Charles Hunt was an accomplished English painter and engraver known predominantly for equestrian prints and genre scenes.

Born in London in 1803, Hunt was raised amid the drama of the Regency period, when distant Napoleonic cannons grew closer every day and the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. Writers, such as Jane Austen, Lord Byron, and John Keats, were providing the literary backdrop and the theatres were alive with interest.

Little is known about his training but evidently he could draw from an early age. It’s plausible that, much like his contemporary Thomas Sidney Cooper (1803-1902), he was tutored by a local drawing master. In his autobiography, Cooper recalled spending countless hours sketching Canterbury Cathedral in an attempt to improve his technique. Perhaps Hunt sketched his family.

This advanced skill with a pencil translated into his dexterity with a burin and he soon became a proficient engraver - producing works after leading sporting artists such as John Frederick Herring Snr (1795-1865) and Francis Calcroft Turner (1782-1846). For around 35 years, he was known predominantly for engravings and forged a solid career with London’s busy printmakers.

In 1862, at the age of 59, he debuted at London’s Royal Academy with ‘Vocal and Instrumental’, a scene depicting several ragtag youths striking up a melody on homemade kit. It’s witty, charming, and carries a Dickensian spirit. From this point on, he focused on oil paintings in earnest.

Children - the good, the bad, and the quirky, were a constant source of inspiration, which is unsurprising given that his household would’ve been abundant with grandkids. He fathered four sons and four daughters, who probably each brought their own offspring to see their artistic grandfather. One can imagine that many of these feature in his work - with each given a role to play along with appropriate attire. Can you imagine the amusement when they were presented with the finished result?

It’s noticeable that the majority of his figures are painted with particular attention to the facial nuances, which supports the idea that these are sitters he knew. In ‘Children Acting the Play Scene from Hamlet, Act II, Scene II (1863)’, the level of detail is more akin to a group portrait.

Hunt continued to exhibit at the Royal Academy until 1873, by which point, two of his sons, Edwin Henry Hunt (1840-1925) and Charles Parker Hunt (1829-1900) had both become artists of merit. He’s represented at the British Museum, the Smithsonian, and the Yale Center for British Art.

Exhibited

Royal Academy, Royal Society of British Artists, British Institution.

Public Collections

The British Museum, The Smithsonian, National Trust at Wightwick Manor, Yale Center for British Art.

Timeline

1803

Born in Lambeth, London, to Humphrey Hunt and Mary Hunt (nee Lockyer).

1851

Lived in St Pancras, London, with his wife Elisabeth, five children, and an apprentice engraver, William Lawson. Occupation recorded as ‘Artist & Engraver’.

1858

Debuted at the British Institute with ‘Fair Day’.

1861

Lived in St Martin In The Fields, London, with his son Edwin Henry Hunt. Occupation recorded as ‘Animal Engraver’.

1862

Debuted at the Royal Academy with ‘Vocal and Instrumental’.

1871

Lived in Holborn, London, with his wife, Constance. Occupation recorded as ‘Artist + Historical Landscape + Animal Engraver’.

1877

Died.