Henry Courtney Selous

Henry Courtney Selous ( before his name change to 1838: Slous ) ( born April 25, 1803 in Deptford, † September 24, 1890 in Beaworthy, Devon ) was an English painter and engraver.

He was the son of the famous in his time miniaturist George Slous and pupil of John Martin. In 1818 he entered the Royal Academy Schools and initially painted a few years mainly animal images, before he turned to portraiture. This he still signed as Slous, which are then marked with Selous in 1839 resulting historicist paintings and illustrations of contemporary books and magazines. In 1843 he won a competition of history painter and remained for the rest of his life in this subject. He was commercially quite successful and received numerous commissions, including for the opening of the First World Exhibition in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park 1851 ( The Opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria on 1st May 1851, now held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London ) and for various historicist painting by military units in combat.