Bonhams 1793 : James Warren Childe (British, 1778-1862), circa 1842 Sir William Henry Don, 7th Baronet (1825–1862) of the 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's), wearing red coat with gold facings and epaulettes, badge of the 5th Dragoon Guards suspended from his blue and gold standing collar, gold sash, sword and scabbard, a red and white plumed black bicorn hat tucked beneath his right arm, his right hand encased in a white glove, its pair between his fingers

Sir William Henry Don, 7th Baronet (1825–1862) of the 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's), wearing red coat with gold facings and epaulettes, badge of the 5th Dragoon Guards suspended from his blue and gold standing collar, gold sash, sword and scabbard, a red and white plumed black bicorn hat tucked beneath his right arm, his right hand encased in a white glove, its pair between his fingers.
Verre-églomisé mount, set within pierced gilt-wood foliate frame.
Rectangular, 153mm (6in) high

Estimate:

£1,000 - 1,500
€1,200 - 1,800
US$ 1,500 - 2,300

Footnotes

William was the only child of Sir Alexander Don, 6th Baronet of Newtondon (1779-1826) and Grace Stein (d.1878). His father's sudden death saw William succeed to the baronetcy before he was one year old.

During 28-30 August 1839, William participated in the famed Eglinton Tournament in the guise of a page to the hostess, Lady Montgomerie. Formulated from the romanticised Middle Ages of Sir Walter Scott's (1771-1832) 'Ivanhoe', William's participation in the pageant sparked a burgeoning career in the theatre.

This miniature depicts William during his brief flirtation with the Army (1842-1845). During the three short years William spent in the Dragoon Guards, his debts had amassed to such a degree that he was forced to sell the family seat of Newton Don in Berwickshire, using the £85,000 realised to silence the clamour of his creditors. It was at this time that William married his first wife, Antonia Lebrun (d.1869), who bore him a daughter, Alexina.

Quitting the United Kingdom in 1850, William first began to gain popularity as an actor in the United States where he appeared as John Duck in 'The Jacobite' at the Broadway Theatre, New York, on 27 October.

After a 5-year career on the American stage, William returned to Britain where he enjoyed great success, initially in Scotland, before reaching the West End in 1857. It was during his sojourn in London that William married his second wife, Emily Eliza Saunders (d.1875), the daughter of the proprietor of the Adelphi Theatre and mother to William's youngest daughter, Harriette. Together, the couple travelled to Australia in 1861 where William entered the en travesti phase of his career. He died in Tasmania in 1862 having played Queen Elizabeth in 'Kenilworth' four days previously.

Category: Fine Art / Portrait Miniatures

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