Henrietta Martha, Lady Hamilton (1780–1857) was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, England, and was the wife of Sir Charles Hamilton,

Governor of Newfoundland The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the monarch, who Monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Cana ...

. She is best known for her miniature portrait entitled Mary March. The painting is a watercolour on ivory of a

Beothuk The Beothuk ( or ; also spelled Beothuck) were a group of Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous people of Canada who lived on the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland. The Beothuk culture formed around 1500 CE. This may have been ...

Indigenous woman

Demasduit Demasduit ( 1796 – January 8, 1820) was a Beothuk woman, one of the last of her people on Newfoundland. Biography Demasduit was born around 1796, near the end of the 18th century. It was once believed that the Beothuk population had been dec ...

, and is considered by many to be the only representation of a Beothuk taken from life. It was painted in 1819 at St. John's where she lived with her husband during his term as governor from 1818 to 1824. In the fall of 1818, a small group of Beothuks had taken a boat and some fishing equipment at the mouth of the Exploits River. Lady Hamilton's husband, Governor Hamilton, had authorized an attempt to recover the stolen property. On March 1, 1819, John Peyton Jr. and eight armed men went up the Exploits River to Red Indian Lake in search of the Beothuks and their equipment. A dozen Beothuk fled the campsite, Demasduit among them. Bogged down in the snow, she exposed her breasts, as she was a nursing mother, and begged for mercy. Demasduit was captured; Nonosabasut, her husband and the leader of the group, was killed while attempting to prevent her capture. Her infant son died a few days after she was taken. Demasduit was called Mary March because she was captured on a bitter March day.Charlotte Gray 'The Museum Called Canada: 25 Rooms of Wonder' Random House, 2004 Peyton and his men were absolved of the murder of her husband by a grand jury in St. John's. The painting resides in the

Portrait Gallery of Canada The Portrait Gallery of Canada () is a federally-registered not-for-profit corporation that currently has no collection or physical presence. On July 30, 2020, the Portrait Gallery of Canada launched its online presence at portraitcanada.ca. Pri ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. Lady Hamilton painted mostly in watercolors. Her other well-known work is "Woodlands Cottage". Hamilton and her husband returned to England after his posting. She was widowed in 1849 and died in London in 1857.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Henrietta 1780 births 1857 deaths 19th-century English painters Artists from Newfoundland and Labrador English portrait miniaturists Wives of baronets 19th-century English women painters