Lena Rivera
Douglas Chandor was a British-born American portrait painter who painted around 200 portraits during his career. He painted many notable figures, including Winston Churchill, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and Queen Elizabeth II. In 1952, he painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which was the first painted portrait for which she sat following her accession. He travelled to London specifically to paint her and, unfortunately, developed pneumonia while painting the Queen. He died on 13 January 1953, two weeks after completing his second portrait of the Queen.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of times Douglas Chandor painted Queen Elizabeth II | Twice |
| Year of the first painting | 1952 |
| Location of the first painting | British Government Art Collection |
| Details of the first painting | Queen wears the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter |
| Number of sittings for the first painting | Eight |
| Location of sittings for the first painting | Buckingham Palace's drawing room |
| Year of the second painting | 1953 |
| Location of the second painting | British Embassy in Washington, D.C. |
| Date of death of Douglas Chandor | 13 January 1953 |
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What You'll Learn
- The 1952 portrait of Elizabeth II was the first painted after her accession
- The painting is part of the British Government Art Collection
- Chandor travelled to London specifically to paint the Queen
- The Queen sat for eight hour-long sittings in Buckingham Palace
- Chandor developed pneumonia while painting the Queen
The 1952 portrait of Elizabeth II was the first painted after her accession
Douglas Chandor painted Queen Elizabeth II at least twice. His first portrait of the Queen was in 1952, and it was the first painted portrait of her following her accession. The 1952 portrait is part of the British Government Art Collection.
Chandor travelled to London specifically to paint the Queen. He described her as an ideal model, "standing for me as long as I wished with soldierly self-discipline and sitting as well as a sphinx when I worked on the face". The Queen sat for eight one-hour sittings in Buckingham Palace's drawing room, amusing herself and Chandor's wife with jokes and poems. The Queen was able to follow Chandor's work through a mirror placed behind him.
Chandor's 1952 portrait of the Queen was displayed in New York City from May to June 1953. Eleanor Roosevelt saw the painting at the Wildenstein Galleries and described it as "one of his real masterpieces". The painting then hung in the British embassy in Washington, D.C.
Chandor completed his second portrait of the Queen in 1953, shortly before his death on 13 January that year. He developed pneumonia in October 1952 while painting the Queen but recovered and returned to his home in Weatherford, Texas, where he died of a cerebral haemorrhage.
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The painting is part of the British Government Art Collection
The British Government Art Collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other works of art owned by the UK government. The collection is managed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) and is displayed in government buildings across the world. The collection includes works by artists such as Lucian Freud, Andy Warhol, and Douglas Chandor.
Douglas Chandor's 1952 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is part of the British Government Art Collection. It was the first painted portrait of the Queen following her accession and was commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt had previously commissioned Chandor to paint her and her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as Winston Churchill. Roosevelt saw Chandor's portrait of the Queen at the Wildenstein Galleries in New York City and thought it "one of his real masterpieces". The painting was then hung in the British embassy in Washington, D.C.
The portrait depicts the Queen wearing the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter. It was created during eight hour-long sittings in Buckingham Palace's drawing room, during which Chandor was accompanied by his wife, who kept the Queen amused with jokes and poems. The Queen was able to follow Chandor's progress through a mirror placed behind him. Chandor told Life magazine that "the queen is an infinitely more beautiful woman than any photograph has ever shown, and when she smiles there is a radiance such as I have seldom seen in any face."
Chandor travelled to London specifically to paint the Queen and was reported to have said that "she could not have made a better subject". According to Chandor, the Queen was an ideal model, standing and sitting for as long as he wished with "soldierly self-discipline". Sadly, Chandor developed pneumonia in October 1952 while painting the Queen and passed away on 13 January 1953.
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Chandor travelled to London specifically to paint the Queen
Douglas Chandor was a renowned portrait artist who painted around 300 portraits during his career. He was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II in 1952, and he travelled to London specifically for this purpose. This was the first painted portrait of the Queen following her accession, and it was commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt. The painting took eight hour-long sittings in Buckingham Palace's drawing room, during which Chandor was accompanied by his wife, and they kept the Queen amused with jokes and poems. The Queen was able to follow Chandor's progress through a mirror placed behind him.
Chandor's 1952 portrait of the Queen is part of the British Government Art Collection. It was displayed in the British Royal Academy and was considered so good that he was then asked to paint almost every person of historical importance for the next thirty years. His other portraits include Sara Delano Roosevelt, U.S. President Herbert Hoover, and U.S. financier and statesman Bernard Baruch.
Chandor developed pneumonia in October 1952 while painting the Queen, but he recovered and completed the portrait. Unfortunately, he died soon after, on 13 January 1953, in Weatherford, Texas, from a cerebral haemorrhage.
In addition to his portraits of the Queen, Chandor also painted other notable figures of his day, including Winston Churchill, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII). He designed Chandor Gardens in Weatherford, Texas, which are now a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
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The Queen sat for eight hour-long sittings in Buckingham Palace
The renowned portrait artist Douglas Chandor painted Queen Elizabeth II twice. The first portrait was painted in 1952, and it was the first painted portrait of the Queen following her accession. The second portrait was completed in 1953, just two weeks before Chandor's death.
Chandor's 1952 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is part of the British Government Art Collection. The Queen sat for eight hour-long sittings in Buckingham Palace's drawing room. Chandor was accompanied by his wife, and together, they kept the Queen amused with jokes and poems. The Queen was able to follow the progress of the painting through a mirror placed behind the artist.
Chandor's talent as a portraitist was recognised early on in his career. By 1919, just a few years after he began his artistic training, he held his first one-man exhibition. His first major commission came that same year, when he was asked to paint Sir Edward Marshall-Hall, K.C. This painting was displayed at the British Royal Academy Exhibition, attracting further offers for the young artist, including a commission to paint the Prince of Wales, which he completed in 1921.
Chandor's talent was soon in high demand, and over the course of his career, he produced around 200 recorded paintings, including portraits of numerous notable figures of his day. His subjects included Winston Churchill, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Queen Elizabeth II, among others.
The 1952 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was met with acclaim. Eleanor Roosevelt, who saw the painting at the Wildenstein Galleries, described it as "one of his real masterpieces". Chandor himself was full of praise for his royal subject, stating that "she could not have made a better subject" and that "the queen is an infinitely more beautiful woman than any photograph has ever shown, and when she smiles there is a radiance such as I have seldom seen in any face."
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Chandor developed pneumonia while painting the Queen
Douglas Chandor was a British-born American portrait painter known for creating more than 200 portraits in his career. One of his notable works is the 1952 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which is part of the British Government Art Collection. This portrait was the first painted portrait of the Queen following her accession and was commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Chandor travelled to London specifically to paint the Queen. The painting was created over eight hour-long sittings in Buckingham Palace's drawing room, where Chandor was accompanied by his wife. The Queen followed the progress of the painting through a mirror placed behind Chandor.
Unfortunately, Chandor developed pneumonia in October 1952 while painting the Queen. He was treated by the Queen's physician, Sir Daniel Davies. Despite receiving treatment, Chandor passed away on January 13, 1953, in Weatherford, Texas.
Chandor's 1952 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II holds historical significance as it captures the Queen's beauty and radiance, as noted by Chandor himself. The painting depicts the Queen wearing the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter. It showcases not only the artist's skill but also the Queen's discipline and poise during the lengthy sittings.
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Frequently asked questions
It is believed that Douglas Chandor painted Queen Elizabeth II twice. The first portrait was completed in 1952 and is part of the British Government Art Collection. The second was completed in January 1953, two weeks before the artist's death.
Chandor's first portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was the first painted portrait for which she sat following her accession. It took eight hour-long sittings in Buckingham Palace's drawing room, during which Chandor was accompanied by his wife, and the two of them kept the Queen amused with jokes and poems.
The second portrait was displayed in New York City in May through June 1953. It was also seen by Eleanor Roosevelt at the Wildenstein Galleries before it hung in the British embassy in Washington, D.C.
Chandor was reportedly impressed by the Queen, stating that "she could not have made a better subject". He also described her as an ideal model, "standing for me as long as I wished with soldierly self-discipline and sitting as well as a sphinx when I worked on the face".
