William Read

This portrait depicts Lieutenant-Colonel William Read of the Royal Staff Corps in a scarlet coat with silver braid and epaulettes proudly displaying his gold Peninsular Medal. Painted by Charles Hayter, perhaps to mark the awarding of the medal, the portrait is set in its original gold-plated frame, the reverse glazed to show the seed-pearl monogram WR on blue glass surrounded by a lock of brown hair held with seed pearls and gold wire, all laid on opalescent glass. There is damage to the opalescent glass and a couple of missing/loose seed pearls.

Born in South London in 1780, William Read was the eldest son of John and Caroline Read. He enlisted in the newly-established Royal Staff Corps in 1800. The regiment was responsible for overseeing engineering projects under the command of the Quartermaster General and played an active part in the Peninsular War from 1809. Read rose steadily through the ranks from Ensign to Lieutenant to Captain. Following a stint as Assistant-Quartermaster-General, he was promoted again in 1824 to Lieutenant-Colonel and deputy Quartermaster General whereupon he was posted to Fort St George, Madras.

William married Margaret Osborne and with her had a daughter in 1805. Widowed, he then married Lydia Douglas, the daughter of a master cabinet-maker in Plymouth and with her also had a daughter in 1820. William died whilst still serving in Madras in 1827. A monument to him can reputedly be found in St George’s Cathedral, Chennai.

In December 2014 Christie’s Auction House sold a set of watercolour views of Ireland painted by Lieut-Col. William Read which suggests firstly that Read was also a talented artist and secondly that he spent time in the north of Ireland.

London-born, Charles Hayter (1761-1835) exhibited miniatures and crayon portraits between 1786 and 1832, primarily at the Royal Academy. He taught perspective to George IV’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, and wrote An Introduction to Perspective that ran to numerous editions. Despite going deaf in later life, he continued to paint to within a year of his death. His obituary described him as a ‘kind-hearted, intelligent and upright man’. The V & A Museum has an album containing 440 of his pencil studies for portrait miniatures as well as two very fine miniatures by him.

Ivory Exemption Ref.: C3GHLQV