William Leighton Leitch

William Leighton Leitch ( born November 22, 1804 in Glasgow, † April 25, 1883 in St. John 's Wood, London) was a Scottish watercolor painter and illustrator and stage.

The Early Years

Leitch developed very early a great passion for painting. After less successful apprenticeships in a law office and a weaving mill, he began an apprenticeship with a " house painter " and a decorator. In 1824 he took up a position as a scene painter at the Theatre Royal. In the same year he married Susannah Smellie, with whom he had five sons and two daughters.

After Leitch had stopped at the theater and kept up with the painting of snuff boxes above water, he went to London. There he made the acquaintance of David Roberts and Clarkson Stanfield, and began at the Queen's Theatre, in turn, as a scene painter. He took this time hours at the watercolourist Copley Fielding and also made ​​illustrations for a price of a stock broker projected book. The promotion of this man allowed Leitch to visit the continent. After he had in 1832 issued two drawings in the Society of British Artists, he traveled in 1833 through Holland, Germany and Switzerland to Italy, where he remained four years. He attended in that time, all major Italian cities as well as Sicily and produced a large number of sketches; while he improved his finances from time to time by drawing lessons.

Rise as an artist and teacher

After his return in July 1837, he devoted himself almost exclusively as a teacher and artist of watercolor painting. With his teaching he had great success in aristocratic circles; Finally, he was presented to the Queen, and was then for 22 years worked as a drawing master of the royal family.

Between 1841 and 1861 Leitch sent occasionally oil paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1862 he was, however, a member of the Royal Institute of painters in watercolors and presented from then on regularly in this institute. In 1883 he became vice-president of this society, organized an exhibition of his works after his death in their rooms at Piccadilly.

Work

Among the works with engraved after his templates illustrations include: " Constantinople and the Turkish empire" by Robert Walsh ( 1838), " The Rhine, Italy and Greece " by GN Wright ( 1840), " Shores and islands of the Mediterranean " by the same authors ( 1841), "Italy " by William Brockedon (1843 ), "Memorial of the royal progress in Scotland " by Sir TD Lauder (1843 ) and "Scotland delineated " by JP Lawson ( 1847-54 ). The in his possession a few sketches and finished drawings and oil paintings were auctioned in March 1884 at Christie's and scored more than 9,000 pounds.