William Percy

William Percy (1820–1903) was a portrait artist of Manchester, England. He was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock in 1820. His love of art began early in his life: his first picture was exhibited at the Manchester Autumn Festival in 1833. In 1836 he went to London to become a pupil and assistant of William Bradley. He returned to Manchester early in 1839 where he established a first class reputation as a portrait painter. Percy was a founder of the Manchester Academy of Art in 1845. As he wrote later: First - to institute a class for the study of the antique and the living model - the want of which has been long felt by the students and artists of this town as an insuperable bar to professional advancement. Secondly - to collect a library for reference, comprising history, poetry, archeology, optics, anatomy, chemistry, as applied to colour, architecture, sculpture, painting and engraving.