Walter Henry Watts (1776 – 4 January 1842) was an English miniature painter and journalist.

Life

Watts was born in the East Indies in 1776, the son of a captain in the Royal Navy. He was sent to England at an early age and placed at school in Cheshire. He had talent as an artist, and devoted some time to the study of drawing and painting. In 1808 Watts was a member of the Society of Associated Artists in Watercolours. He obtained some renown as a

miniature painter A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

, and from 1808 to 1830 exhibited miniatures at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

. In 1816 he was appointed miniature painter to

Princess Charlotte of Wales Princess Charlotte of Wales may refer to: * Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796–1817), the only child of George, Prince of Wales, later King George IV of the United Kingdom ** Princess Charlotte of Wales (1812 EIC ship), a ship named after the pri ...

. Not being able for some time to make a living from painting, he found employment as a parliamentary reporter on the staff of ''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...

'' in 1803. About 1813 he joined ''

The Morning Chronicle ''The Morning Chronicle'' was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London. It was notable for having been the first steady employer of essayist William Hazlitt as a political reporter and the first steady employer of Charles Dickens as a journalist. It ...

'' in the same capacity. In 1826 he undertook to manage the reporting department of '' The Representative'', but, returning to ''The Morning Chronicle'' in the following year, he continued to act as a parliamentary reporter until 1840. During this time he also contributed criticisms on matters connected with the fine arts to ''

The Literary Gazette ''The Literary Gazette'' was a British literary magazine, established in London in 1817 with its full title being ''The Literary Gazette, and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences''. Sometimes it appeared with the caption title, "London Lit ...

'', and edited the ''Annual Biography and Obituary'' from its beginning in 1817 until 1831. He was a co-founder in 1837 of the ''Newspaper Press Benevolent Association'', and was its first chairman. Watts died at his lodgings at Earl's Court Terrace,

Old Brompton Brompton, sometimes called Old Brompton, survives in name as a ward in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. Until the latter half of the 19th century it was a scattered village made up mostly of market gardens in the county ...

, on 4 January 1842.

References

Attribution *

External links

Walter Henry Watts
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Walter Henry 1776 births 1842 deaths English art critics 19th-century British journalists Portrait miniaturists