A Life of Art and Industry in Suffolk
Born in 1845 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, William Silas Spanton was the son of William Spanton and Sarah née King. His father had established the Repository of Arts and West Suffolk Photographic Establishment in 1864. After studying painting at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he was sponsored by Sir Edwin Landseer, Spanton was forced to abandon his studies in 1870 following the sudden death of his father. He returned to his native town to support his mother and siblings by managing the family business, which operated as a photographer, carver, gilder, and artist. He expanded these offerings to include picture framing, glazing, art supplies, and even worked as an optician.
Artistic Pursuits and Later Years
Despite the demands of the family business, Spanton maintained a reputation as a skilled copier of original paintings. His work included an oil on canvas copy of a portrait of Augustus John Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol after Sir Joshua Reynolds, which is held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 1901, he sold the family business and moved to Barnet, where he began a new career as a portrait painter, copyist in oil, and artist. His family was noted for their support of women's suffrage, with his daughter Helen Margaret Spanton being a prominent militant suffragette. Spanton died in Greenwich following a motoring accident in 1930.
