Portrait of David Brewster
Date
1847
Sitter
David Brewster (1781 - 1868, British) , Natural philosopher
Creator
William Holl (1807 - 1871, British) , Engraver
After
William Raeburn (1756 - 1823, British) , Painter
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 220mm
width (print): 135mm
width (print): 135mm
Subject
Description
Half-length portrait of Sir David Brewster, dressed in Regency style, wearing a coat, waistcoat and stock. Turned slightly to the right as viewed.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The print appears at p.333 in volume 3 of the adapted set of Weld’s History. Weld’s text quotes Sir David Brewster on the appointment of Isaac Newton to the Royal Mint, under the patronage of Charles Montagu, the Earl of Halifax, and Montagu’s subsequent election as President of the Royal Society.
Inscription below: ‘Painted by Sir H. Raeburn, R.A. Engraved by W. Holl. SIR DAVID BREWSTER, L.L.D. – F.R.S. – F.R.A. Ed. ETC. FISHER, SON & Co. LONDON 1847.’, with a facsimile signature.
Sir David Brewster (1781-1868) British natural philosopher and academic administrator, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The print appears at p.333 in volume 3 of the adapted set of Weld’s History. Weld’s text quotes Sir David Brewster on the appointment of Isaac Newton to the Royal Mint, under the patronage of Charles Montagu, the Earl of Halifax, and Montagu’s subsequent election as President of the Royal Society.
Inscription below: ‘Painted by Sir H. Raeburn, R.A. Engraved by W. Holl. SIR DAVID BREWSTER, L.L.D. – F.R.S. – F.R.A. Ed. ETC. FISHER, SON & Co. LONDON 1847.’, with a facsimile signature.
Sir David Brewster (1781-1868) British natural philosopher and academic administrator, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815.
Object history
Print from Charles Richard Weld's A history of the Royal Society, vol. 3... (London, John W. Parker, 1848) grangerized by the writer and collector Alexander Meyrick Broadley (1847–1916) into 8 volumes, adding illustrative material and manuscript items to Weld's text. The books were initially owned by Ludwig Mond FRS (1839–1909), and according to an inscription by his son Robert Ludwig Mond FRS (1867–1938) they were intended for presentation to the Society. This eventually happened in late 1959, the donor being the politician Harry Nathan (1889–1963), Lord Nathan of Churt.
Related fellows
Charles Richard Weld (1813 - 1869, British) , Author
Associated place