The Life and Career of John Hayes Born in 1786, John Hayes established himself as a dedicated British portrait-painter during a period of significant social transition. His professional trajectory spanned the Regency and early Victorian eras, a time when the demand for formal likenesses remained a cornerstone of British artistic practice. He maintained a steady presence within the institutional art world, marking his debut at the Royal Academy in 1814. This first exhibition signaled the beginning of a long-standing relationship with the Academy, where he continued to exhibit his work until 1…