Hayter, Sir George

Hayter, Sir George (1792-1871), English painter, was the son of a popular drawing-master and teacher of perspective who published a well-known introduction to perspective and other works. He was born in London, and in his early youth went to sea. He afterwards studied in the Royal Academy, became a miniature-painter, and was appointed in 1816 miniature-painter to the princess Charlotte. He passed some years in Italy, more especially in Rome, between 1816 and 1831, returned to London in the last-named year, resumed portrait-painting, now chiefly in oil-colour, executed many likenesses of the royal family, and attained such a reputation for finish and refinement in his work that he received the appointment of principal painter to Queen Victoria and teacher of drawing to the princesses. In 1842 he was knighted. He painted various works on a large scale of a public and semi-historical character, but essentially works of portraiture; such as “The Trial of Queen Caroline” (189 likenesses), “The Meeting of the First Reformed Parliament,” now in the National Portrait Gallery, “Queen Victoria taking the Coronation Oath” (accounted his finest production), “The Marriage of the Queen,” and the “Trial of Lord William Russell.” The artistic merits of Hayter’s works are not, however, such as to preserve to him with posterity an amount of prestige corresponding to that which court patronage procured him.

He is not to be confounded with a contemporary artist, John Hayter, who produced illustrations for the Book of Beauty, &c.