Later Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Alfred William Parsons (1847-1920), Landscape painter, illustrator and garden designer

Self-portrait
By other artists
Photographs

Self-portraitback to top



c.1888
Pencil drawing; see NPG 2674.

By other artistsback to top



1882
Watercolour by Thomas Walter Wilson, The Members of the Institute [of Painters in Water-colour] Touching Day 1882, thumbnail, half-length, standing in background, in group of 88 sitters; untraced. Probably exh. IPWC 1883 (342a); repr. Graphic, 28 Apr. 1883, p.422 (with key, Parsons no.34); and Christie’s, 9 May 1984.
See also Boughton, Clausen, Crane, Gregory, Hayes, Herkomer, Hine, Lucas, Tenniel, W.L. Thomas, J.W. Waterhouse.

c.1885
Charcoal drawing, 444 x 584mm, by John Singer Sargent, signed and inscr., whole-length, seated, seen from above, looking down at large book; priv. coll., Parsons sale, Sotheby’s, 21 Nov. 1962 (59). Exh. and repr. American Works on Paper: 100 Years of American Art History, Andrew Crispo Gallery, NY, 1982 and touring 1983–5 (77, cat. p.84); Sotheby’s, NY, 3 Dec. 1997 (34); and Natasha Wallace, John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery website.

1886
Pen and ink drawing, 292 x 229mm, by Edwin Austin Abbey, inscr., signed and dated 27 July 1886, head-and-shoulders, profile to left, arms lightly sketched; untraced; Bonhams, 20 Dec. 1978 (106a). Repr. Country Life, 24 Jan. 1980, p.25, fig.2.

Two pen and ink sketches probably by Edwin H. Bashfield, associated with Lily (Mrs Francis Davis) Millet:
(a) head-and-shoulders, profile to left, at table playing cards with John Singer Sargent and Lily Millet;
(b) 180 x 110mm, on letterhead paper for Russell House, Broadway, Worcs., inscr. 'Backhander', whole-length, profile to left, playing tennis;
both Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, DC.

1889
Woodcut by ‘G.K.’, head-and-shoulders, full-face. Repr. James 1889, p.59. Freely adapted ‘from a photograph by Elliott & Fry; see ‘Photographs, c.1889’ below.

1892
Black chalk and wash sketch by (William) Walker Hodgson, signed and dated 4 Jan. 1892; untraced. Refs. NPG RP 4041(1–5), NPG NoA (Hodgson); see also NPG collection 4041(1–5).

1897
Pen and ink (?) drawing by Theodore Blake Wirgman, inscr., signed and dated 15 Jan. 1897, half-length, nearly full-face, leaning to right; untraced. Repr. Graphic, 23 Jan. 1897, p.92.


Photographsback to top



c.1889
Photograph by Elliott & Fry, quarter-length, looking to right, wearing high-buttoned jacket. Repr. The Year’s Art 1892, facing p.110. For a related wood-engraving see ‘By other artists, 1889’ above.

before 1893
Photograph by unidentified photographer but possibly a variant image from Elliott & Fry above, head-and-shoulders to front. Repr. (apparently with some retouching or over-drawing of jacket) James 1893, facing p.86.

before 1897
Photographs by J.H. Roller, two known poses:
(a) head-and-shoulders, half-profile to right. Repr. ILN, 23 Jan. 1897, p.108.
(b) three-quarter-length, profile to right, seated by table. Repr. MA, 1897, p.283.

1899
Carbon print, 227 x 315mm, by Fradelle & Young, in multi-figure group at a banquet in honour of Lawrence Alma-Tadema at the Whitehall Rooms, London, 4 Nov. 1899 (presence confirmed on sheet of over 100 signatures); NPG x19022. Repr. MA, 1900, p.137 (with signatures insert); and Swanson 1990, p.85.
See also Alma-Tadema, Boughton, Brock, Clausen, J. Collier, Crane, East, E.O. Ford, Frampton, Gregory, Hacker, Lucas, Sant, Solomon, Spielmann, W.H. Thornycroft, J.W. Waterhouse, A. Webb.

1907
Sepia platinotype, 151 x 108mm, by George Charles Beresford, head-and-shoulders, full-face, neat beard, wearing tweed jacket; NPG x19019.

before 1910
Photograph by unidentified photographer, half-length. Repr. Milne 1910, p.386.

c.1915
Platinotype cabinet card, 147 x 97mm, by Elliott & Fry, head-and-shoulders to front, white hair and beard, dark jacket; NPG x12668.


Dr Jan Marsh