Sir William Curtis, 1st Bt
(1752-1829), Lord Mayor of LondonRegency Portraits Catalogue Entry
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.
by Karl Anton Hickel
oil on canvas, 1793-1795
NPG 745
by Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey
pencil, 1827
NPG 316a(25)
by Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey
pencil, 1827
NPG 316a(26)
by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching and aquatint, published 7 August 1804
NPG D13108
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
by George Cruikshank, published by Edward Knight
hand-coloured etching, published 12 August 1822
NPG D2242
by Henry Bone, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
pencil drawing squared in ink for transfer, January 1828 (1812)
NPG D17249
by and published by William Say, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
mezzotint, published 1831 (1812)
NPG D11339
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