Wigs on the Green has dated this Regency Silhouette Portrait Miniature to the 19th Century.
Mary married Jesse Russell whose wealth came from manufacturing soap. Following Mary’s inheritance of her father’s estate in 1817, Jesse added Mary’s surname to his own thereby becoming Watts-Russell.
In fine condition, the silhouette is dated by the artist ‘Brighton Septr 1818’ and later inscribed with the sitter’s details. It is housed in its original papier-mâché frame with convex glass and a floral hanger.
George Atkinson was born in Lincoln around 1785. He married a girl from Durham and fathered six children. As a young man he began his artistic career working out on the road in partnership with other artists before settling in Brighton where he worked solo for about ten years. By the time of the 1841 Census, he and his family were living at 1 London Street, Hackney. By then his children were aged between 8 and 24 with two of the boys having followed in their father’s footsteps by becoming artists.
Framed Size: 130 x 110mm
Wigs on the Green has dated this Regency Silhouette Portrait Miniature to the 19th Century.
Small portraiture of character & historical interest
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George Atkinson Silhouette of Mary Watts-russell
