Richard Dadd (1817 -1886) was a promising young artist who, when studying at the Royal Academy, hosted The Clique, one of the first artists’ clubs (active 1838-42). This group of Dadd’s friends - also studying at the RA - met at his lodgings in [Great] Queen Street, to draw and discuss art, and finished with refreshments. Dadd became ill with what would now be called paranoid schizophrenia while travelling in the Middle East. On his return to England in 1843, his murder of his father caused a sensation and he was committed to Bedlam, or the Bethlem Hospital.  He continued with painting for the rest of his life, and is best known for his depictions of supernatural subjects, particularly fairies. Miranda Miller will talk about how she came to write her novel, The Fairy Visions of Richard Dadd, (first published 2013; reprinted 2026). The novel is set in 1857, when Dadd was given a spacious room in which to paint and, with the doctors’ encouragement, he began to produce his best work. An exhibition of his work is about to open at the Royal Academy: Richard Dadd Beyond Bedlam (25 July - 25 October 2026).

Admission: Free to CHS members. Non-members welcome (£2 at the door).