This charming pair of mid-19th-century English school portraits depict husband and wife, Joseph and Harriet Johnson of Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. They were probably commissioned to celebrate their marriage in 1837.Dressed in their fineries, it�s an important day for this upstanding pair. He wears a black suit with white waistcoat and black stock. While she wears an elegant burgundy gown with a white veil decorated with flora. A plaque displays her maiden name, Harriet Mayson.Born at Linwood Hall, a Jacobean manor house in Lincolnshire, Joseph Johnson (1813-1886) was evidently of �good stock�. Empowered with an independent spirit, he moved to the thriving industrial city of Manchester during the 1830s and established a calico printing business together with his brother. Manchester was at the heart of the textile industry and the pair negotiated a challenging period of ever-evolving technology.Calico printing was first established in Manchester during the 18th century and involved using blocks to impress a design onto cloth. By the 1840s, the process had significantly developed with patterns created via large engraved cylinders. As a result, production in Lancashire increased dramatically - from 50,000 pieces (of 30 yards) to 20,000,000 pieces.Joseph�s wife, Harriet (1812-1879), was raised in Rainow, Cheshire, and it�s plausible that the pair met during the fledgling years of his new enterprise. It would�ve been a fascinating time of endeavour, progress, and labour. In 1837, they wed in Bowden and soon took a home in Chorlton-on-Medlock (known as Chorlton upon Medlock), where they raised a family. Needless to say, Harriet�s role as a caregiver, mother and homemaker would have been particularly vital while her spouse established his business.In 1861, the census reveals that Joseph had taken up a role as Corn Merchant, later a �Corn Factor�. Essentially, this involved dealing via the Corn Exchange. In British English, the term �corn� refers to ...