Henry Barraud

Who was Henry Barraud?

Henry Barraud was an English portrait, subject and animal painter.

Barraud was born in London, one of 17 children of William Francis Barraud, a clerk in the Custom House, and Sophia Hull. His paternal grandfather was Paul Philip Barraud an eminent chronometer maker in Cornhill, and his maternal grandfather, Thomas Hull, a miniature painter. The family was of French Huguenot origin that had come over to England at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His elder brother William Barraud became a notable animal painter. Another brother, Edward, also had a talent for art, but did not pursue it professionally.

Like his brother, Henry excelled in painting animals, but his works were chiefly portraits, with horses and dogs, and subject pictures, such as 'The Pope blessing the Animals', many of which were executed in conjunction with his brother. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1833 to 1859, and at the British Institution and Society of British Artists between the years 1831 and 1868. The two brothers shared a studio from 1835 until William's death in 1850, and in their joint pictures William painted the animals and Henry the figures.