John Butler Yeats (1839–1922) was an Irish artist who achieved recognition for his portraiture. As a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), his artistic output consisted of oil paintings and works on paper, capturing notable figures of his era.
Yeats was also the patriarch of an extraordinarily creative family. He was the father of the poet W. B. Yeats, the embroiderer Lily Yeats, the publisher Elizabeth Corbett "Lollie" Yeats, and the painter Jack Butler Yeats. His family members would go on to make major contributions to Irish art and literature.
Today, his artistic legacy is preserved in institutions such as the National Gallery of Ireland, which houses a number of his oil portraits and works on paper. Among these holdings is one of his most notable works, a portrait of his son William painted in 1900.
