Fig. 1: Thomas Phillips, Portrait of Sir John Franklin, 1828. Oil on canvas,768 mm x 514 mm. National Portrait Gallery, London. Bequeathed by Lady Franklin’s niece, Miss Sophia Cracroft, 1892. NPG 903.
Sir John Franklin is best known in Australia for his role in this country’s colonial history, in particular his attempts to foster education and culture in Van Diemen’s Land while Lieutenant-Governor of that distant imperial outpost between 1837 and 1843.[1] Continue reading
Joseph Wright of Derby, Self-portrait (1765-68). Oil on canvas on canvas, 69.8 x 58 cm (image) 70.2 x 58.7 cm (canvas). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Gift of Alina Cade in memory of her husband Joseph Wright Cade, 2009.
In late 2009 curator Laurie Benson answered a telephone call informing him of two portraits in a Melbourne home that might be of interest to the National Gallery of Victoria. After undertaking preliminary research, Benson set off for the caller’s home with great curiosity. On arrival he found, hanging above the fireplace in its original frame, a long-lost self-portrait by one of Britain’s greatest artists, Joseph Wright of Derby. Continue reading
Melbourne Portrait Group 