Edward Miles (1752–1828)

Sir William Beechey painted Edward Miles in 1785, a date that precedes his royal appointments and places the work in his early London career when he was building his practice among the professional and gentry classes. Edward Miles (1752–1828) was himself a portrait miniaturist of some distinction who worked in Bristol and London before moving to Russia where he served as court miniaturist to Tsar Alexander I. The commissioning of a full-scale oil portrait of a miniaturist by another portrait painter represents an interesting intersection of the profession's self-documentation, and the relatively early date captures both sitter and painter in the early phases of careers that would develop significantly in subsequent decades. Beechey's portrait of Miles is thus a document of the London portrait world in the mid-1780s.

Beechey's handling of the portrait at this early stage of his career shows the influence of his training in the English academic tradition. The face is carefully modeled with warm, clear lighting, and the sitter's fashionable coat and cravat are rendered with period accuracy. The background is kept simple and relatively dark, a standard convention that focuses attention on the sitter's face and upper body.