A recent correspondent writes (2012):  'I have a watercolour of a goose girl and her geese by a river and a bridge, signed Frank Dobbs, 1902, which was given to me by my mother, who was born in London in 1905. I was able to find some information on his life (although not on his artwork, unfortunately). He was born in Lincolnshire in 1870, and both of his parents were music teachers. They moved to London when he was young. He studied art as a young man, and as an adult his occupation was listed as artist (black and white, watercolour and oil). He continued to live at home according to the census data.' 
       

 His address in 1898 was in West Kensington, London, from which he is known to have exhibited one painting at the ROI. Though nothing more is known about him generally, both Whybrow and Tovey record his presence and participation in the St Ives artists colony before that time.