John Boaden: A Portraitist of Victorian London John Boaden, a name perhaps less familiar than those of his contemporaries at the Royal Academy, nevertheless represents a significant figure in 19th-century British portraiture. Born in Cornwall in 1792 – a year marked by political upheaval and burgeoning industrialization – Boaden’s life and career were inextricably linked to the vibrant, rapidly changing landscape of London. His artistic journey, shaped by his father's position as a theatre critic and his own early exposure to theatrical subjects, ultimately led him to become a respected pain…