SwissArtGallery · Documented identity

Francis William Topham

Born : 1808Died : 1877

Francis William Topham (1808–1877) was a British watercolour painter, draughtsman and engraver. His practice connected genre painting with drawing for illustration and printmaking. Born in Leeds, he moved to London in 1830 and worked in publishing. Figures and scenes from everyday popular life became favoured subjects, linking his work on paper with an interest in human activities and settings.

Mother with Children in a Galway Cabin, a watercolour in Galway City Museum, depicts a mother and children inside a modest home. Costumes and domestic details, including the preparation of food, combine social observation with picturesque presentation. A Group of Figures in a Spanish Street, held in Lytham St Annes’s public collection, documents his interest in Spanish scenes. This watercolour extends a practice sustained by travel and everyday life.

This profile brings together identity references for Francis William Topham and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.

Documented auction references

1auction reference

1auction house

1documented result with a price

Piguet

References include catalogue entries and available results; they do not all represent completed sales. Attributed works and special lots are excluded from the priced results.

Works recorded at auction

Photograph : Piguet · Enlarge image ↗

Piguet

Repas paysan

Watercolour

Original catalogue wording

Repas paysan
aquarelle

Catalogue period : 2016-03-09

Published result : 600 CHF

Fees not specified in the available data

Estimate : CHF 400–600

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Sources and references

Reference record
ARTIC · Reference link only; institutional text and images are not reproduced.
LoC · Reference link only; institutional text and images are not reproduced.
Documentary source
Documentary source
Documentary source

SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Profile updated : 2026-10-22