Suffolk Artists Part 2: Profiles of Lesser-Known Figures Connected to the County

This blog post, the second in a series, profiles several artists with connections to Suffolk, England. It details the lives and careers of Rose Mead, Edwin Thomas Johns, Thomas Smythe, Frederick George Cotman, and Henry George Todd. Rose Mead (1867–1946) was born in Bury St Edmunds, studied at the Lincoln School of Art and the Académie Delécluse in Paris, and exhibited at the Paris Salon and Royal Academy. She is known for portraits and domestic scenes, such as 'Barbara Stone in the Kitchen.' Edwin Thomas Johns (1882–1947), born in Ipswich, was an architect and watercolourist, a founder and president of the Suffolk Association of Architects, and a regular exhibitor at the Ipswich Fine Art Club and Royal Academy. Thomas Smythe (1825–1906), also from Ipswich, was a landscape and animal painter who worked alongside his brother Edward before establishing his own practice. Frederick George Cotman (1850–1920), a more prominent figure from Ipswich, studied at the Royal Academy Schools, won a gold medal for 'The Death of Eucles,' assisted Frederick Leighton, and became a successful society portrait painter and member of several royal institutes. Henry George Todd (1847–1898), born in Bury St Edmunds, was a decorative artist and painter known for still lifes and Suffolk landscapes, exhibiting at the Royal Academy and working for Alfred Stearn & Son in Ipswich. The post provides biographical details, artistic training, notable works, exhibition histories, and personal circumstances for each artist, sourced from Suffolk Artists, East Anglia Art Centre, and related publications.