Samuel Phillips Jackson was an accomplished watercolorist as well as an exceptional oil painter. Born in Bristol, England, in 1830, he was a pupil of his father, also named Samuel, who was another well known artist of the period.

Elected as an associate of the British watercolor society in 1853, he toured widely and exhibited at numerous venues including the Royal Academy, the British Institution and held a remarkable total of 841 exhibitions at the Old Watercolor Society alone.

Jackson specialized in river and sea views. He enjoyed painting inshore and coastal scenes incorporating the stirring sunsets and fresh breezes found along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall. From his studios in Clifton and later Henley, he created works that were very popular and sold by many of the finest galleries of his time.