Short answers, pulled from the story.
William Powell Frith's painting The Derby Day required a protective rail to be installed around the canvas in 1858 because the public pushed so hard to see it. The massive crowd at the Royal Academy of Arts threatened to damage the artwork through the sheer weight of human curiosity.
William Powell Frith was elected to the Royal Academy in 1853 after moving from London to Harrogate. His father, a hotelier, encouraged his artistic ambitions, setting the stage for this career milestone.
William Powell Frith created The Road to Ruin in 1878 and The Race for Wealth in 1880 to warn against the dangers of gambling and financial speculation. These works returned to the moralistic style of William Hogarth while reflecting the changing times of Victorian society.
William Powell Frith satirized the Pre-Raphaelites and the Aesthetic Movement in his painting A Private View at the Royal Academy completed in 1883. The work depicted Oscar Wilde discoursing on art while Frith's friends looked on disapprovingly.
William Powell Frith had twelve children with his first wife Isabelle before marrying Mary Alford. He later had seven more children with Mary Alford, his former ward and mistress.
William Powell Frith's work was exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery in London from the 25th of October to the 1st of December 1951. His paintings remain in the collections of several British institutions including the Derby Art Gallery, Sheffield, Harrogate, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.