John Partridge

John Partridge (20 November 1789 – 25 November 1872) was a British artist and portrait painter. Named 'portrait painter-extraordinary' to Queen Victoria, his pictures depict many of the notable figures of his time.

Born in Glasgow, he was the second son of twelve children of Samuel Partridge. His brother Richard Partridge became the President of the Royal College of Surgeons; his nephew Sir John Bernard Partridge was an illustrator and actor. He moved to London the same year, entering the Royal Academy Schools in 1816. In 1820, he married his cousin Clementina Sarah Campbell; she featured in his painting 'The artist and his family in his house at 21 Brook Street, Grosvenor Square' (c. 1828–35). and in 1843, he became a 'portrait painter-extraordinary' to the Queen. Queen Victoria's attentions were, however, to prove fickle, and the 1842 arrival of Franz Xaver Winterhalter, soon the new favourite, cut short Partridge's career as a royal portraitist.

Although Partridge set up a gallery in his studio to exhibit his works, commissions plummeted, with only 76 portraits in the period from 1845 to 1865, and his income inevitably suffered. Towards the end of his life, Partridge railed against this injustice in a pamphlet, On the Constitution and Management of the Royal Academy (1864), writing that he had been "driven from the position I held in public estimation and employment ... as the penalty for maintaining any degree of self-respect and independent feeling."

Portraits and other works Partridge portrayed many of the notable people of the day, with over three hundred portraits in total.

He worked mainly in oil on canvas; several of his paintings were subsequently engraved. His early style was significantly influenced by his teacher Thomas Phillips, who in turn was influenced by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

His other works encompassed landscapes, often depicting Italy, paintings with literary themes, and studies, often of children. The majority were exhibited at the British Institution. Usually small, they included numerous pencil sketches, sometimes incorporating an ink or watercolour wash.

Gallery

Selected works Links to online representations are given where available. 'The artist and his family in his house at 21 Brook Street, Grosvenor Square' (c. 1828–35) 'Satan' (1829) 'L'allegrezza' (1833) 'John Partridge' (c. 1838) 'Queen Victoria' (1840) 'Prince Albert' (1841) 'William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne' (1844) 'Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston' (1844–5) 'The Fine Arts Commissioners, 1846' (c. 1846–53)