Harold Speed

Born in London in 1873, Harold Speed studied at the Royal Academy Schools and built a career as both a painter and an art teacher. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and became known for figure and portrait work as well as for clear, experience-based writing about art.

He is remembered especially for instructional books such as The Practice and Science of Drawing and Oil Painting Techniques and Materials. Those books stayed influential because they do more than list rules: they explain observation, design, movement, and technique in a way that still feels useful to artists today.

Speed died in 1957, but his reputation has lasted through his teaching as much as through his paintings. For many readers, he remains one of the most approachable classic guides to the craft of drawing and painting.