Alfred Edward Chalon

Alfred Edward Chalon RA (15 February 1780 – 3 October 1860) was a Republic of Geneva-born British portraitist. He lived in London where he was noticed by Queen Victoria.

An original or, more likely, a copy of Chalon's portrait of Queen Victoria^[1][2]

Biography

The Chalon family vault in Highgate Cemetery

Alfred Chalon was born in Geneva from a father who soon was hired as professor at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in England.

With his brother John James Chalon (1778–1854), Alfred became an artist. Entered at the Royal Academy in 1797, he joined the Associated Artists in Water-Colours, a group of aquarellists. In the Academy, he was elected an associate (ARA) in 1812, then academician (RA) in 1816.

Known for his portraits of the good society of London, he was chosen by Queen Victoria to paint a gift to her mother:^[3] Victoria in her State robes going to the House of Lords for her first official act, the prorogation of the Parliament, on 17 July 1837. After this task, Chalon was entitled Portrait Painter in Water Colour to Her Majesty and gained some celebrity. His 1837 portrait was engraved by Samuel Cousins and distributed to the public the day of Victoria's coronation, the 28 June 1838; and the next year Cousins produced a second, smaller, engraving.^[3][4][5] Then, starting in 1851, the "Chalon head" appeared on some British colonies' postage stamps.

Bachelors, the Chalon brothers lived together. In 1860, Alfred died at Campden Hill, in Kensington, London and was buried with his brother in Highgate Cemetery.

Girl Reading Letter

References

1. Where Are the Chalon Paintings
2. The Modern, Illustrated History of the New Zealand Chalons
3. Negus, Ron (September 2007). "The Queen in close-up", Stamp Magazine 73-9, page 47.
4. Description of Cousins' engraving Archived 25 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Government Art Collection, item 14946.
5. The Cousins Cornucopia

Further reading

• Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1887). "Chalon, Alfred Edward" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 9. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 455–6.

External links

• 9 artworks by or after Alfred Edward Chalon at the Art UK site
• Biography, Library and Archives Canada, retrieved 29 December 2007.
• A E Chalon online (ArtCyclopedia)
• Portraits by Alfred Chalon, National Portrait Gallery of London.
• Portrait of a beautiful Arvanit girl by Alfred Chalon (in the Albanian Wikipedia)
• Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections
• The painting The Adieu. with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon in The Keepsake, 1833.
• The Escape of Fenella., a painting of a scene from the opera La muette de Portici by Daniel Auber, engraved by J. C. Edwards for The Keepsake annual, 1836, with a poetical illustration (Fenella’s Escape) by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.
• Paintings for Finden's Gallery of the Graces, 1834:

  The Lady Adeline. engraved by John Henry Robinson, with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon (The Ladye Adeline).

  The Fair Patrician. engraved by Richard Austin Artlett, also with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.

• La Rosa Parlante., engraved by E. J. Portbury for The Cabinet of Modern Art, 1837, with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon
• Portraits in Heath's book of Beauty, 1839, with illustrative verse by Letitia Elizabeth Landon:
  • Mrs Maberly., engraved by William Henry Mote
  • Miss Cockayne., engraved by William Henry Mote
• A portrait of Marguerite, Countess of Blessington., engraved by Henry Thomas Ryall for Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1839 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.