When and where was Herbert James Draper born?
Herbert James Draper entered the world in 1863 within the bustling heart of London. He was born in Covent Garden, the seventh child and only son of a fruit merchant named John James Draper.
Herbert James Draper entered the world in 1863 within the bustling heart of London. He was born in Covent Garden, the seventh child and only son of a fruit merchant named John James Draper.
He won the Royal Academy Gold Medal and Travelling Studentship in 1889. That award funded his travels to Rome and Paris between 1888 and 1892 to study ancient sculptures firsthand.
His painting The Lament for Icarus appeared in 1898 and captured the tragic fall of the boy who flew too close to the sun. This work won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900.
His painting The Sea Maiden sold for £937,250 ($1,384,318) in Sale 7856 at Christie's in London on the 16th of June 2010. That figure represented a dramatic increase over previous auction results for similar works.
He was proposed for membership in 1898, 1903, 1905 and 1920 but passed over each time. These rejections marked a turning point in how he viewed his professional standing within the establishment.