Louis William Desanges

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'.

Col. Robert James 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.

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.

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.

In fact, the abstract of his will shows that he died on 2 October 1905 at Vine House, West Drayton, Middlesex.