Sir William Boxall RA (1800–1879) trained at the Royal Academy Schools, hoping to make his name as a history painter, but later turned to the more lucrative genre of portraiture. He was a friend of William Wordsworth, whose portrait he painted, and he contributed portrait illustrations to Finden's Gallery of the Graces: A Series of Portrait Illustrations of British Poets.
In February 1866 Boxall was appointed director of the National Gallery, after which he practically gave up painting. His directorship lasted eight years, during which he oversaw the construction of Edward Middleton Barry's celebrated eastern extension. He substantially contributed to the Gallery's holdings of Dutch Golden Age paintings, and both of the Gallery's paintings by Michelangelo were bought by Boxall.
He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1851 and a full Royal Academician (RA) in 1863. He was knighted in 1867.
