Porter, Sir Robert Ker, 1777-1842

Robert Ker Porter was born in 1777 to William Porter and Jane Blenkinsop in Durham, England. His father, an army surgeon with the 6th (Inniskilling) dragoons, died in 1779. His mother moved him and his four siblings to Edinburgh. Despite his poor circumstances, his talent caught the attention of patrons who procured him a place as a student at Somerset House. In 1792, he received a Silver Palette award for his drawing “The Witch of Endor.” He was considered one of the earliest panorama artists in the genre, one of his most famous being: “The Storming of Seringapatam.” He was appointed as “Historical Painter” to Tsar Alexander I of Russia. He met his wife, Princess Mary von Sherbatoff, in St. Petersburg, whom he married on February 7, 1812, and together they had at least one daughter. He died on May 4, 1842, in St. Petersburg, while visiting his daughter, Maria. He is buried in St. Petersburg, however there is a memorial to him in Bristol Cathedral.