Isaac Snowman

Who was Isaac Snowman?

Isaac Snowman was an English artist.

He was educated at the City of London School. In 1890 he entered the Royal Academy School, where he gained a free medal, and afterward a scholarship in the Institution of British Artists. He showed his interest in Jewish matters by his drawings "A Difficult Passage in the Talmud" and "The Blessing of Sabbath Lights," as well as by his "Early Morning Prayer in the Synagogue." In that year, 1897, he formed a group of English Jews known as the Maccabaeans, including Israel Zangwill and Herbert Bentwich, which undertook a pilgrimage to Palestine in the same year.

Of his paintings, which were devoted mainly to portraits and domestic views, "Children's Voices" attracted a great deal of attention, and "The Bride" was very popular at the time. He also exhibited a study of "Sardanapalus," as well as "The Wailing-Place at Jerusalem" and "The Proclamation of Joseph as Ruler of Egypt."

Isaac Snowman was married to Pearl Alexander at the North London Synagogue on 13 September 1898. According to the report in The Times the marriage was never a happy one for the wife owing to the husband's exaggerated views on the subject of "wifely obedience." They lived in Algiers and Hampstead, and after their son died they adopted a daughter.