George Hayter facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Sir George Hayter
Self Portrait from 1843 (Private collection)
Born	George Hayter 17 December 1792 (1792-12-17) St. James's, London, England
Died	18 January 1871 (aged 78) (1871-01-19) Marylebone, London, England
Nationality	English
Education	Royal Academy Schools
Known for	Painter
Notable work	The Trial of Queen Caroline in the House of Lords 1820 [1] The First Meeting of the Reformed House of Parliament 1833 [2] State Portrait of HM Queen Victoria 1838 [3] The Coronation of HM Queen Victoria 1838 [4] The Marriage of Queen Victoria 1840 [5] The Christening of the Prince of Wales 1842 [6]
Movement	Romanticism
Awards	Knight Bachelor, Knight of the Lion and the Sun of Persia, Member of the Academies of St. Luke (Rome), Bologna, Parma, Florence and Venice

Patron(s)	Queen Victoria, King Leopold I of the Belgians, 6th Duke of Bedford, 6th Duke of Devonshire

Sir George Hayter (born December 17, 1792 – died January 18, 1871) was a famous English painter. He was known for his detailed portraits and very large paintings. These big artworks sometimes included hundreds of individual portraits! Queen Victoria really liked his work. She made him her official painter, called the Principal Painter in Ordinary, and gave him a special award, making him a knight, in 1841.

Early Life and Art Training
Studying Art in Italy
Painting Important Moments
Travels to Europe
Working for the Royal Family
Later Life and Artworks
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Art Training

Self-portrait of George Hayter aged 28, painted in 1820 (National Portrait Gallery)

George Hayter was the son of Charles Hayter, who was also a painter. His father specialized in tiny portraits called miniatures. He was also a popular drawing teacher. Charles Hayter taught about perspective, which is how artists create depth and distance in their drawings.

George first learned from his father. In 1808, he joined the Royal Academy Schools to study art. But that same year, he had a disagreement about his studies. He ran away to sea and became a Midshipman in the Royal Navy. His father helped him leave the Navy. They agreed that George would help his father while continuing his own art studies.

George had five children. In 1815, he became the official painter of miniatures and portraits for Princess Charlotte. He also won an award for his historical painting called The Prophet Ezra.

Studying Art in Italy

George Hayter's friend, John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, encouraged him to travel. So, in 1816, George went to Italy to study art. There, he met a famous sculptor named Canova. George spent time in Canova's studio and even painted his portrait. He learned a lot about the classical art style, which focuses on balance and perfect forms. People believe he also learned sculpture from Canova.

Canova was a leader at the Accademia di San Luca, a top art school in Rome. He helped George become the youngest member ever of this important Academy.

Painting Important Moments

A Controversy on Colour, by John Hayter (1800–1891) showing from left to right Charles Hayter (father of John and George), John Hayter, Edwin Landseer and George Hayter (Shipley Art Gallery, UK)

When George returned to London in 1818, he became a successful portrait and history painter. History paintings show important events or stories. Some people found him a bit too proud, but he was friends with many important families. Because of his personal life, he was never chosen to be a member of the Royal Academy.

The 1820s were a very busy and creative time for Hayter. He painted The Trial of Queen Caroline in 1820. This huge painting showed King George IV trying to divorce Queen Caroline in the House of Lords. It was a very dramatic event, and Hayter captured it well. He also painted The Trial of William, Lord Russell in 1825, which showed a historical trial from 1683.

Travels to Europe

In 1826, Hayter moved to Italy again. He painted The Banditti of Kurdistan Assisting Georgians in Carrying off Circassian Women. This painting showed that he was learning from French Romantic artists. These artists liked exciting and exotic subjects.

By 1828, he was in Paris, France. He painted portraits of many English people living there. His style was similar to popular French portrait painters of that time.

Working for the Royal Family

The State Portrait of Queen Victoria (Royal Collection)

In 1831, Hayter came back to England. He had a big idea: to paint the first meeting of the British Parliament after a major change called the Reform Bill. This painting, called Moving the Address to the Crown on the Opening of the First Reformed Parliament in the Old House of Commons, 5 February 1833, took him ten years to finish! He painted almost 400 individual portraits for it. Hayter strongly supported this reform, so he worked on the painting out of passion, without a guarantee of being paid. This artwork is one of the last pictures of the old House of Commons before it burned down in 1834. The government finally bought it in 1854.

Hayter had painted the young Princess Victoria in 1832. So, it was no surprise when she became Queen and chose him as her 'Portrait and Historical Painter'. When the previous Principal Painter died in 1841, Hayter was given that important job. This made some artists at the Royal Academy a bit upset, as this role usually went to their President. In 1842, George Hayter was made a knight.

He painted several important royal events, including:

Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838
Her marriage in 1840
The Christening of the Prince of Wales in 1843

He also painted many royal portraits, including his most famous one, the State Portrait of Queen Victoria. He made several copies of this portrait with help from his son, Angelo. These copies were sent as gifts to other countries. However, Hayter's time as the Queen's main painter didn't last long. Prince Albert, the Queen's husband, preferred German painters.

Many of Hayter's important royal paintings are still part of the Royal Collection. You can see some of them at Buckingham Palace.

Later Life and Artworks

Self-portrait of Sir George Hayter in 1863 (Private Coll.)

As he got older, in his fifties, Hayter faced health issues and money problems. He sold some of his art in 1845. He planned to move back to Europe, but he was badly injured in a train accident that same year. He married twice more after his first wife, Sarah, died in 1844.

By the mid-1840s, Hayter's portrait style was seen as a bit old-fashioned. He changed his history paintings to fit the tastes of the time. He painted several large religious scenes, like Bishop Latimer Preaching at Paul's Cross and The Martyrdom of Bishops Ridley and Latimer. He also painted scenes from the Bible, such as The Angels Ministering to Christ (1849) and Joseph Interpreting the Baker's Dream (1854).

Besides large paintings, he also created beautiful landscape watercolours, especially of Italian views. He made etchings (a type of printmaking) and even designed sculptures.

Sir George Hayter passed away on January 18, 1871, at his home in London. He was buried in St Marylebone cemetery.

His younger brother, John Hayter, was also an artist. He was known for drawing portraits using chalks and crayons. Their younger sister, Anne, painted miniatures. George Hayter's great-great-grandson was the French painter and writer, Jean René Bazaine.

Images for kids

Princess Victoria painted 1833
Detail from State Portrait of Queen Victoria 1837
State Portrait of Queen Victoria 1837
The Christening of the Prince of Wales in St. George's Chapel, Windsor 25 Jan 1842
Coronation of Queen Victoria 28 June 1838
Marriage of Victoria and Albert, 10 February 1840
Queen Victoria Enthroned in the House of Lords 1838
Queen Victoria seated on the throne in the House of Lords 1838 (copy commissioned by Madamme Tussauds)
Queen Victoria taking the Coronation Oath 1838
Queen Victoria taking the Coronation Oath
The Trial of Queen Caroline in the House of Lords 1820 (188 portraits), completed 1823
Queen Caroline, wife of George IV during her trial, 1820
The Trial of William Lord Russell in 1683, 1825
The House of Commons, 1833 (375 portraits)
Latimer preaching at St.Paul's cross, 1855
The Martydom of Ridley and Latimer, 1855
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool and Prime Minister, 1823 (for Trial of Queen Caroline picture)
General Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch 1823
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire c.1822-26
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire c.1822-26
Duchess of Kent (mother of Queen Victoria), 1835
Antonio Canova painted in 1817
Queen Louise of Belgium, Windsor 1837
Edwin Landseer drawn in 1825
Lord Richard Cavendish as a boy, painted in 1825
Portrait of a young lady in an interior 1826
Portrait of a Lady, Naples 1828
Lady Stuart de Rothesay and her daughters, Paris 1830
Lord Stuart de Rothesay, British Ambassador to France, Paris 1830
The Hon. Charlotte and The Hon. Louisa Stuart, daughters of Baron Stuart de Rothesay, Paris 1830
Charlotte, Countess de la Bourdonnaye (1795–1875) Paris 1830
Portrait of Lady Caroline Montagu, 1831
Saith Satoor and Ali Hassan Bey, 1831. Saith Satoor was the protégé of Prince Abbas Mirza, Crown Prince of Persia
Sofia Kiselyova, daughter of Count Stanislav Potocki 1831
Countess Elizabeth Vorontsova (1792–1880) 1832
The Hon. Mrs. Caroline Norton, society beauty and author, 1832
Louisa Philips, Countess of Lichfield (c.1800-1879) with two of her Children, Thomas George Anson and Lady Harriet Frances Maria Anson, painted in 1832
Alfred Count D'Orsay
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Prime Minister 1830–1834
Lord Melbourne Prime Minister 1834, 1835–1841
Robert Lawrence Pemberton of Bainbridge House with his mother
Anne Elphinstone 1835
Lady Elizabeth Harcourt, eldest daughter of 2nd Earl of Lucan and wife of George Harcourt
John Montagu, 7th Earl of Sandwich (1811–1884), 7th Earl of Sandwich
John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer (1782–1845)
William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven
Lady Louisa Stuart at the age of ninety-three, sketch in oils
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (1766–1839)
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (1766–1839)
George Bridgeman, 2nd Earl of Bradford
Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook (1833) for House of Commons picture
Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet
Admiral Sir Edward Codrington 1835
John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane, 1833
John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane, 1834
Thomas Brunton in 1832 (inventor of studded-link, marine chain cable), friend of the artist
The Duke of Wellington (1839), for the House of Commons picture
The Duke of Wellington
Rt Hon John Johnson, Lord Mayor of London 1845
Sir James Robertson-Bruce 2nd Bt painted in 1820
Mrs Ellen Robertson-Bruce painted in 1820
Portrait of a boy
The Angels Ministering to Christ, 1849
Joseph Interpreting the Dream of the Chief Baker, 1854
Amy Emily Sarah Fitzroy, 1858
Hemsted Park, three studies with trees and storm clouds, 1856