17 Facts About George Hayter

Sir George Hayter was an English painter, specialising in portraits and large works involving sometimes several hundred individual portraits.

George Hayter was the son of Charles George Hayter, a miniature painter and popular drawing-master and teacher of perspective who was appointed Professor of Perspective and Drawing to Princess Charlotte and published a well-known introduction to perspective and other works.

George Hayter's father secured his release, and they came to an agreement that Hayter should assist him while pursuing his own studies.

George Hayter was awarded the British Institution's premium for history painting for the Prophet Ezra, purchased by Richard Payne Knight.

George Hayter subsequently began a relationship with Louisa Cauty, daughter of Sir William Cauty, with whom he lived openly for the next decade and who bore him two children, Angelo and Louisa.

George Hayter is believed to have learned sculpture from Canova at this time.

George Hayter was an ardent supporter of the reform movement and this painting was not commissioned but to all intents and purposes a labour of love.

George Hayter painted several royal portraits including his most well-known work the State Portrait of the new Queen Victoria.

Now in his fifties, George Hayter struggled with his health and debts and he sold his Old Masters and other art works at Christie's in May 1845.

George Hayter planned to move back to the continent but could not after he received severe leg injuries in July 1845 train accident.

George Hayter painted several biblical scenes from the Old and New Testament, among them The Angels Ministering to Christ in 1849 and Joseph Interpreting the Baker's Dream in 1854.

George Hayter produced fluent landscape watercolours, etchings, decorative designs and sculpture.

On 18 January 1871 George Hayter died at his home in London.

George Hayter was buried in St Marylebone cemetery in East Finchley.

The contents of George Hayter's studio were auctioned at Christie's, London, on 19 April 1871.

George Hayter's younger brother, John, was an artist, known chiefly as a portrait draughtsman in chalks and crayons and his younger sister Anne worked as a miniaturist.

However the family tree of John and George Hayter published in Crisps Visitations shows no possible link to SW Hayter.