William Beechey collection

The collection comprises of correspondence by Beechey to Charles Henry Parry the brother of the Arctic explorer Sir William Edward Parry

William Beechey was born on 12 December 1753 at Burford, Oxfordshire. In 1772, he gave up his training as a lawyer to become a student at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. After exhibiting portraits in London and Norwich, where he remained for five years between 1782 and 1787, Beechey returned to London to enjoy a long and illustrious career as a portrait painter, becoming portrait painter to Queen Charlotte in 1793. His work 'Review of a Horse Guard with King George III and the Prince of Wales' (Royal Collections), painted in 1793, earned him a knighthood in 1798, the year in which he was elected a full member of the Royal Academy. His sons, Frederick William, George and Henry William, were also accomplished artists. He died on 28 January 1839.

The correspondence is arranged chronologically

By appointment.

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Anyone wishing to consult material should ensure they note the entire MS reference and the name of the originator.

The term holograph is used when the item is wholly in the handwriting of the author. The term autograph is used when the author has signed the item.

Descriptions compiled by N. Boneham, Assistant Archivist with assistance from R. Stancombe and reference to Arctic, exploration and development c500 BC to 1915, an encyclopaedia by Clive Holland land Publishing, London (1994) ISBN number 0824076486 and Exploring Polar Frontiers, a historical encyclopaedia by William Mills San Diego and Oxford, 2003 Dictionary of National Biography, volume 4, Smith, Elder & Co. London (1885)

Clive Holland Manuscripts in the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England - a catalogue, Garland Publishing New York and London (1982) ISBN 0824093941.

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