James Holman by Maxim Gauci

printed by Graf & Soret, published by Andrews & Co, lithograph, early 19th century

This black and white print depicts James Holman, seated in an interior setting. He is positioned in the centre of the image, but his chair is turned slightly so that his body faces towards the left hand side. Holman appears to be around forty to fifty years old in this picture: his hair is receding and thinning, his eyelids and brow are slightly wrinkled, as are his cheeks. His hair is cut short and he is clean-shaven, with a dimpled chin. His eyes are open and look towards the left. He is smartly dressed in a dark jacket, buttoned up over a white shirt, with a thick white bow tie at his neck. The collar of his jacket and bow tie appear to be made of velvet. Holman is positioned in front of a case (on the right hand side) and a window frame (on the left hand side). The window opens onto a landscape scene of a plain beyond which stretches a rainforest, framed by mountains in the far distance. The case contains stuffed animals, including what appear to be birds, monkeys and a kangaroo. Holman’s left arm rests on a desk, which extends from the window ledge. A globe and a writing frame, with styluses, are arranged on the desk, with the globe positioned closest to the window ledge. Holman’s right hand reaches towards the globe, his forefinger pointing towards South America. In his left hand, he holds a drawing of the Fernandian warrior Cut Throat.

Directly beneath the image is the inscription ‘drawn from life on stone by M. Gauci’. Below this in larger print is the inscription ‘Lieut James Holman R.N.F.R.S.&c.&c. (The Celebrated Blind Traveller).’ Beneath this, a line from Milton is quoted: ‘Yet not the more / Cease I to wander &c.’ [description end].

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James Holman, by Maxim Gauci, printed by Graf & Soret, published by Andrews & Co, circa 1830s