OBITUARY _The Times, Monday January 23, 1871

Our obituary column on Saturday contained the name of a gentleman once at least well-known in artistic and literary circles, though to some extent he had outlived his reputation - we mean Sir George Hayter, principal painter in ordinary to Her Majesty, who has died at his residence in Marylebone-road, at the age of 78. Sir George, who was a son of Mr Charles Hayter, formerly a well-known painter and professor of perspective to her Royal Highness the Princess (Charlotte) of Wales, was born in London in the year 1792, and more than 50 years ago was appointed painter of miniatures to that Princess and to her husband Prince Leopold, afterwards King of the Belgians. In 1818 he was elected a member of the Academy of St Luke in Rome, and subsequently a member of the Academies of Parma, Bologna, Florence, and Venice. On the accession of Her Majesty he was appointed portrait and historical painter to the Queen, and in 1841 principal painter to the Queen, from whom he received the honour of a knighthood the following year. Already - nine years previously - he had been made a Knight of the Persian Order of the Lion and Sun. Sir George was three times married and was left a widower for the third time in 1867.

MY COMMENTS

It will be noted that at the beginning of this article there is a reference to the obituary column on the previous Saturday. This refers, I think, to the deaths column on the front of the paper. Sir George was born earlier than most of the artists surveyed in VAB - he lived from the Georgian and Regency days into the reign of Queen Victoria - which must have been a dis-spiriting experience. Princess Caroline mentioned was the daughter of that disreputable pair George, Prince of Wales, subsequently the Prince Regent, and ultimately George the Fourth, and Caroline of Brunswick, ultimately Queen Caroline, his hygienically challenged, and even more disreputable wife, whom he tried to divorce on coming to the throne in 1820. The unfortunate Charlotte died in childbirth after a long and agonizing labour on November 5, 1817, at the age of twenty one. Had she lived Victoria would not have succeeded to the throne, and, without the influence of Prince Albert, the whole ethos of the age may have been very different.

George Hayter was trained at the Royal Academy schools, where he was a highly regarded student and prize winner. His royal connections helped him to build a prosperous and successful career as a portrait painter.

PHR 2 February 2006