William James Muller

British (1812-1845)

Painter and watercolorist William James Muller was born in Bristol, England, the son of a German immigrant. Muller was apprenticed to painter J.B. Pyne for two years, and in spent much of the 1830s traveling; Wales, Holland, Venice, Italy, Egypt and Athens, Greece were among the locales he visited before he settled in London in 1839. During his trips, he did many sketches and smaller paintings, which he later worked with to create larger, more finished paintings. Muller was a founder of the Bristol Sketching Club, and was a member of the Clipstone Street Society in London. He exhibited extensively at the Royal Academy between 1833 and 1845, as well as at the Royal Institute and at Suffolk Street. Mueller developed a heart condition, and died at age 33. His works can be found in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum, the Tate Gallery, Portsmouth City Museum and others throughout England.