William Callow, R.W.S. (1812-1908)

Stylistically the present watercolour dates from circa 1830 shortly after Callow had arrived in France for the first time in 1829, at the age of seventeen. By 1830 Callow had moved to the Rue St Honoré in Paris with his travelling companion, Newton Fielding. It was in the summer of this year that he experienced first hand the Revolution that led to King Charles X fleeing the city. He lived amongst the barricades and the mob that had taken over and he witnessed open fire between soldiers and the Revolutionists. On 31 July 1830 Callow hastily set off for England and did not return to France until February of the following year.