Francis Holman (1729–1784) was a British maritime painter, little recognized during his own lifetime, but whose paintings are now sought after. He is also notable as the teacher of Thomas Luny
Holman’s earliest works are portraits of ships, commonly commissioned for ships’ captains. From 1767 to 1772 he exhibited eleven pictures at the Free Society of Artists,[2] and he began to produce pictures of shipyards and the general life of maritime Britain in the late eighteenth century. By 1773 Holman had taken on Thomas Luny as an apprentice; Luny later became a major maritime painter in his own right.
With the American War of Independence and the strong contemporary public interest in the Royal Navy, it was natural that Holman
should turn his talents towards more patriotic themes. Between 1774 and 1784 he sent seventeen pictures, mostly of the Royal Navy or sea battles, for exhibition at the Royal Academy.[