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Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

(1752-1829), Lord Mayor of London

Sitter in 10 portraits
Curtis founded the bank Robarts, Curtis, Were & Co in the 1780s after making some successful ventures in the Greenland whaling industry. He served as Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London and was a conspicuous and influential figure at Ramsgate, where he built Cliff House and kept a luxurious private yacht.He was elected MP for the City of London in 1790, and tenaciously defended the privileges of the Corporation of London and the interests of the mercantile community in parliament. Curtis was prominent as a supporter of the financial and war policies of both Pitt and his successor Addington, by whom he was rewarded with a baronetcy in 1802.

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The House of Commons 1793-94

by Karl Anton Hickel
oil on canvas, 1793-1795
NPG 745

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

by Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey
pencil, 1827
NPG 316a(25)

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

by Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey
pencil, 1827
NPG 316a(26)

'Middlesex-election. 1804'

by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching and aquatint, published 7 August 1804
NPG D13108

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

by William Sharp, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
etching (progress proof for engraving), published 1814 (1812)
NPG D34477

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt ('A member of the corporation')

by and published by Richard Dighton, reissued by Thomas McLean
hand-coloured etching, published 1820 (1824)
NPG D4516

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt ('A member of the corporation')

by and published by Richard Dighton
hand-coloured etching, published 1820
NPG D13372

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

by George Cruikshank, published by Edward Knight
hand-coloured etching, published 12 August 1822
NPG D2242

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

by Henry Bone, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
pencil drawing squared in ink for transfer, January 1828 (1812)
NPG D17249

Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

by and published by William Say, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
mezzotint, published 1831 (1812)
NPG D11339

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Groups

Lord Mayors of London

Place

London

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Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt

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