Henry Wentworth Acland Paintings

Sir Henry Wentworth Acland, 1st Baronet, KCB was born on August 23, 1815, in Killerton, Devon, England. He was not primarily known as an artist, but rather as a distinguished physician and educator. His contributions to the medical field and his role in the development of medical education at Oxford University are noteworthy. Acland was the son of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland and Lydia Elizabeth Hoare, and he was part of a well-established family with a strong tradition of public service.

Acland was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, where he developed a strong interest in the natural sciences. After graduating, he pursued medical studies at St George's Hospital, London, and in Edinburgh. He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1840. His medical career took off when he was appointed Radcliffe Librarian at the University of Oxford in 1845, a position which allowed him to promote the study of the sciences in the university.

Throughout his career, Acland was deeply involved in the reform of medical education, emphasizing the importance of scientific research and practical instruction. He was instrumental in the development of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and was a founding member of the British Medical Association. Acland was appointed Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford in 1858, a position he held for nearly 30 years.

Aside from his medical and educational endeavors, Acland also had interests in art and architecture. He was an avid collector and patron of the arts, and he was friends with John Ruskin, the leading English art critic of the Victorian era. Acland's own artistic endeavors were modest, and his works were not widely known or influential in the art world.

Acland was knighted in 1871 and made a baronet in 1890. He was also a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) and later a Knight Commander (KCB). His contributions to the medical field were recognized by numerous societies and institutions, both in Britain and abroad.

Sir Henry Wentworth Acland passed away on October 16, 1900. His legacy is preserved in the continued excellence of medical education at Oxford and the institutions he helped to establish and develop. Although not an artist by profession, his life was surrounded by the arts, and his impact on the cultural and scientific life of Oxford in the 19th century remains significant.