Frederick Arthur Farrell (2 November 1882 – 22 April 1935) was a British artist who served as the city of Glasgow's official war artist during World War I.[2][3] Glasgow was the only city to appoint an artist to such a position.[3]

Fred Farrell
Painting of women at work in a munitions factory
Born
Frederick Arthur Farrell

2 November 1882
Cowcaddens, Glasgow, Scotland
Died22 April 1935(1935-04-22) (aged 52)[1]
Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland
Occupations
Known forWar art

Farrell was born in 1882 to John Farrell and Margaret Lawson Farrell.[4] His father was a school board officer at the time of his birth and later curator at the Trades House in Glasgow.

Farrell trained as a civil engineer while apprenticed to his brother.[3] As an artist, he was self-taught,[2] and worked in watercolour, as well as making etchings.[3]

He was enlisted into the army as a sapper in June 1916, but was discharged six months later after developing a gastric ulcer.[3]

Following his appointment as a war artist, he went to Flanders, Belgium, in November 1917, and spent three weeks there, painting Highland Light Infantry battalions.[3] The next year he drew the 51st (Highland) Division in France.[3]

He died in 1935 of pneumonia.[4]

An exhibition of his work, the first since 1920,[3] Fred A. Farrell: Glasgow's War Artist, was held at The People's Palace, Glasgow in 2014.[3]

Bibliography

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  • Munro, Neil (1920). "The 51st (Highland) division; war sketches". Internet Archive. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  • Greenlees, Alan; Hayes, Fiona; Meacock, Joanna; Roberts, Mark (2014). Fred A. Farrell: Glasgow's War Artist. Glasgow: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd. ISBN 9781781300275.

References

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  1. ^ "Mr. Frederick Farrell". The Times. 25 April 1935. p. 17.
  2. ^ a b "Fred Farrell: Glasgow's World War I artist". BBC Online. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Glasgow's forgotten war artist Fred Farrell". Herald Scotland. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Fred A. Farrell: Glasgow's War Artist". Glasgow Life. 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2015.