Bridge Over the River Calder at Whalley

After a period working in a glass factory, William James Bishop settled in Liverpool in about 1825. In the same year he became a student at the Liverpool Academy Schools, and gained a first prize for design in 1829. Bishop was one of the painters of Hilton's 'The Crucifixion' on glass for St. George's Church. He exhibited at the Liverpool Academy (1827 - 1865) where he became Associate in 1831, Member in 1838 and President between 1854 and 1887 during the most distinguished and controversial years of the Academy (although Bishop was not personally sympathetic to the Pre-Raphaelite enthusiasts). He exhibited at the Liverpool Autumn Exhibition between 1871 and 1887. Bishop was also employed as an art teacher at Liverpool Mechanics' Institution and Liverpool Collegiate Institution and was head of the Liverpool North District School of Art from 1885. He taught several Liverpool artists, most notably the landscape painter John Wright Oakes (1820 - 1887).