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Edward Miles ( 1752 - 1828 )  Category ( Painters ) [suggest a correction]
 

Edward Miles was an eighteenth-century British miniature painter and portrait draftsman. He was born in Yarmouth, England. Not a great deal is known about his early childhood and family background, but it has been established that his first job was that of an errand boy for a local surgeon. The doctor took the boy under his wing, and noticed that Miles had a gift for drawing. He encouraged the boy, and Miles continued to learn and practice his art.

Miles moved to London in 1771, and through connections made by the surgeon he became acquainted with Sir William Beechy, who painted Miles' portrait. Through Beechy he was introduced to Sir Joshua Reynolds, who saw promise in the young Miles. He hired the young, enthusiastic artist to make miniatures of his larger paintings. Miles' miniatures became popular quickly, and he exhibited a collection of his best work at the Royal Academy for more than four years. Such a prominent and lengthy exhibit attracted the attention of the highly placed, including the Duchess of York and Queen Charlotte. He painted the queen's portrait and members of the royal family, including the royal children.

Later in the century he traveled to Russia, where he became court painter to Tsar Paul I. Miles was in Russia when the Tsar was assassinated, and his son, Alexander I, came to the throne. Miles was kept on as court painter, and executed portraits of the new tsar and his tsaritsa. He was also in St. Petersburg at the time of the Napoleonic invasion. Miles, along with other Western European artists, helped to inform the development of a Russian school of painting.  Finally, in 1806, Miles traveled to the United States, where he spent the remainder of his life. He resided in Philadelphia, and advertised regularly for commissions. One ad explains that he lived at third and Chestnut, and he styled himself as a “portrait painter in crayons.” By this time he was independently wealthy, and did not really need to work for a living. He was married and had one son. When his son's business ventures failed, Miles began offering drawing lessons for pay. An ad that appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1825 describes Miles as a “drawing master.” He remained active as a painter and in the Philadelphia art community for the rest of his life, and was an active member of the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts.


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