works in Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery.



The Burning of the Bishop's Place by W J Müller, c 1831 (Bristol's Museums, Galleries and Archives). This is a scene during the Bristol Riots.

Others associated with art and design, and with Bristol include:

Nicolas Pocock (1740-1821), maritime painter and founder member of the Society of Painters in Water Colours.

Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), portrait painter and President of the Royal Academy.

Ellen Sharples (1769-1849), one of the founders of the Royal West of England Academy.

Edward Bird (1772-1819), known for his paintings of domestic life.

Francis Greenaway (1777-1837), architect sentenced to transportation for life at Bristol assizes for forgery.

Samuel Colman (1780-1845), painter of dramatic canvases of symbolic catastrophes.

Edward Hodges Baily (1788-1867), sculptor of the statue of Nelson in Trafalgar Square.

Francis Danby (1793-1861), arguably the most accomplished of the Bristol school of painters.

Rolinda Sharples (1793-1838), one of the first women artists to tackle crowd scenes.



Clifton Race Course (detail) by Rolinda Sharples, 1836 (Bristol's Museums, Galleries and Archives).

Samuel Jackson (1794-1869), painter who worked with Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Philippa Bethell (b1816), Clifton-based artist and tutor.

E W Godwin (1833-1866), architect and designer.

Frederick Bligh Bond (1864-1945), architect and archaeologist.

Paule Vézelay (formerly Marjorie Agnes Williams) (1892-1984), abstract artist.

Gwendoline Cross (1896-1966), First President of the New Bristol Art Club.

Jeremy Rees (1937-2003), founder of Arnolfini arts centre.



Richard Long making Paddy-Field Chaff Circle in India, 2003, photograph from the Richard Long website.

Richard Long, environmental artist.

Martin Parr, photographer.



Sold Down the River by Tony Forbes, 1999 (Bristol's Museums, Galleries and Archives).

Tony Forbes, artist.

Banksy, stencil graffiti artist now sought out by galleries and collectors.



Banksy artwork on the Sexual Health Clinic in Frogmore Street, Bristol.