Early Life and Professional Beginnings

Born into a lineage of artists, George Perfect Harding followed a path largely dictated by his father, Silvester Harding of Pall Mall, London. He adopted the profession of his predecessor, finding his footing in the delicate discipline of miniature-painting. This early focus on small-scale portraiture required a precision that would define much of his technical output as he transitioned into a career as a portrait painter and copyist.

His presence in the London art scene was marked by periodic appearances at the Royal Academy. Between 1802 and 1840, he exhibited his work at intervals, establishing himself within the established circles of English portraiture. While his early years were spent honing these intimate miniatures, his professional trajectory eventually moved toward the reproduction of historical likenesses.

Artistic Commissions and Publications

Harding’s professional life was largely defined by a devotion to the historical portrait. He found his calling in the meticulous creation of water-colour copies, producing highly finished works that captured the likenesses of the past. His skill as a copyist allowed him to move through the family seats of the nobility, royal palaces, and college halls, translating significant figures into a more intimate medium. This dedication to historical accuracy made him a frequent contributor to significant scholarly and commemorative volumes.

His output during the middle years of his career was marked by several notable publications. Between 1822 and 1823, he published a series of eighteen portraits of the Deans of Westminster. This was followed in 1825 by a work titled Ancient Oil Paintings and Sepulchral Brasses in the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster. His ability to translate complex imagery for print was further utilized in 1840, when he supplied plates for John Heneage Jesse's Memoirs of the Court of England during the Reign of the Stuarts. He also devoted considerable time to the preparation of a manuscript account of the Princes of Wales, which featured both portraits and heraldic devices.

• Eighteen portraits of the Deans of Westminster (1822–3)
• Ancient Oil Paintings and Sepulchral Brasses in the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster (1825)
• Memoirs of the Court of England during the Reign of the Stuarts (1840)

Later Years and Death

The later years of Harding's life were marked by a shift in his professional affiliations and personal circumstances. In 1839, he achieved a significant milestone when he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. This recognition of his expertise in historical portraiture and antiquities was a notable distinction, yet his involvement with the institution was relatively brief. By 1847, he had withdrawn from the Society.

As the decades progressed, the financial stability that had once supported his meticulous work began to falter. Facing mounting money troubles toward the end of his life, Harding was forced to make the difficult decision to sell his collections of drawings. This period of hardship stood in stark contrast to the precision and care he had applied to his miniature-painting and water-colour copies throughout his career.

Harding passed away on 23 December 1853 at Hercules Buildings, Lambeth, where he had resided for more than thirty years. He left behind a large family through his second wife. While his personal finances were strained in his final years, his contributions to the documentation of historical figures remained preserved in various collections, including the print room of the British Museum.