Wilfred Fairclough was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. He studied at the Royal College of Art, London, and was awarded Rome Scholarship in 1934. In his earlier works Italianate and landscape subjects dominate and his work shows the influence of Robert Austin.

Further reading:
Kenneth Guichard, British Etchers 1850-1940, Robin Garton, London 1977
Ian Lowe, The Etchings of Wilfred Fairclough, Scolar Press, Aldershot 1990