(1797 - 1867)
William Corden, painter, was born in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. He was apprenticed at the china works in Derby, painting onto china services until 1820, when he began work at the Coalport pottery in Shropshire. By 1824, he had moved to London and begun exhibiting at the Royal Academy. He settled in Windsor by 1836 and, in 1838, drew Queen Victoria on the East Terrace of Windsor Castle. He later painted several life-size copies of paintings in the Royal Collection for the Queen and, in 1844, Prince Albert arranged for him to visit Coburg to copy his family portraits. Corden worked at the Staffordshire potteries from 1854 on an unsuccessful project to combine enamelling and photography. He died in Nottingham at the age of 69.
