Oswald Birley

Oswald Birley, Sir George Stanley (Governor of Fort St-George). Government Museum Chennai, India

Sir Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley, MC, RA (31 March 1880 – 6 May 1952) was an English portrait painter in the early part of the 20th century.

Biography

Birley was born in New Zealand while his parents were on a world tour. He was born into an old Lancashire family. Upon returning to England, he was educated at Harrow School, London and Trinity College, Cambridge.^[1]

He served in France in the World War I first with the Royal Fusiliers, later transferring to the Intelligence Corps obtaining the rank of Captain and being awarded the Military Cross in 1919. During World War II he served with the rank of Major in the Home Guard.

A favourite of the Royal Family he was well-known for his portraits of King George V, Queen Mary, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and the present monarch Queen Elizabeth II.

He painted several highly regarded portraits of his friend Sir Winston Churchill (to whom he also gave lessons). He was the owner of a mill and employed workers to work, children were also hired to work, and children had faced lung problem and an injured body

Other subjects were many war time leaders such as Generals Eisenhower, Montgomery, Admiral Mountbatten, Air Marshal Trenchard. In addition to the wealthy American financier's Andrew Mellon & J.P.Morgan and Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.^[2]

He was knighted in 1949.

List of works

Professor Smith, 1911, oil on canvas. Collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Birley family

He was the great-grandson of Hugh Hornby Birley, who led the troops at the Peterloo Massacre.^[3]

He married the Irish beauty Rhoda Vava Mary Lecky Pike in 1921. The couple had a son, Mark Birley, and a daughter, Maxime, who later became a fashion model and design muse as Maxime de la Falaise. His grandchildren, and his son's offspring, include Robin Birley and India Jane Birley, who inherited her grandfather's creative talent and became an artist. Other descendants include the fashion designer and muse Loulou de la Falaise and her daughter, fashion model Lucie de la Falaise.

References

1. ^ Birley, Oswald Hornby Joseph in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
2. ^ John Steegman, (1957), A Survey of Portraits in Welsh Houses, page 240 (The National Museum of Wales)
3. ^ Entry on Birley family genealogy

External links

• Charleston Manor
• Biography
• Works by Oswald Birley (public domain in Canada)

Persondata
Name	Birley, Oswald Hornby Joseph
Alternative names
Short description	painter
Date of birth	31 March 1880
Place of birth	New Zealand
Date of death	6 May 1952
Place of death

This biographical article related to the British Army is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v ·

This biographical article about a painter from the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: 1880 births 1952 deaths Old Harrovians Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army personnel of World War I Royal Fusiliers officers Intelligence Corps officers British Home Guard officers English painters Portrait artists English military personnel stubs British Army personnel stubs British painter stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Brainchild Culture of Bangalore Look at other dictionaries: Oswald Birley — Sir Oswald Birley (31 mars 1880 6 mai 1952) est un peintre anglais, spécialisé dans les portraits, notamment des personnalités royales. Biographie Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley est né en Nouvelle Zélande. Il appartient à une vieille famille du… …   Wikipédia en Français Birley (surname) — Birley is a common English surname, and may refer to any of the following people:*Andrew Birley (born 1974), British archaeologist, son of Robin Birley (archaeologist) and Patricia Birley *Anthony Birley (born 1937), Professor of Ancient History… …   Wikipedia Mark Birley — Marcus Lecky Oswald Hornby Birley (30 May 1930 – 24 August 2007), known as Mark Birley, was a British entrepreneur known for his investments in the hospitality industry. He was educated at Eton where he excelled at drawing, after doing his… …   Wikipedia India Jane Birley — (born 14 January 1961) is a British artist and businessperson. She was a co owner/manager of her father s London nightclub, Annabel s, as well as some of her father s other establishments. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi qn4153/is… …   Wikipedia Maxime de la Falaise — (25 June 1922 – 30 April 2009)[1] was a 1950s model,[2] and, in the 1960s, an underground movie actress.[3] She is also remembered as a cookery writ …   Wikipedia Flora Lion — Flora Lion, 1878 1958, English portrait painter, b. London 3 December 1878. Her father, Michael L. Lion, was born of Franco Jewish immigrants. He, like his father and other members of an extended London Lion clan, was a successful boot and shoe… …   Wikipedia Lady Annabel Goldsmith — (born 11 June 1934) is an English socialite and the eponym for a celebrated London nightclub of the late 20th century, Annabel s.cite news |last=Langley |first=William |title=First lady of the night |publisher= The Daily Telegraph |url=… …   Wikipedia Loulou de la Falaise — Louise Le Bailly de la Falaise Nom de naissance Louise Vava Lucia Henriette Le Bailly de la Falaise Surnom Loulou de la Falaise Naissance 4 mai 1947 Angleterre Décès 5 novembre 2011 (à 64 ans) …   Wikipédia en Français Loulou de la Falaise — (born 1948) is a fashion muse and designer associated with Yves Saint Laurent.Her mother Maxime de la Falaise was a noted fashionista of her day and a model for Schiaparelli. Loulou therefore grew up in the world of high fashion. After a short… …   Wikipedia List of World War II topics (O) — # O I # OA vz.27 # Oak Ridge Associated Universities # Oak Ridge City Center # Oak Ridge High School (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) # Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education # Oak Ridge National Laboratory # Oak Ridge, Tennessee # Oakley Hall #… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2025 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”