Sidney Richard Percy was born Sidney Richard Percy Williams in 1821 in London. He was the fifth son of the painter Edward Williams and wife Ann Hildebrandt and a member of the Williams family of painters, who were related to such famous artists as James Ward, R.A. and George Morland. His father was a well-known landscape artist, who taught him how to paint. Although his early paintings were signed “Sidney Williams”, he used the name “Percy” from the age of 20 onwards to differentiate himself from the other artists in his family. A prolific artist of his day, Percy increasingly sought his inspiration in Northern Wales, Devon, Yorkshire, the Lake District and Skye. Starting in 1842, he exhibited at the Royal Academy (65 works), the British Institution (48 works), and the Suffolk Street Gallery of the Society of British Artists (67 works).
