William Edward Frank Britten

On 23 July 1866, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly, London, as a probationer and on 3 January 1867 he was accepted as a student.

[2] In April 1883, Sir Charles Dilke ordered from Mr. W. E. F. Britten, the painter, whom Leighton had commended to him, a portrait of his brother Ashton who had recently died.

[5] Britten illustrated the last published poem of Christina Rossetti before her death for the 1894 issue of Magazine of Art.

[9] Also, he served as illustrator for: A contemporary review by Alfred Baldry, in referring to the ceiling panel work Britten created for the South Kensington Museum, says that they "deserve to be praised as true decorations properly conceived and rightly managed.

"[10] Another contemporary review by Rose Sketchy says that Britten uses a wash technique "with fluency, as is shown by his successful illustrations to Mr. Swinburne's 'Carols of the Year' in the 'Magazine of Art' in 1892-93.

Since that time his version of 'Undine,' and illustrations to Tennyson's 'Early Poems,' have shown the same power of graceful composition and sympathey with his subject.

[13] In the 20th century, art historian Simon Houfe said that Britten "excelled as a decorative artist, placing his subjects in elaborate frames, the Shaftesbury Tribute in The Graphic of 185 is a good example.