Author: Westall, Richard
Biography:
WESTALL, Richard (1765-1836: ODNB)
Painter and illustrator. He was born at Reepham, Norfolk, to Mary (Ayton) and Benjamin Westall, a brewer from an established Norfolk family. His mother died in 1770, leaving Benjamin Westall with four young children and a failing business. With Benjamin’s marriage to Martha Harbord in 1774, the family moved to Hertford. Richard Westall was initially placed with an attorney in Norfolk but in 1779 he was apprenticed to a heraldic engraver in London; there, he studied in evening classes and was encouraged to become a painter by a Norfolk artist, John Alefounder. He started exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1784, became a student in the Academy schools in 1785 and, in 1794, was made a Royal Academician. He was known for his watercolour drawings, his illustrations (including for works by Scott and Byron, [qq.v.], and for the Boydells’ editions of Milton and Shakespeare), and his portraits. In 1814 he mounted his own critically acclaimed exhibition in London. His reputation subsequently declined, in part owing to a riding accident which caused a slow-healing injury to his right arm. Despite this, he continued exhibiting at the Royal Academy and his work was a major influence for other artists and illustrators both in Europe and in North America. He never married; an engagement to the sister of a pupil fell through. From about 1827 until his death he served as drawing master to Princess Victoria. He died at his home in Fitzroy Square, London. (ODNB 28 Dec. 2020; ancestry.co.uk 28 Dec. 2020) SR