This charming mid-19th-century watercolour by British artist Alfred Edward Chalon RA (1780-1860) depicts a wily gentleman wearing a black tailcoat, black waistcoat, white shirt and black stock.With his left arm resting upon a neoclassical plinth, he carries the air of an enlightened gent. In his right hand, some paper, perhaps a deed or document relevant to his profession. His details are lost to time, aside from an inscription on the reverse, which simply reads ‘A Chalon, Father’.Alfred Edward Chalon RA was a Swiss-born portraitist and a favourite of Queen Victoria’s. He trained at the Royal Academy in London where he exhibited an astonishing 396 works and became a member. In 1837, a year prior to completing this piece, he was selected by the Queen to produce her portrait. The result was such a success, that the head from that piece was reproduced on stamps.So given that his reputation was growing, the sitter here would certainly have been a man of considerable means. We a...