**George Hicks (1824–1914)** was an English painter renowned for his detailed genre scenes that vividly captured the social and domestic life of Victorian Britain. Born in Lymington, Hampshire, Hicks initially trained as a surgeon before turning to art. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools and began exhibiting at the Royal Academy in the 1840s.
Hicks gained recognition in the 1850s for his finely crafted interior scenes, often filled with narrative tension and moral undertones. His paintings, such as *The Sinews of Old England* and *Dividend Day at the Bank of England*, reflect a keen eye for detail, composition, and social observation. He was particularly skilled at portraying the subtleties of human expression and the dynamics of middle-class life, often exploring themes like education, family, and economic stability.
As the Victorian era progressed, Hicks adapted to shifting tastes but maintained his commitment to storytelling through art. While he never achieved the fame of some of his contemporaries, his works were widely appreciated and collected during his lifetime. Today, George Hicks is remembered as a master of narrative painting whose works offer a rich visual record of 19th-century British society and values. His legacy continues to be reassessed and appreciated by modern audiences.