Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Downing Street

Sir Thomas Lawrence was born in Bristol; the son of a supervisor of excise. In 1773 the family moved to Wiltshire to run a coaching inn but financial difficulties led them to move again to Bath, where Lawrence first worked as a portraitist. He may have had lessons from William Hoare, before enrolling at the Royal Academy schools in 1787. Aged 20, he received a royal commission for portraits of Queen Charlotte (1789-90) and Princess Amelia (1789). At 23 he replaced Reynolds as Painter-in-Ordinary and at 25, became a Royal Academician. Despite such success, he never escaped crippling debt. In 1815 he was knighted and commissioned to paint the Waterloo Chamber series of portraits. He replaced West as President of the Royal Academy in 1820.

People

Arthur, 1st Duke of Wellington Wellesley (1769 - 1852)

Places

Subjects

male portrait, 19th century costume, coat, waistcoat, greatcoat, Duke, Prime Minister, field marshal

Materials & Techniques

mezzotint

Artist

Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769 - 1830)
George Raphael Ward (1798 - 1878)

Title

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)

Edition

proof

Date

published 25 January 1839

Medium

Mezzotint

Acquisition

Bequeathed by Sir Edward Walter Hamilton, 1908

Provenance

Bequeathed to 10 Downing Street by Sir Edward Walter Hamilton, 1908

GAC number

0/20/29