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    Credit: © David Poole
    Image number: RS.9729

    Portrait of (Arnold) Ashley Miles

    Date
    1971
    Sitter
    Arnold Ashley Miles (1904 - 1988, British) , Bacteriologist
    Creator
    David Poole (1931, British) , Artist
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (painting): 940mm
    width (painting): 700mm
    Subject
    Content object
    Description
    A half-length portrait of Sir Ashley Miles seated at a laboratory bench with hands in pockets. An open manuscript is on the bench in front of him and there is a steel fountain pen angled in his waistcoat packet, as if quickly pushed there. Behind, left and right, angled rows of test-tubes and laboratory glassware, with a Bunsen burner to the left as viewed. Miles is shown smiling with dark arched eyebrows contrasting with his grey hair, worn parted on his right-hand side. He wears a white shirt and red tie with a green waistcoat over this.

    Sir Arnold Ashley Miles (1904-1988), British microbiologist, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1961. He served as its Secretary and Vice President from 1963-1968.
    Transcription
    David Poole 1971
    SIR ASHLEY MILES, F.R.S. (1904-1988) SECRETARY 1963-68 by DAVID POOLE
    Object history
    Donated by the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, 1980.

    The Royal Society’s Officer’s Minutes from July 1980 state that: “Agreed, subject to view, to accept with thanks an offer, conveyed by Sir Ashley Miles, whereby the Society would receive from the Lister Institute portraits of four Fellows: Sir Alan Drury, Sir John Ledingham (1875-1944), Sir Charles Martin (1866-1955) and Sir Ashley Miles.” [Royal Society Officer’s Minutes, OMM/17, meeting of 17 July 1980 [OM/91(80)], p. 260].

    A letter of thanks was sent to Professor A Neuberger FRS, Chairman of the Governing Body on 8 October 1980. [Royal Society Provenance File: letter, President RS to A Neuberger, Lister Institute, Elstree, Hertfordshire, 8 October 1980].

    The Society’s portraits of Alan Drury, Charles Martin and John Ledingham formed part of the same group.
    Associated place
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       > Europe
          > United Kingdom
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