[14][15][16][17] Whilst a student at the Royal Academy, he won 1st prize for his drawing from the antique in 1851 in the annual Premiums.

At this time Oliver had a Shrewsbury address, possibly suggesting that he worked at the local school of art.

[19] In the early 1850s, Oliver received a commission from the Arundel Society to tour Northern Italy and make drawings and watercolours of the classical masterpieces in the churches and galleries.

His full name was first mentioned (as 'a young artist from the Royal Academy Schools') in the Society's fourth annual report in 1853.

[20] His watercolours were displayed by the Arundel Society at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham in 1855–6, and were praised by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

He exhibited 15 more works there starting with A thing of beauty is a joy for ever and Forget me not in 1867, and finishing with Mrs Oliver Williams in 1897.

[3] His works mainly depicted figures of young women and pretty girls, or an attractive woman sometimes in Greek or Roman costume.

This popularity is reflected in the fact that 33 of his paintings are exhibited in public museums and galleries throughout the United Kingdom, as seen on the Art UK web site.

[30][32][26] Examples of high recent auction prices for his paintings are £4,320 for The letter at Bonhams on 21 June 2011 and £5000 for Reclining Beauty at Christie's on 11 March 2015.