Louis William Desanges


Louis William Desanges was an English artist of French descent known for his paintings of Victoria Cross winners.

Life

Born in Bexley, Kent, he was the great grandson of a French nobleman who had settled in England 80 years before and, as a consequence, the artist used the title 'Chevalier'. He travelled in France and Italy before settling in London in 1845; he later travelled to India. At first his pictures were of an historical nature, but he turned more to portrait painting as it was more lucrative.
While painting a portrait of Lieut. Col. Robert Lindsay who had won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Alma at his home in Wantage, the two men came up with idea of creating a series of paintings containing portraits of the various soldiers winning their V.C. medals. Many of these were exhibited at the Egyptian Gallery in Piccadilly, and 47 of the paintings were exhibited at the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in 1862. In 1900, the majority of them were acquired by Lord Wantage and hung in the Victoria Cross Gallery. In all, fifty oil paintings were painted by the artist between 1859 and 1862. The gallery was broken up in the 20th century and the paintings dispersed to various collections, particularly to the regiments represented. Desanges also painted several other military scenes, including a depiction of General Sir Garnet Wolseley during the Ashanti War entitled Fighting in the Ashantee Forest. This had been commissioned by the proprietors of the Illustrated London News and exhibited at Willis's Rooms in London in 1874, and was reproduced as a special supplement wood-engraving in the Illustrated London News on 1 August 1874. The artist composed his picture using sketches provided by Melton Prior, and various officers sat for him. Another military painting by Desanges depicted the March of General Roberts from Cabul to Candahar which was exhibited at the Jennings Gallery, Cheapside, in the spring of 1883. The picture was literally crammed with portraits of many of the participants.
Desanges also exhibited works at the Royal Academy between 1846 and 1887, many of which were portraits, but in 1862, he showed a large battle scene of Battle of Inkermann.
Sources give conflicting and erroneous dates for his death. In fact, the abstract of his will shows that he died on 2 October 1905 at Vine House, West Drayton, Middlesex. He left an estate valued at £2,399.

Victoria Cross paintings

Crimean War

Captain Robert James Lindsay, Scots Fusiliers Guards, winning the VC at the Alma, 20 September 1854 Lieut.-Col. E. W. D. Bell, 23rd Regiment, at the Battle of the Alma, 20 September 1854 Sergeant Luke O'Connor, 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, although shot in the breast, bravely carries forward one of the Colours at the Alma, 20 September 1854 Private Samuel Parkes, 4th Light Dragoons, winning the V.C. at Balaclava, 25 October 1854 Commander W. N. Hewett, R.N., repelling a sortie of Russians from Sebastopol, 26 October 1854 Major G. L. Goodlake, Coldstream Guards, defending the Windmill Ravine before Sebastopol, 26 October 1854 Surgeon James Mouat assisted by Sergeant-Major Wooden, 26 October 1854 Queen's Royal LancersPrivate Anthony Palmer, Grenadier Guards, charging singly upon the enemy at Inkermann, 5 November 1854 Sergeant-Major Andrew Henry, Royal Artillery, winning the V.C. at Inkermann, 5 November 1854 Private John M'Dermond, 47th Regiment, winning the V.C. at Inkermann, 5 November 1854 Lieut.-Col. Sir Charles Russell, at the Battle of Inkermann, 5 November 1854 Colour-Sergeant Henry MacDonald, Royal Engineers, winning the V.C. at Sebastopol, 19 April 1855 Lieuts Hugh Talbot Burgoyne, R.N., and Cecil William Buckley, R.N., winning the V.C. at Genitchi, 29 May 1855 Lieut. William Hope, 7th Fusiliers, winning the V.C. at Sebastopol, 18 June 1855 Lieut. Howard Craufurd Elphinstone, Royal Engineers, winning the V.C. at Sebastopol, 18 June 1855 Private John Sims, 34th Regiment, winning the V.C. at Sebastopol, 18 June 1854 Sergeant Alfred Ablett, 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards winning the V.C., 2 September 1855 Corporal Robert Shields, 23rd Regiment, seeking his wounded Adjutant, Lieut. Dyneley at Sebastopol, 8 September 1855 Commander George Fiott Day, R.N. winning the V.C. at Genitchi, 17 and 21 September 1855

Indian Mutiny

Lieut. William George Cubitt, 13th Bengal Native Infantry, winning the V.C. at Chinhut, Lucknow, 30 June 1857 Lieut. William Alexander Kerr, 24th Bombay Native Infantry, winning the V.C. near Kolapore, July 1857 Ross Lowis Mangles, Bengal Civil Service carried, though wounded and still under a murdering fire, a wounded soldier of the 37th Regiment near Arrah, 30 July 1857 Mr. William Fraser McDonell, Bengal Civil Service, winning the V.C. near Arrah, 30 July 1857 Major Gough, 5th Bengal European Cavalry, saves the life of his brother Captain H. Gough at Khurkowdah near Rhotuck, August 1857 Lieuts. Duncan Charles Home, and Philip Salkeld, Bengal Engineers, with Bugler Hawthorne, 52nd Regiment, winning the V.C. at the Cashmere Gate, Delhi, 14 September 1857 Surgeon J. Jee, Assistant-Surgeon Valentine M. McMaster, and Lieut. and Adjutant Herbert Taylor Macpherson, 78th Highlanders, winning the V.C. at Lucknow, 25 September 1857 Private Henry Ward, 78th Highlanders, winning the V.C. at Lucknow, 25–26 September 1857 Surgeon Anthony Dickson Home and Assistant Surgeon W. Bradshaw, 90th Perthshire L.I., winning the V.C. at Lucknow, 25–26 September 1857 Major Probyn, C.B., 2nd Punjab Cavalry, at the Battle of Agra, 10 October 1857 Thomas Henry Kavanagh, Assistant-Commissioner in Oude, winning the V.C., 9 November 1857 Lieut. John Watson, 1st Punjab Cavalry, winning the V.C. at Lucknow, 14 November 1857 Lieut. Harry North Dalyrymple Prendergast, Madras Engineers, winning the V.C. at Mundisore, 21 November 1857 Lieut. Frederick Sleigh Roberts, Bengal Artillery, winning the V.C. at Khodagunge, 2 January 1858 Lieut. Frederick Robertson Aikman, 4th Bengal Native Infantry, winning the V.C. en route to Lucknow, 1 March 1858 Lieut. Thomas Adair Butler, 1st Bengal Fusiliers, winning the V.C. at Lucknow, 9 March 1858 Lieut. Francis Farquharson, 42nd Highlanders, winning the V.C. at Lucknow, 9 March 1858 Lieut. James Leith, 14th King's Light Dragoons, saving Captain Need's life at the Battle of the Betwah, 1 April 1858 Lieut. Henry Evelyn Wood, 1858

Persian War

China War

Gambia

Afghanistan

  • ''March of Major-General Sir F. Roberts from Cabul to Candahar, crossing the Zamburak Kotal, 1880''