[1] The elder brother was a talented musician, and was able to earn sufficient to send young Samuel to school, where he learnt Latin and French.
Forde very soon displayed a talent for art, and though Cork did not offer much to inspire a youthful artist, his taste for literature helped to nourish and foster the high aspirations which distinguished, even in his schoolboy days, the numerous sketches on which he employed himself.
The master, Chalmers, was also a scene painter, and taught Forde distemper painting, so that he was able to be employed at the theatre.
[2] Up to about twenty years of age, Forde was principally engaged on works of a decorative character painted in distemper.
His first picture was the Vision of Tragedy, the idea taken from John Milton, which was painted in distemper, in grey and white.