YATES, Frederic (1854-1919)

A Brief Biography

Painter of portraits and landscapes in oil, watercolour and pastel; etcher.

Yates was born at Southampton, and subsequently lived for a time at Liverpool.

About 1881 he went to America with his parents, where at the age of twenty-eight he became a professional artist. Two periods of study followed in Paris, where he exhibited at the Salon, and paid a visit to Italy. Returning to the U.S.A. he painted portraits and landscapes and taught art in San Francisco.

From 1890 he made his home in England, though portrait commissions took him back to America several times. He also worked in Japan and several other places in the Far East.

In 1892 he began exhibiting at the Royal Academy, eventually showing twenty works, and became a regular exhibitor at the Pastel Society, the New English Art Club, the New Gallery, and Walker's Gallery.

Following a commission to paint the portrait of Miss Charlotte Mason (founder member of the P.N.E.U.), at AMBLESIDE, he fell in love with the area and settled with his wife and daughter there in 1902.

Much of his portrait work was still done in his London studio, for the convenience of sitters, but he also produced a considerable number of landscapes in Cumbria, and became a founder member of the Lake Artists' Society in 1904.

His output in portraiture was prodigious, and featured many well known personalities of the day. A large exhibition of his work was held at the Abbot Hall Art Gallery. KENDAL, in 1975, along with that of his daughter, Mary Yates (q.v.). who was also a talented artist.

Represented: National Portrait Gallery; Abbot Hall A.G., Kendal.