Edward Haytley


Edward Haytley was an English portrait and landscape painter of the 18th century. He was born in 1713, but his works are documented to the period 1740–1764; other biographical detail is equally sparse, but the background of some early professional associates and early sitters suggests he may have come from Lancashire.

Works

Few of his works survive, but he appears to have specialised in the 'conversation piece' form, popular with the landed gentry of mid-18th century England. This form set a group portrait against the backdrop of an idealised representation of the subjects' estates.
His works in this form include:
One of the latter may include the figure of Susanna Highmore, daughter of the portrait painter Joseph Highmore.
In addition, he accepted commissions for numerous conventional portraits.
Aside from these, his best known works are probably the oil-on-canvas roundels of the Bethlem and Chelsea Hospitals, donated to the Foundling Hospital, London. Haytley, like other artists who donated works, was elected a governor of the Hospital.
His last recorded work, dated 1764, was a portrait, depicting Sir William Milner, Bt.
He is assumed to have died around this date.

Images