Sir Francis Grant (18 January 1803 – 5 October 1878) was a Scottish portrait painter who painted Queen Victoria and many British aristocratic and political figures. He served as President of the Royal Academy.

Life

thumb|[[Queen Victoria Riding Out, 1840]]

Grant was the fourth son of Francis Grant, Laird of Kilgraston, near Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, and his wife Anne Oliphant of Rossie. Grant was educated at Harrow School and Edinburgh High School. His father, a plantation owner in Jamaica, died in 1818, leaving money to his seven children.

Initially Grant intended to become a lawyer, but he left his studies after a year, and took up painting. He possibly spent time in the Edinburgh studio of Alexander Nasmyth.

Elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1842, Grant in 1851 became an academician. In 1866, on the death of Charles Eastlake, Edwin Landseer turned down the seat of Academy president, and Grant was elected instead. He was knighted that year.

Works

In March 1831 on a visit to Abbotsford House, Grant painted a cabinet painting of Sir Walter Scott (now held by the National Galleries of Scotland accession number PG 103) for Scotts's friend Lady Ruthven. It depicts Scott at his desk, armour on the wall and his two noble staghounds Nimrod and Bran. Scott writing in his diary of Grant said "Frank will, I believe, if he attends to his profession, be one of the celebrated men of the age"

In 1837 Grant exhibited at the Royal Academy The Meeting of His Majesty's Staghounds on Ascot Heath, painted for George Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield, and in 1839 The Melton Hunt, purchased by the Duke of Wellington (both of these were engraved, the former by Frederick Bromley, the latter by William Humphrys). In 1841, he painted A Shooting Party at Rawton Abbey for Thomas Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield, and in 1848 The Cottesmore Hunt for Sir Richard Sutton, 2nd Baronet.

thumb|[[Queen Victoria with the Princess Royal and Prince of Wales, 1842]]

Between 1834 and 1879 Grant contributed 253 works, many of which were full-length portraits, to the exhibitions of the Royal Academy. Among those were equestrian portraits of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort, painted for Christ's Hospital; the Prince of Wales; an equestrian group of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort; Sidney Herbert; Lord John Russell; Benjamin Disraeli; John Hick and Mrs Hick; General Sir James Hope Grant; Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet; Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, prime minister; Lord Clyde; Viscount Palmerston, painted for Harrow School; Viscount Gough; Lord Truro, lord high chancellor; Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet, Chief Baron of the Exchequer; Sir William Erle, lord chief justice of the common pleas; John Sumner, archbishop of Canterbury; George Moberly, bishop of Salisbury; and John Gibson Lockhart. and of Mrs Markham (his daughter Daisy Grant – see below), exhibited in 1857.

Family

thumb|William Thomas Markham, husband of Daisy Grant, portrait by Francis Grant

thumb|Engraving of Lady Elizabeth Isabella Norman, mother of his second wife, after a portrait by Francis Grant

Grant married, firstly, Amelia Farquharson (died 1827), the daughter of a Scottish laird, in 1826; she died after giving birth to their son. He married again, in 1829, Isabella Elizabeth Norman, daughter of Richard Norman and his wife Lady Elizabeth Isabella, and a niece of John Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland; they had three sons and four daughters. One of the daughters was Anne Emily Sophia Grant (also known as Daisy Grant or Mrs. Colonel William Thomas Markham), whose portrait, by her father, hangs in the National Gallery of Scotland, and has been noted for its depiction of Victorian womanhood.

Grant was the brother of General Sir James Hope Grant.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), Novelist and Poet - PG 103 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg|Sir Walter Scott, 1831

File:Sir Francis Grant - A Meet of the Fife Hounds - PG 3657 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg|A Meet of the Fife Hounds, 1833

File:The Melton Hunt Breakfast.jpg|The Melton Hunt Breakfast, 1834

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - Lady Katherine Isabella Manners (1809–1848), Countess Jermyn - 851723 - National Trust.jpg|Lady Katherine Manners, 1839

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - Frederick William Hervey (1800–1864), Earl Jermyn, Later 2nd Marquess of Bristol, PC, FSA, MP - 851724 - National Trust.jpg|Marquess of Bristol, 1839

File:The Melton Hunt Going to Draw the Ram's Head Cover.jpg|The Melton Hunt Going to Draw the Ram's Head Cover, 1839

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - A Shooting Party at Ranton Abbey, Staffordshire - 1271073 - National Trust.jpg|A Shooting Party at Ranton Abbey, 1839

File:James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan by Sir Francis Grant.jpg|Earl of Cardigan, c.1841

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - 'Full Cry' (The Four Sons of Baron Nathan Mayer de Rothschild Following Hounds) - 1535137 - National Trust.jpg|Full Cry, 1841

File:Henry Pottinger.jpg|Henry Pottinger, 1845

File:Francis Grant (1803–1878) - HM Queen Victoria (1819–1901) - 42 - Christ's Hospital.jpg|Queen Victoria, 1845

File:Francis Grant (1803–1878) - HRH Prince Albert (1819–1861) - 44 - Christ's Hospital.jpg|Prince Albert, 1846

File:Bp Richard Bagot.jpg|Richard Bagot, 1846

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - Sir James Brooke - NPG 1559 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg|Portrait of Sir James Brooke, 1847

File:Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea.jpg|Portrait of Sidney Herbert, 1847

File:Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge of Lahore by Sir Francis Grant.jpg|Lord Hardinge, c.1849

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - John Gibson Lockhart (1794–1854), Son-in-Law and Biographer of Scott - PG 1588 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg|Portrait of John Gibson Lockhart, 1850

File:Sir Edwin Henry Landseer by Sir Francis Grant (2).jpg|Portrait of Sir Edwin Landseer, 1852

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), Earl of Beaconsfield, PC, FRS, KG, as a Young Man - 428984 - National Trust.jpg|Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli, 1852

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - General Sir James Hope Grant (1808–1875), Soldier, as Colonel of the 9th Lancers - PG 343 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg|Portrait of Hope Grant, 1853

File:John Russell, 1st Earl Russell by Sir Francis Grant.jpg|Portrait of Lord John Russell, 1853

File:Portrait of the Marchioness of Londonderry (Grant).png|Lady Londonderry, 1853

File:Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay by Sir Francis Grant.jpg|Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1853

File:Viscount Gough.jpg|General Hugh Gough, 1854

File:Anne Emily Sophia Grant.PNG|Portrait of Daisy Grant, 1857

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - General, the Right Honourable Sir Percy Egerton Herbert (1822–1876), PC, KCB, MP - 1180924 - National Trust.jpg|Percy Egerton Herbert, 1857

File:Algernon Percy (1792–1865), 4th Duke of Northumberland by Francis Grant.jpg|Duke of Northumberland, 1858

File:John Hick (MP) colour.jpg|John Hick, 1861

File:Mrs Margaret Hick.jpg|Margaret Hick, 1861

File:Portrait of Anna Brassey.png|Anna Brassey, 1864

File:HugoFrancisMeynellIngram.jpg|Hugo Meynell-Ingram, 1865

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - Emily Charlotte Meynell Ingram (1840–1904) - LEEAG.PA.2000.0028 - Temple Newsam.jpg|Emily Meynell-Ingram, 1867

File:Francis Grant (1803-1878) - Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Bt - NPG 5080 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg|Daniel Gooch, 1872

</gallery>

References

  • Francis Grant online (Artcyclopedia)
  • Lady Wearing Golden Bracelet (Oil on canvas)
  • Biography of Francis Grant (horsehints.org)
  • Portrait of Louisa Madeleine Keith-Falconer (Christie's)

;Attribution