Born in 1826, William Linnell was the third son of the British landscape painter John Linnell (1792-1882). William was named in honor of his father's close friend, the great poet-painter William Blake. William Linnell studied at the Royal Academy Schools alongside his two brothers James Thomas and John. In 1866 William married and lived briefly in Paris, returning to England in 1868, William became known for his depictions of English and Welsh landscapes and rural scenes. He exhibited such works at the Royal Academy between 1851 and 1891. Works by William Linnell can be seen in museums in Britain, including Birmingham, Gateshead, Liverpool, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, and elsewhere. Both William and James Linnell were seen by their contemporaries as worthy inheritors of their father’s legacy and reputation. According to 19th -century writer Alexander Gilchrist "Time after time, James and William Linnell have evinced capabilities which might carry them onward to almost any point of attainment in the art. In both we recognise keen, fresh, strong feeling, vivid perception, plenteous, expressive, sometimes startling realization..." In 1872, one art critic thought that "James Thomas Linnell...is entitled to share with his brother William the estimation in which their pictures are held by the amateur and collector, sometimes rivalling even those of his father..." Paintings by the artist can be found today in a number of museums in Britain, including Birmingham, Gateshead, Liverpool, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, and elsewhere.