1854 – 1937
Wilson Hepple was a Northumbrian Victorian painter of animals, primarily cat, kittens and horses, than sporting scenes and genre subjects. He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, and studied at Newcastle School of Art under William Cosens Way. He was, however, largely self-taught. He became known as the ‘Cat man’ because of his many painting of cats and kittens.
He lived at Acklington and painted scenes of local interest such as “Last of the Old Tyne Bridge” and “King Edward VII’s visit to Newcastle”. He was a founder member of the Berwick Club in Newcastle and exhibited there and his work is represented in several public collections. Like his son, J. W. Hepple, who was an animal and genre painter in oil and watercolour too, he is buried in Acklington churchyard.
