Edward Robert Hughes(1851 – 1914) was born in London. He began painting at an early age under the tutelage of his uncle Arthur Hughes, a Pre-Raphaelite artist. He was the first and only child of Edward Hughes and Harriet Foord. Even after becoming celebrated and an established artist, Robert started work as a studio assistant to the elderly and infirm, William Holma Hunt. He is known to have completed several paintings by infirm William Holma Hunt after creating successful pieces on his own. William’s worsening blindness was becoming too severe for him to work. Robert drew inspiration and knowledge from his uncle Arthur. Robert studied at the Royal Academy Schools, and while at the school he became close friends with Charles Fairfax Murray, who later become a reputable collector, dealer, and painter. He also joined an informal group of students who sought to emulate the watercolor work of Edward Burne-Jones. In 1883, Robert married Emily Eliza Davies. Unfortunately, the couple never had children.
Robert was a well-known perfectionist and was known for the many of his Pre-Raphaelite Shakespearean-themed works. As a perfectionist, he conducted conscientiously meticulous studies for his works of art. He started exhibiting his artwork at the Royal Academy in 1872 and received the most recognition for his paintings: Midsummer Eve, Tithe in Kind, The Valkyrie’s Vigil, and Night With Her Train of Stars. Robert’s paintings can be seen in more than ten public collections of art around the UK, including Birmingham Art Gallery, Cambridge and County Folk Museum, Oxford, the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, and Bruce Castle Museum.
