Thomas Fearnley

Nationality: British

1802 - 1842

Born and raised in Norway, though of British ancestry, Fearnley led a peripatetic life until he contracted typhus and died at 39. He studied in Oslo and Copenhagen, and after meeting Johan Christian Clausen Dahl in Sweden, he went to Dresden to study under him for 18months in 1829. Over the next decade, Fearnley traveled extensively through Europe, including three years in Italy (1832–1835), where he made many oil sketches, venturing as far as Sicily via Naples, Sorrento, and Capri. He returned north through Switzerland and spent two years in England (1836–1838).

Place of Birth: Frederikshald, now Halden
Place of Death: Munich

Text written and researched by Amy Marquis Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge.