Francis Meadow Sutcliffe's path to art seemed predetermined. His father Thomas, himself a painter and etcher, encouraged his son, who eventually chose photography - a comparatively new art form in the late 19th century. Born in Leeds as the eldest of eight children, the focus of his life shifted first to Turnbridge Wells, Kent and later to Whitby in Yorkshire until the end of his life, where he married and became the father of a son and two daughters.
The early death of his father made Sutcliffe the head of his family by the age of 18, and so he made a living as a portrait photographer. This was helped by the fact that Whitby, with its idyllic landscapes and seaside location, was popular with wealthy tourists at the time, who came to his studio to be photographed. Sutcliffe's passion, however, was documenting everyday life; in his photographs, he focused primarily on the ordinary people of his homeland. His work thus offers a multifaceted insight into the life of the population of the time, showing not only portraits but also, among other things, shepherds, farmers and fishermen at their daily work as well as the landscapes of his homeland, urban life as well as rural motifs and harbors. Although Sutcliffe earned money mainly with his portraits and received numerous awards in this field, today it is mainly the landscape and everyday scenes that are considered his best known and most appreciated works. He is still considered a talented photographer, whose pictures in their simplicity underline the artist's claim to document everyday life and show it in all its naturalness. Particularly noteworthy is the photo Water Rats (Water Rats), which shows bathing boys and caused a scandal due to the nudity; it caused Sutcliffe to be excommunicated, but today is considered one of his most famous photos and was appreciated, among others, by the future King Edward VII, who acquired a copy of the picture.
Sutcliffe also spread his love of photography as a writer in various newspapers, sharing his expertise and experience, including a weekly column that appeared in the Yorkshire Weekly Post. In 1892, alongside photographers such as Henry Peach Robinson, George Davison, and Frederick H. Evans, Sutcliffe became a co-founder of the Brotherhood of the Linked Ring, an association that sought to establish and develop photography as an art form. In addition to Britons, the community also included numerous photographers of other nationalities. Finally, at an advanced age, Sutcliffe became curator of the Whitbys Gallery and retained this post until his death.
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.jpg "Three Happy Boys, 1889 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Young Boy, 1889 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1172617).jpg "Excitement, c.1889 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-173131).jpg "Water-Rats, c.1889 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby Fishermen by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Untitled Fern Study by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Untitled Harbor Scene by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby, from Larpool by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "In Puris Naturalibus In a State of Nature by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Dinner Time, from")
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.jpg "Beaching the Gratitude by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Women Waiting for the Day")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-902041).jpg "Beaching the Gratitude, c.1890s by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Farmers Ploughing a Field on Lealholm Hall Farm, Whitby. c.1889 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Sunshine and Shadow by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Sunshine and Shadow by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1251780).jpg "In a State of Nature by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby, from Larpool by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Sunshine and Shower, from")
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.jpg "Women loading fish into baskets from the fishing boats, Whitby Harbour by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "View of the Harbour, Whitby, North Yorkshire, c1889 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby Harbor, c. 1885 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Stern Reality by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1541900).jpg "Sunshine and Shadow by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Port of Whitby by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "View of Whitby Harbor by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Water Rats, 1886, printed July 1991 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Fisher People, Whitby by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Fishermen in Whitby bay by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Untitled by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "An Old Lady with a Yeast Bottle at a Cottage Door by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1538826).jpg "Whitby Fishermen by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby Friendship Rowing Club Crew, Whitby, England. 1901 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1309073).jpg "Untitled (Fern Study) by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1538598).jpg "Dinnertime by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Milk Donkeys by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-936869).jpg "View of the Harbour, Whitby, North Yorkshire by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-890263).jpg "Whitby Fisher Folk, c.1885 by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby Harbor by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Docks of Whitby by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Milk Donkeys by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Dinnertime by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby Harbor by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "November by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1309473).jpg "Untitled (Harbor Scene) by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Whitby Fishermen on the Pier Fence by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1372105).jpg "The Curfew of the Sun by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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.jpg "Water Rats by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe")
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