Oil on Canvas by Mason Chamberlain R.A. London (1727-1787) - his works can be found in the National Portrait Gallery, London, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Yale. He was a founder member of the Royal Academy in London and was best known for his portrait of Benjamin Franklin
The subject is the author, Samuel Richardson and his son.
Richardson was the son of a carpenter and when 17 became an apprentice to a printer - by 1739 he was the proprietor of a printing press. He came an author almost by accident - based on a stock of letters by a servant girl - it took him just 2 months to write 'Pamela' - a book many consider to the first modern English novel. His finest work is considered to be 'Clarissa' published in 1747.
He married Martha Wilde (his first employer's daughter) and they had 6 children but sadly all later died. He married once again and had 6 more children with Elizabeth Leake - of which 4 survived and one of his sons, Samuel is depicted here.
Provenance:
Christies July 11 1984
With Thomas Agnew and Sons, London
Philip Reiff, the sociologist 1984
With Mallet, London (see label verso)