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L W Desanges No Photo Available Desanges was born to a naturalised French family in Kent, and after some early travels on the continent, settled in England in 1845 and spent the rest of his life there. His early work consisted of portraits and historical pictures but in 1862 he exhibited a picture entitled The Battle of Inkermann (destroyed) at the Royal Academy. This picture was the culmination of three years work in which Desanges painted fifty oil paintings depicting various British soldiers and civil servants winning the Victoria Cross. The hope of the artist was that the collection be purchased by the nation but this came to nothing. This Victoria Cross Gallery was exhibited first in the Egyptian Hall, Picadilly, and later at the Crystal Palace before being purchased by a Yorkshireman in 1864, although they remained on display in Sydenham. By the turn of the century, the collection was owned by Robert Lloyd-Lindsay, Lord Wantage, himself the subject of one of the canvases, showing him saving the regimental colours at the Alma (King Alfred's School, Wantage). He presented the series to the town of Wantage where they were displayed until the collection was dispersed to various regimental museums. Other pictures included Private John Sims, 34th Regiment winning the Victoria Cross on the redan (National Army Museum), Private Henry Ward, 78th Highlanders winning the VC at Lucknow (Queen's Own Highlanders), and Sergeant Luke O'Conner winning the VC at the Alma (Royal Welch Fusiliers). Most of the pictures depicted events in the Crimea and Indian Mutiny although the China and Persia Wars were included. Desanges continued to produce civil and military portraits after 1862 and his final military picture was The March of General Roberts from Cabul to Candahar (Royal Artillery) which contains many figures in a mountainous landscape all looking towards Lord Roberts who is surrounded by his staff giving directions. |
L W Desanges Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings |
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