Robert Crozier, born in 1815, was a son of George Crozier, a saddler and one of the leaders of a remarkable band of working-men botanists. As a child, he moved with his family from Blackburn to Bolton and Warrington. At the age of 12 was apprenticed to William Maskery, a coach painter, of Warwick Street, with whom he remained for eight years.
In 1838 he moved to Manchester, where he remained for the rest of his life, first becaming a protege of William Bradley, a friend of the family. In 1838 he became a pupil at the Manchester School of Design and after a further period with William Bradley he soon established a reputation and painted the portraits of numerous people in Manchester and the neighbourhood over nearly half a century. As a painter of domestic scenes, portraits, and children, he was to be seen at his very best, especially in delicacy of touch and almost Gainsborough-like treatment.
He first exhibited at the Royal Manchester Institution in 1841 and at the Royal Academy in 1854. His success at an Exhibition of Local Artists held at Peel Park, Salford, at which 19 of his works were exhibited, led to the establishment in 1859 of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, of which he was a founder member.
He acted in various capacities before becoming its President in 1878, remaining as such until a month before his death in February 1891.
(There is a copy of his funeral report in the 11th Hussar file.)
PB, Jan 2014: The main Robert Crozier archive appears to be the John Rylands Library at Manchester University - http://archives.li.man.ac.uk/ead/html/gb133cro-p1.shtml#id3722298 (accessed 22.1.2014.) However, there appear to be no references to Bond.
See also the Wikipedia entry for Robert Crozier (accessed 22.1.2014.)]