RICHARD WESTALL, 1813

An accomplished painter and illustrator, English artist Richard Westall spent the last decade of his life as drawing master to Queen Victoria. He produced a great number of historical and literary scenes, though he is best remembered today for his portraits, in particular those he made for Lord Byron.

A poet, politician, and celebrity of his day, Lord Byron caused scandal among high society with his eccentric way of living and his various, well-documented love affairs. He was a leading member of the Romantic movement and his strong personality inspired the literary trope of the Byronic hero, an archetype that shared his rebellious, passionate character, but which was also a mirror to his self-destructive tendencies and ongoing inner struggle.

On top of a troubled upbringing, throughout his life Byron seems to have experienced a great deal of insecurity about his appearance. While renowned for his good looks, his confidence was shaken by a birth defect that had left him with a deformed foot, and he was anxious to control his weight, which fluctuated often as a result of his disordered eating habits.

The likeness Westall captures in his portrait, however, shows no trace of insecurity. Byron is shown in profile, deep in thought as he gazes off into the distance. Painted as an ideal embodiment of beauty and poetic intellect, this artistic vision must surely have appealed to Byron, since Westall was commissioned for another portrait of him the very same year.

Whether the likeness truly resembled Byron or simply represented him in the way he wished to be seen is difficult to know for certain though, and while the portrait was fundamental in influencing the way that he was seen by the public at the time, with reproductions appearing often in print, it is perhaps more significant today for the light it sheds on the complex relationship the poet held with his own self-image.