John Fullwood was a successful landscape painter, etcher and illustrator. He was born in 1854 and studied at Paris and Birmingham. His paintings were displayed at the Royal Academy on 21 occasions and by the Royal Society of British Artists on 99 occasions. From about 1874 he was based in Birmingham and lived in Lee Bank Road, Edgbaston (1881 census). He displayed no less than 67 paintings at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists exhibitions.


Horsefair by John Fullwood.

 Around 1891 John moved to Richmond, Surrey (1891 census) and worked there for about 10 years. He also had a house at Twickenham and considered the display of his paintings in major London galleries as the most important part of his career.

John Fullwood died at Twickenham on 9th September, 1931, at the age of 76. He was a member of the Royal Society of British Artists and one of the oldest members of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.
In the 1870s many of Wolverhampton's old buildings disappeared under a wave of modernisation and John Fullwood faithfully recorded them before demolition. In 1880 some of these drawings were included in a set of etchings in his book called "Remnants of old Wolverhampton and its environs". The book is one of the few published records of the City at this time and I have included some of John's drawings from the book on the following page.

The book was originally published in parts with descriptive notes accompanying the etchings signed "E.B." - the local architect, Edward Banks.   

The first part was enthusiastically reviewed by the Art Journal.  The review may have been written by George Wallis, a regular contributor and a Wulfrunian.


Old shops in Victoria Street by John Fullwood.


Wheeler's Fold by John Fullwood.

The review starts:  "'Old Wolverhampton!'  The sound is suggestive; the 'remnants' of the old town are of deep interest to the antiquary and the historian;  many of them have succumbed to time and others are in the course of rapid decay;  the 'effacing fingers' are leaving little of them but their memory.  It is a wise and patriotic scheme that preserves their portraiture before they are gone."  

The reviewer then suggests that other cities and boroughs should do the same "although it may be that there are few localities that yield so fruitful a harvest". The review says that "the etchings display much artistic ability, skill and judgement in selection" and that this is "an assemblage of meritorious etchings by an artist who understands his work and evidently loves it".