William-Adolphe Bouguereau 30th November, 1825 - 19th August, 1905

William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French academic painter, born in La Rochelle, France, on the 30th of November 1825.

His paintings were of realistic genre with some mythological themes. It was his modern interpretations of classical subjects with a heavy emphasis on the female human body, that brought him fame across France and America. His almost photo-realistic style of painting was very popular and earned him numerous official honours, and received top prices for his work.

He was a passionate painter and his later years he continued to paint from early morning until nightfall; "Each day I go to my studio full of joy; in the evening when obliged to stop because of darkness I can scarcely wait for the next morning to come ... if I cannot give myself to my dear painting I am miserable."