William Howard Yorke

1847-1921

Canadian/British (New Brunswick, Canada; Liverpool, England)

William Howard Yorke was born in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, and was the son of marine painter William Gay Yorke (1817-1892), with whom he studied. The elder Yorke married in 1841 in Liverpool, England but returned to New Brunswick to work as a shipwright. He later returned to Liverpool for a time, but his son seems to have remained there for most of his career. The younger Yorke appeared in Liverpool city directories from 1860 as a ship portraitist. Father and son have similar painting styles, though the younger generally signed his name "W.H. YORKE" in upper-case letters. The elder Yorke returned to North America and was working in New York in 1871. William H. Yorke remained in England and usually, though not always, added the inscription "L'Pool" to his paintings. The paintings of both artists are highly regarded and are represented in marine museums in England and America.