Introducing Mary Douglas aged 27 Drawn in 1821 by the hand of Charles Hayter - A Truly Beautiful Miniature Portrait

THE STORY - I confess at the time my eyes fell upon this miniature I was unaware of the Artist Charles Hayter and to be honest even if this portrait was not signed my heart would of done the 'cartwheels' it did I was so taken with the beauty not only of the subject but of the portrait itself. The portrait which is executed in pencil on paper is so beautifully detailed, especially with the ringlets that fall down her head and the plait that is wrapped around her bun. And then we have that beautiful face in profile, her eyes looking forward intently, her lips tightly closed but sweetly turned up at the the edge. And I feel so aware that she is concentrating so hard on sitting upright and still clothed in her finest Empire Line Dress for Mr Hayter as he works on her portrait. On the reverse of the frame there is some verso written on the wooden back which is difficult to read but I think it is as follows:-
Mary Douglas
In her 27th Year
Sketched by
Charles Hayter
Witham, Essex
June / July ? 1821
His Address in London
In No 3 Upper Grafton Street
Fitzroy Square
So now to the gentleman who created this amazing portrait
Charles Hayter was born in 1761, the son of another Charles Hayter who was an Architect but our Charles Hayter showed a talent for drawing and he enrolled in The Royal Academy Schools in London in 1786 and on leaving worked as a painter of miniatures in London,Essex and later Winchester. He married Martha Stevenson and they had 10 children, 3 or which were artists George, John and Ann of whom George was the most successful being a favourite of Queen Victoria. Between 1786 and 1832 Charles Hayter exhibited 113 miniatures at The Royal Academy. And he was credited with portraying a great likeness in this portraits. He died in 1835, outliving his wife by 30 years.
And wonderfully I did come across on the internet a wonderful site that spoke of Charles Hayter's time in Essex where he lived in 1821 with some wonderful sketches of his neighbours but sadly I have not been able to find out any more information about Mary Douglas.

DATE - 1821

CONDITION - Both the portrait and the frame are in good condition. The paper has undoubtedly darkened with age and their is what looks possibly like a very faint foxing mark by her far shoulder. The frame too is in good condition with the convex glass free of any scratches that I can see but the brass has obviously dulled with age and the papier-mâché has a very tiny knocks as one would expect with age and some old stress signs around the oval mount. One of the pins is missing from the hanger which means there is some movement to it. The verso on the reverse if very, very, faded and difficult to read, indeed I failed to read the first line and with research managed to hopefully decipher the rest correctly.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Framed - Height 6&1/2" / 16.5cm, Width 5&3/4" / 14.5cm, Depth 1/4" / 0.5cm. Image Size - Height 4&1/8" / 10.5cm, Width 3&1/2" / 9cm

I still gasp at the beauty of this portrait every time I see it and to be honest it has taken me a little while to feel ready to put it up for sale in my shop. I simply marvel at the skill in the portrait to be able to convey such a sense of realness just by using a simple pencil. But what I think I love most about it is the sense of Mary Douglas doing her very best to sit as still as she can for Mr Charles Hayter, after no doubt a morning of busy preparation with her hair being styled beautifully and that wonderful Empire Line Dress chosen. But for all this styling I have to say I think Mary Douglas was a real natural beauty and I thank Charles Hayter for portraying this so wonderfully.