William John Huggins (1781 - 1845)

William John Huggins

William John Huggins (agl. William John Huggins) was a British marine painter.

As a sailor, Huggins traveled to Bombay and China aboard an East India Company ship in 1812. During this voyage he made many drawings of ships and landscapes in China and elsewhere. On his return he settled in London and established himself as a marine painter, exhibiting regularly at the RA, and in 1836 he became the marine painter to George IV and William IV.

Huggins was a highly prolific painter, painting many depictions of ships and naval battles. His paintings are valuable as historical accounts of the development of warship building and the English and Scottish whaling fleets.