Artist Introduction: (1863 - 22 September 1920) was an English Classicist painter whose career began in the Victorian era and extended through the first two decades of the 20th century.
Born in London, the son of a jeweller named Henry Draper and his wife Emma,he was educated at Bruce Castle school in Tottenham and then went on to study art at the Royal Academy. He undertook several educational trips to Rome and Paris between 1888 and 1892, having won the Royal Academy Gold Medal and Travelling Studentship in 1889. In the 1890s he worked also as an illustrator, settling in London. In 1891 he married his wife Ida , with whom he had a daughter, Yvonne.He died of arteriosclerosis at his home at 15, Abbey Road, N.W.8 on 22 September 1920
Halcyone, by Herbert James Draper (1863-1920). Oil on canvas, private collection. 61 x 85 inches. Halcyone is seeking her husband Ceyx; kingfishers are painted over her head.