Denis Brownell Murphy facts for kids
Denis Brownell Murphy (born around 1745–1755, died in 1842) was an Irish artist who specialized in painting tiny portraits called miniatures.
Life of Denis Brownell Murphy
Denis Brownell Murphy was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was a very patriotic person who strongly supported the idea of a united and independent Ireland during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Because of his work, he moved to Whitehaven, England, with his wife and family in 1798.
In 1802, they moved again to Newcastle upon Tyne, and then in 1803, they settled in London, first in Hanwell. Murphy was quite busy as a miniature painter. He even worked for Princess Charlotte, who was a member of the royal family. In 1810, he was officially named her "painter in ordinary," which meant he was her official artist.
One of his important projects was to copy famous portraits known as Beauties by an artist named Peter Lely. These original paintings were at Windsor Castle. Princess Charlotte asked Murphy to create a series of miniature copies of these portraits. He even had special rooms at Windsor Castle while he worked on them, and the royal family would check on his progress.
Sadly, Princess Charlotte passed away before he could finish all the paintings. This also ended Murphy's work for the court. He sent the paintings to Prince Leopold, who was Princess Charlotte's husband, hoping to be paid. However, the paintings were returned, which was very disappointing for Murphy. Luckily, a friend named Sir Gerard Noel bought the set of miniatures.
It was suggested that these miniature copies could be used in a book. Murphy's daughter, Anna Brownell Jameson, who was a well-known writer, wrote the text for the book. This project was a success, and the book was published in 1833. It was called The Beauties of the Court of King Charles the Second.
Murphy also showed some of his miniature paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts between 1800 and 1827. However, his work didn't become super famous. Later in his life, he was very close with his daughter, Anna Brownell Jameson, who became more famous than him.
Denis Brownell Murphy died in March 1842. He had five daughters with his wife, who lived longer than him. His eldest daughter, Anna Brownell, married Robert Jameson and became a famous writer about art. His other daughters were Camilla, Louisa, Eliza, and Charlotte Alicia.
