Born in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, Louis Bosworth Hurt became known for and achieved great success with his paintings of the Scottish Highlands and his portrayal of Highland cattle.

Some of Hurt’s early training was as the pupil of another well-known Derbyshire artist, George Turner of Barrow-on-Trent. Most of Hurt’s work was carried out at his home in Ivonbrook, where he lived with his wife Harriet and where they kept their own herd of Highland cattle which feature in his paintings. Hurt also made frequent visits to Scotland.

Hurt had a cottage in Bettwys, North Wales, where he would retreat to in the autumn and it was here that he would paint small landscapes of Snowdonia and the surrounding areas. Occasionally he also painted views in the Southern Counties, especially at Burnham Beeches and a documented list of his sales suggests that he visited France as well.

Hurt exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1881. Amongst the many titles that he exhibited there were ‘In a Northern Glen’, ‘The Silence of the Woods’ and ‘By Peaceful Loch and Mist-Wreathed Hill’. He also exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists and at Suffolk Street.

The Bournemouth Art Gallery holds a collection of Hurt’s paintings as it was founded by one of his patrons. He also has paintings in the South African National collection, in the Reading Museum and in Manchester.