John Constable was a Romantic painter in more than just the art history sense of the word.

This dude was pretty much as sensitive as they come. His dad was a wealthy corn merchant (lol) but John wasn’t very into corn, or corn-sourced wealth, so instead of going into the family business he was given a small allowance to attend art school. By 1803, he was exhibiting his works at the Royal Academy.

However, Constable wasn’t really fated to make the big bucks in England. His works were too unfashionably pastoral for the time-- people wanted drama, but Constable was a humble dude who couldn’t bear to over exaggerate his beloved countryside. As a result of his stubborn unwillingness to sell out, he only sold 20 of his paintings in England in his entire lifetime. 

He found slightly more success in France, but refused to travel outside of the country to promote his artwork, so there still wasn’t quite enough to make ends meet for the seven children that he fathered with his childhood sweetheart. Sorry John, but a living as a corn merchant would have been a safer bet. (Words I never thought I’d say.)

That overburdened childhood sweetheart, Maria Elizabeth Bicknell, died of tuberculosis twelve years after their marriage. Constable was devastated and wore black for the rest of his life (chic), becoming increasingly melancholy and anxious as he raised his seven children alone. 

To make matters worse, Constable got super popular...after he died. His works are now among the most valuable in Britain, with one of his “six-footers” now expected to sell for 12 million pounds.