Sir
Henry William Beechey
(December
12,
1753 -
January 28,
1839),
English
portrait artist, born in Burford.
He originally meant
to be a conveyancer but a strong love for painting encouraged
him to become a pupil at the
Royal Academy in
1772. Some of his
smaller portraits gained him considerable reputation; he began to be
employed by the nobility and in
1793 became associate
of the
Royal Academy. In the
same year he was made portrait-painter to
Queen Charlotte. His
work has been described as relatively sober.
He painted
the portraits of members of the Royal Family and of nearly all the most
famous or fashionable persons of the time. What is considered his finest
production is a review of cavalry, a large composition in the foreground of
which he introduced portraits of
George III,
the Prince of Wales
and
the Duke of York,
surrounded by a brilliant staff on horseback. Among his portraits were those
of
Lord Nelson,
John Kemble, and
Sarah Siddons.
