George Dawe (1781
–1829) was an English portraitist associated with the Romantic movement. He relocated to Saint Petersburg in 1819, where he undertook the significant commission of painting 329 portraits of Russian generals. These works, depicting figures active during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, were destined for the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace.
Dawe's artistic practice was rooted in portraiture, a genre he pursued extensively. His father, Philip Dawe, was a mezzotint engraver who also produced political cartoons, including those related to the Boston Tea Party. George Dawe's brother, Henry Edward Dawe, also worked as a portraitist.
In Saint Petersburg, Dawe's work garnered acclaim from the artistic establishment and was noted in complimentary verses by Aleksandr Pushkin. He was an Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts and an honorary free associate of the Imperial Academy of Arts.
