Samson

Born and raised in London to the affluent businessman Joseph and Helena (Lichtenstadt) Solomon in a family of twelve children, Solomon Joseph Solomon studied to be an artist at the Royal Academy Schools in England and throughout continental Europe. Returning to London, he became a well-regarded portraitist like his sister Lily Delissa Joseph, gained fame for dramatic scenes from the biblical and Greek mythological tradition that foregrounded both male and female nudes in realistic and erotically charged modes, and became a pioneering illustrator for the burgeoning genre of adventure fiction. In 1896, he became one of the first Jewish members of Britain’s Royal Academy of Arts. During World War I, Solomon played a leading role as an innovative advocate for and designer of camouflage for the British army. His manual The Practice of Oil Painting and of Drawing as Associated with It (1911) remains a popular instructional work.