Settling the Account

Rippingille was born circa 1790, possibly in King's Lynn, and by 1807 or 1808 is known to have been painting portraits and giving drawing lessons in Wisbech. By 1817 he had moved to The Mall, Clifton, then outside Bristol, and was painting portraits of the local gentry. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1819 and his work showed the influence of Edward Bird (1772-1819). He remained in Bristol until 1832 when he moved to London although he continued to maintain his friendships with the Bristol school of artists, including James Baker Pyne (1800-1870), with whom he travelled to France later that year. Rippingille continued to exhibit history and genre pictures at the Royal Academy throughout his life.