Artist Database

Godfrey Douglas Giles was born in Karachi, British India (now Pakistan) in 1957. Following his father into military service, he attended Sandhurst and was posted to India in 1875. He also fought in several battles in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Sudan before retiring from the army in 1884. The following year, he went to Paris where he studied under the French artist Carolus-Duran. Giles depicted battle scenes from his campaigns, exhibiting his works at the Paris Salon and the Royal Academy. He then moved to Newmarket, England, where he turned his attention to painting horses and horse racing scenes. In 1899, Giles was sent to South Africa as the war correspondent and artist covering the Boer War for the British publication The Graphic. He was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal in 1903 for this work. Gile’s artwork is held by many British institutions such as the York and Lancaster Regimental Museum, the National Army Museum, the Parliamentary Art Collection, and the Royal Collection Trust.