Samuel Frederick Brocas — The Painter of Georgian Dublin
Irish Artist · c.1792–1847
Samuel Frederick Brocas
A Dublin that no longer exists — preserved in exquisite detail by the artist who drew the Georgian city at its height.
The Custom House, Dublin — from his celebrated Select Views of Dublin.
The Story
Samuel Frederick Brocas recorded Dublin at the height of its Georgian glory — the wide streets, the great public buildings, the daily life of the city — with a precision and care that has made his work an irreplaceable visual archive. To look at a Brocas view is to walk through a Dublin that has, in many cases, entirely disappeared.
He was born around 1792, the second of four sons of the painter Henry Brocas, and studied under his father at the Dublin Society Schools from 1803 to 1807, winning medals for flower painting, etching and figure drawing. He worked mainly in Dublin, and occasionally in Limerick, in both oils and watercolours, and exhibited his landscapes with the Royal Hibernian Academy from 1828 until his death.
His enduring achievement is a set of twelve views of Dublin, drawn around 1817 and engraved by his brother Henry as the Select Views of Dublin. Published between 1818 and 1829, they are among the finest and most reliable topographical images of the Georgian city ever made — the Custom House, Trinity College, the GPO, the Bank of Ireland, Dublin Castle. He died on 14 May 1847. His Dublin lives on in his prints.
Timeline
- c.1792 — Born, second son of the painter Henry Brocas.
- 1803–07 — Studies under his father at the Dublin Society Schools.
- c.1817 — Draws his twelve views of Dublin.
- 1818–29 — The Select Views of Dublin are engraved and published.
- 1828 — Begins exhibiting with the Royal Hibernian Academy.
- 1847 — Dies 14 May.
Where He Painted
The great buildings of Georgian Dublin, drawn on the spot. Click a pin to see the view.
The Custom House · Trinity College · the GPO · Dublin Castle.
Featured Works
Collector's Guide
The essential Brocas is The Custom House — Gandon's masterpiece in its prime. Pair it with Trinity College and GPO & Nelson's Pillar for a portrait of Georgian Dublin on your wall. A set of three Brocas views makes a superb gift for anyone who loves the city. Part of our full Irish Art Prints collection.
The Brocas Lover's Gift Guide
Three views of old Dublin, all at the same price.
- GPO & Nelson's Pillar — art print · from €72
- College Green, Dublin — art print · from €72
- The Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle — art print · from €72
Discover Similar Artists
Rose Barton — later watercolours of Dublin street life. · James Arthur O'Connor — his Dublin contemporary. · George Petrie — topographer of Ireland's antiquities.