Completed East of England and The Midlands: Artists and Subjects, Portraits: British 19th C 8 Can you help us identify this Ipswich Mayor?

SFK_CCM_R_1990_58_5
Topic: Subject or sitter

We'd like to try and help you find out the identity of this Ipswich Mayor if it is not already known.

Completed, Outcome

This discussion is now closed. We reached the conclusion that the sitter in this portrait is David Henry Booth, Mayor of Ipswich 1879–1880, confirming the Collection’s own initial thoughts.

Thank you to Kieran Owens, who found a newspaper report from The Ipswich Journal in 1881 referencing the already known artist and the sitter. To anyone viewing this discussion for the first time, please see below for all the comments that led to this conclusion.

7 comments

The Collection commented: 'We have a few likely candidates for this now. It could be John Henry Josselyn (1888–1889) or David Henry Booth (1879–1880). The study of facial features of photographs of these two candidates indicates that it is most likely Booth.'

Kieran Owens,

The Ipswich Journal, of Tuesday 25th January 1881, in its review of an exhibition of the Ipswich Fine Art Club, carried the following description:

"On the opposite side is the portrait of Mr. D. H. Booth, attired in his official robes as Mayor of Ipswich, with the civic chain and pendant. Here again the artist - Mr. W. R. Symonds - has been remarkably successful in catching the expression of his subject, and there is a carefulness of execution about the rest of the picture which, with the coloured robes of office, is an exceedingly handsome one."

The painting is signed bottom right and if it is dated to 1880 (which is unclear from the available image), this is probably the one of Booth as described above, especially as Josseyln was not mayor until eight years later.

Jacob Simon,

This recent discussion, 'Can you help us identify this Ipswich Mayor?', has moved rapidly to the conclusion that the mayor depicted is David Henry Booth, on the basis that the portrait coincides with the date of Booth's mayoralty and is mentioned in a contemporary press report. This conclusion is accepted by the collection (25 January). Hence this recommendation to close the discussion, subject to Grant's agreement as Group Leader, East of England.