William Bagdatopoulas

 William Spencer Bagdatopoulos (1888–1965), also known as W. S. Bylityilis, was a painter and commercial artist renowned for his Orientalist renditions of Eastern people and monuments. Born on the island of Zante, Greece, to Greek-English parents, he spent his childhood in the Netherlands and began his formal art education at the Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Rotterdam at age 11. By sixteen, he was painting in Egypt and Palestine and later studied at the Athens Academy.

In 1908, Bagdatopoulos moved to London, where he established himself as an artist, creating portraits, illustrations, murals, and posters for various clients. He was elected a member of the Royal Society of Arts in 1909 and received a medal at the National Competition in South Kensington in 1913. During World War I, he served with the British Army.

In 1924, Bagdatopoulos was commissioned by the Times of India to tour and paint the country. Over two years, he captured Indian landmarks such as the Golden Temple, the gopuram at Madurai, and the Taj Mahal. His works were featured in the Times of India annuals and used in advertisements and travel posters for the Indian Railways Promotion Bureau. Recognized as an authority on Eastern advertising, Bagdatopoulos' legacy includes his influential depictions of the East.