The Duke of Wellington

Hayter painted the Duke of Wellington multiple times, and this 1839 portrait at Weston Park shows the aging hero of Waterloo in his seventh decade. By this date Wellington was a Tory elder statesman, and Hayter—though officially the Queen’s painter—maintained relationships across the political spectrum. The Bridgeman family at Weston Park had connections to Wellington through both military and political circles. George Hayter was the preeminent British history and portrait painter of the early Victorian era, appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary to Queen Victoria in 1841.

Wellington’s famous aquiline profile is rendered with the precision of long familiarity, the aging features treated with dignity rather than flattery. The military bearing remains evident in the erect posture and direct gaze.