William Holman Hunt

William Holman Hunt was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism. These features were influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and Thomas Carlyle, according to whom the world itself should be read as a system of visual signs. For Hunt it was the duty of the artist to reveal the correspondence between sign and fact. Of all the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Hunt remained most true to their ideals throughout his career. He was always keen to maximise the popular appeal and public visibility of his works.

2 April 1827

Born on the same birth day (2 April): Brad Jones (racing driver) • Brian Glover • David Ferrer • Debralee Scott • Erastus Brigham Bigelow • Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim • Lennart Fagerlund • Leon Wilkeson • Ricky Hendrick • Roy Masters (commentator) • Todd Woodbridge • William Donne (cricketer)

Born in the same month (April 1827): Augustus Pitt Rivers • Joseph Lister • Jyotirao Phule • Lew Wallace • Octave Crémazie • Ramón Emeterio Betances • William Hall (VC)