Portrait of Thomas Brassey C.1830; English School.

Oil on canvas in the original frame.

Recently cleaned, lined and restretchered this painting is in superb condition.

THOMAS BRASSEY (1805-70) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one in every twenty miles of railway in the world. This included three-quarters of the lines in France, major lines in many other European countries and in Canada, Australia, South America and India.

As well as railway engineering, Brassey was active in the development of steamships, mines, locomotive factories, marine telegraphy, and water supply and sewage systems. He built part of the London sewerage system, still in operation today, and was a major shareholder in Brunel's The Great Eastern, the only ship large enough at the time to lay the first transatlantic telegraph cable across the North Atlantic, in 1864.

He was the civil engineering contractor responsible for over one third of the railways in Britain and, by the time of his death, had overseen the construction of 5% of all the railways in the world, including massive projects in France, Canada, Australia and India. In addition, he built tunnels, bridges, viaducts and stations and employed over 80,000 people on four continents at the height of his career.

During his career Brassey worked with many engineers, the most illustrious being Robert Stephenson, Joseph Locke and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Brassey was given a number of honours to celebrate his achievements, including the French Légion d'honneur, the Italian Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and the Austrian Iron Crown (the first time this had been awarded to a foreigner).

In 1831 he married Maria Harrison, the second daughter of Joseph Harrison, a forwarding and shipping agent with whom he had come into contact during his early days in Birkenhead. The union produced four sons: -

Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey (b. 1836) became a Liberal MP, Governor of Victoria and was created Earl Brassey in 1911.

Henry Brassey (b. 1840) was Liberal MP for Hastings. His son was Henry Brassey, 1st Baron Brassey of Apethorpe, a Conservative politician, who was elevated to the House of Lords in 1938.

Albert Brassey (b. 1844) was Conservative MP for Banbury.

a fourth son died in infancy.

Thomas Brassey died in 1870 and is buried in Catsfield, Sussex. He estate was valued at £5.2million. (Over £2 billion in modern money)

SIZE: 36 x 30.75 inches including frame.

PROVENANCE: By descent in the family of the sitter.