Beechey was the fourth child of two painters, Sir
William Beechey and his second wife,
Anne Jessop. He was a godson of
George III. He was the brother of Captain
Frederick William Beechey, admiral and painter
Richard Brydges Beechey, and the portraitist
Henry William Beechey. His father's position as royal portraitist allowed Beechey to secure portrait commissions from royal circles. His subjects included
Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of
Sussex and
Bowyer Edward Sparke (1759-1836), Bishop of Chester. Beechey exhibited his paintings at the
Royal Academy between 1817 and 1834. Beechey journeyed to Egypt from 1821 to 1822. In the 1830s, he travelled to India, where he was appointed
court painter to the
Nawab of
Awadh in
Lucknow. Beechey held that position until
Muhammad Ali Shah died in 1842. Beechey retired in India and continued to paint. Beechey's paintings are fairly rare; some paintings may have been destroyed during the
Indian Rebellion of 1857. ==References==