Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Roden, William Thomas

by Lionel Henry Cust

RODEN, WILLIAM THOMAS (1817–1892), portrait-painter, was born in Bradford Street, Birmingham, in 1817, and apprenticed to Mr. Dew, an engraver, who married an elder sister. He continued to practise engraving for about ten years, and then took to portrait-painting. As he succeeded in producing very good likenesses, Roden obtained plenty of employment in his native town. In the council house, among other portraits by Roden, there is a portrait of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone; in the Art Gallery portraits of Cardinal John Henry Newman [q. v.], Samuel Lines [q. v.], the painter and engraver, Peter Hollins [see under Hollins, William], the sculptor, and John Henry Chamberlain, the architect; and at Aston Hall portraits of Dr. Lloyd and Sir John Ratcliff. Other portraits are in the General Hospital, and for Saltley College he painted a portrait of George William, fourth lord Lyttelton [q. v.] He also painted three portraits of Lord Palmerston. Roden's work was almost entirely confined to his native town and its neighbourhood, where it was much esteemed. He died on Christmas day 1892, at his sister's house in Handsworth, after a long illness. He rarely exhibited works at the London exhibitions.

[Birmingham Post, 12 Dec. 1892; Graves's Dict. of Artists, 1760-1893; information from Whitworth Wallis, esq., F.S.A.]

L. C.

Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.237
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line

Page	Col.	Line
79	ii	22 f.e.	Roden, William T.: for Mr. Dew, an engraver. read Mr. Tye, an engraver, who married an elder sister. Subsequently on Tye's recommendation he removed to London to become an apprentice to George Thomas Doo, R.A.
		20 f.e.	⁠for then took to portrait-painting. read and produced, among much other work, a good engraving of Rubens's portrait of himself. He then abandoned engraving altogether for portrait-painting, and returning to Birmingham rarely left it thenceforth.
		4 f.e.	⁠for three portraits of Lord Palmerston read two portraits of Lord Palmerston from life
80	i	1	⁠for his sister's house read the house of his sister, Mrs. Tye
		2	⁠after illness. insert He married twice and left children by both wives.