Later Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints
Photographs

Paintings, drawings, sculptures and printsback to top

early 1860s
Painting by unidentified artist, head-and-shoulders slightly to right, in group of four Montefiore siblings; untraced. Repr. Kessler 1989, facing p.12; ref. Diamond 2014, pp. 191-2.

1866
Oil on canvas by James Sant, dated, three-quarter-length to left, looking to left, in a landscape; priv. coll. Exh. RA 1866 (129); repr. Cohen 1940, facing p.38; and Diamond 2014, p.191, fig.1..

1897
Oil on canvas by George Frederic Watts, half-length, slightly to left; formerly sitter’s family, now U. of Southampton Art Coll., 79. Exh. RSPP 1900 (6); and RA 1905 (25); repr. as halftone thumbnail photograph (with other portraits of Jewish coronation deputation to Edward VII), 1902, Jewish M., London, E. de Haas album, C 1997.1.p10; also repr. Watts MS, vol.2, p.110 (see below); and Christie’s, 15 June 1990 (136). According to Mary Watts, ‘After reading with great interest the Hibbert lectures on the Hebrew religion [publ. 1892] Mr. Watts became anxious to know the author, believing him to be a representative of the best Jewish mind, and this was brought about in 1896. Later Mr. Watts expressed a wish to paint Mr. Montefiore for his national collection and found great pleasure in his society. The portrait pleased his mother so much she begged to be allowed to buy it and Mr. Watts undertook to make the second portrait painted in 1903 and now at Compton.’ M.S. Watts, MS ‘Catalogue of the works of G.F. Watts’, compiled c.1910, 2 vols, Watts G. Archive, Compton; typescript copy NPG, vol.2, p.110.

1902
Pen and ink drawing by unidentified artist, dated 1902 and inscr. ‘Mr Claude G Montefiore delivering his sermon’, whole-length to left, at bottom right of sheet of miscellaneous religious scenes; untraced; cuttings colls LJS Archive, London, box 141A; and Jewish M., London, E. de Haas album, C 1997.1.p49). [1] Repr. (whole sheet) Jewish World, 24 Oct. 1902, p.1 (captioned ‘Jewish Religious Union. The First Service’); ref. Diamond 2014, p.193.

1903
Oil on canvas by George Frederic Watts, half-length, slightly to left; Watts G., Compton, COMWG.98; offered by Watts G. to NPG, Oct. 1955, and declined. Exh. G.F. Watts, Manchester CAG, 1905 (87); repr. Watts MS, vol.2, p.110 (see below); Diamond 2014, p.193, fig.2; and photograph NPG SB (Montefiore). ‘The second portrait painted in 1903 is destined for the National Portrait Gallery, and remains in the Watts collection meanwhile.’ M.S. Watts, MS ‘Catalogue of the works of G.F. Watts’, compiled c.1910, 2 vols, Watts G. Archive, Compton; typescript copy NPG, vol.2, p.110.
For ref. to unspecified copy of a Watts portrait hanging in the Froebel Educational Inst. library, Kensington, in 1917, see The Link, ‘Montefiore Memorial Number’, no.29, Mar. 1939, p.12.

1925
Oil on canvas by Christopher Williams, signed and dated 1925, three-quarter-length to right, seated; Froebel Coll., U. of Roehampton (portrait room). Exh. RA 1925 (384); ref. Diamond 2014, p.197-8.

Oil on canvas by Oswald Birley, three-quarter-length to right, head three-quarters to front, seated, resting on left hand; untraced. Repr. Cohen 1940, frontispiece (half-length detail only); and Liberal Jewish Monthly, ‘Memorial Number’, Sept. 1938, title-page (cutting LJS Archive, London, Box 142).
Photogravure after Birley; coll. LJS, London (director’s office). Repr. as halftone Jewish Guardian, 18 Sept. 1925, p.17 (captioned ‘Photogravure copies can be obtained from Lionel Jacob, Esq., 43 Buckland Crescent, N.W.3, at the price of 10s. 5d. A limited number of copies have been signed by the artist’); cutting LJS Archive, London, Box 141A). Repr. Diamond 2014, p.197, fig. 5.
Oil on canvas copy after Birley, undated; coll. LJS, London; ref. Diamond 2014, p.196.

1934
Bronze head by Benno Elkan; U. of Southampton Art Coll. (no acc. no.). Repr. Cohen 1940, facing p.210; and Diamond 2014, p.199, fig. 9. Sittings to Elkan took place in London in Feb. 1934, and the bust was presented to University College, Southampton, in Feb. 1935. [2] For Lucy Cohen, Montefiore’s second cousin, the bronze conveyed ‘more of the impression of a great man than do any of the pictures or photographs.’ Cohen 1940, p.210.
The prime portrait of Montefiore.

c.1935
Chalk drawing by William Rothenstein; see NPG 4789.

Chalk drawing by William Rothenstein, head-and-shoulders, almost full-face; Tate Archive, William Rothenstein Coll., 997/13. Exh. Deval and Muir, 1970 (67).

1935
Oil on canvas by William Rothenstein, three-quarter-length slightly to left, full-face, seated, hands clasped; U. of Southampton Art Coll., 59.

undated

Portrait by unknown artist, as a young man, no further details; untraced. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.192 [3]

Oil on canvas by Christopher Williams, signed, three quarter length seated to right, wearing scarlet Doctoral robes, hands clasped on lap, holding bonnet; Froebel Trust, London. Repr. Diamond 2014, p.199, fig. 8.

posthumous portrait

1940
Bronze medal by Benno Elkan, uniface, 93mm, head only, profile to right, with name below; Jewish Museum, New York, FB 12b.

Photographsback to top

publ. 1888
Photograph by unidentified photographer, head-and-shoulders in oval, full face, with collar beard and light moustache; repr. The Howard Teacher, 1 Mar. 1888 (no details); cutting, Gaster Papers, UCL Library, London.

publ. 1897
Photograph by unidentified photographer, head-and-shoulders in oval, head turned to left; repr. Young Israel, vol.1, June 1897, p.96; copy Jewish M., London, 1986.1.14. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.192.

c.1900
Photograph by unidentified photographer, half-length, full-face, surrounded by group of 14 children and three teachers, Froebel Educational Inst., Kensington; repr. Weston 1998, p.20. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.201.

Photograph by unidentified photographer, half-length, full-face, seated behind desk; repr. Weston 2002, p.12; and Diamond 2014, p.195, fig.3..

publ. 1905
Photograph by unidentified photographer, half-length, full-face, left arm around chairback; repr. as halftone in unidentified newspaper (captioned ‘Mr. Claude G. Montefiore President of the Anglo-Jewish Association’; cutting Jewish M., London, C 1997.1.p299, inscr. ‘1905’).

publ. 1910
Photograph by unidentified photographer, head-and-shoulders, full-face; repr. Coote 1910, p.133; Jewish Chronicle, 10 Feb. 1911, p.19 (oval, cutting, LJS Archive, London, box 141A); and Diamond 2014, p.196, fig.4..
The prime photograph.

c.1910
Photograph by unidentified photographer, head-and-shoulders, three-quarters to left; LJS Archive, London. Repr. Rigal & Rosenberg 2004, p.12; and Fox 2011, p.3 (wrongly captioned ‘1925’).

Photograph by unidentified photographer, head and shoulders, full face, in oval, three buttons of jacket visible; National Library of Israel, Jerusalem.

1914
Photographs by unidentified photographer, tree-planting ceremony at new LJS cemetery, Willesden, 25 Sept. 1914, four known poses:
(a) whole-length, full-face, at right;
(b) whole-length to left, planting tree;
(c) whole-length, full-face, third from right;
(d) whole-length, standing, second from right; repr. Fox 2011, p.10. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.202..
All LJS Archive, London (photo cabinet).

1922
Photograph by unidentified photographer, head visible behind Queen Mary’s right shoulder, royal visit to Froebel Coll., Roehampton, Feb. 1922; repr. Weston 1998, p.23 Ref. Diamond 2014, p.202.

1925
Photograph by unidentified photographer, whole-length, full-face, seated with dog on knee, outside Grove House, Roehampton, in group of Froebel Educational Inst. staff; Froebel Archive, U. of Roehampton (four prints). Repr. Weston 2002, p.48. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.202.

Photograph by unidentified photographer, laying foundation stone of LJS, St John’s Wood (no pose details), dated 18 Jan. 1925, with Rabbi Maurice Perlzweig; LJS Archive, London, photo 611.

Photograph by unidentified photographer, half-length to right, full-face, laying foundation stone of LJS, St John’s Wood, in group including two priests; repr. cutting (no details), LJS Archive, London, Box 141A; and Kessler 1989, facing p.13 (wrongly captioned ‘1911’). Ref. Diamond 2014, p.202.

1926
Photograph by unidentified photographer, half-length, full-face, standing behind group including Rabbi Israel Mattuck and Lily Montagu, outside LJS, St John’s Wood; LJS Archive, London, photo cabinet. Repr. Fox 2011, p.20. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.202.

publ. 1926
Photograph by unidentified photographer, head-and-shoulders, slightly to left; repr. Jewish Chronicle, 16 July 1926, p.26; Encyclopaedia Judaica, Jerusalem, 1971, vol.12, p.267; Kessler 1989, frontispiece; Finestein 1993, p.195; and Langton 2002, p.xii.
The prime photograph in later life.

1927
Photograph by unknown photographer, three-quarter-length, facing front, standing out of doors with members of Alumni Society, Liberal Jewish Synagogue, 26 Sept. 1927; Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London.

1928
Photograph by Elite Studio, Berlin, half-length to right, seated, chin on left hand, as Chair, World Union of Progressive Judaism international conference, Herrenhaus, Berlin, Aug. 1928; Jewish M., London, 2004.4. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.202.

Photographs by Elite Studio, Berlin, two known poses:
(a) half-length to right, head turned to camera, priv. coll.; copy coll. NPG SB (Goldsmid Montefiore). Repr. Diamond 2014, p.198, fig.6.
(b) half-length to right, head turned to camera, slight smile. Repr. Burkitt 1929, frontispiece

1920s–1930s
Photograph by unidentified photographer, whole-length, full-face, smiling, standing by garden wall holding a dog, two unidentified ladies at left; priv. coll.; copy coll. NPG SB (Montefiore).

Photograph by unidentified photographer, whole-length, full-face, seated on garden bench with his son Leonard and an unidentified man in white spats; priv. coll.; copy coll. NPG SB (Montefiore). Ref. Diamond 2014, p.201.

Photograph by unidentified photographer, three-quarter-length, slightly turned to right, standing between a clergyman and a rabbi; Froebel Archive, U. of Roehampton, FA/FEI/PH.

Photograph by unidentified photographer, half-length to right, head facing; priv. coll. Repr. Sebag-Montefiore 1987, back of dustjacket.

Photographs by Vandyk, wearing stripey shirt, two known poses:
(a) half-length to left, head turned to camera, holding book in two hands; priv. coll.; copy coll. NPG SB (Montefiore). Repr. Diamond 2014, p.198, fig.7.
(b) half-length, full-face, seated behind desk, head resting on right hand, left hand on open book; Goldsmid-Montefiore Archive, U. of Southampton. Repr. CCAR [Central Conference of American Rabbis] Yearbook, 1938 (no further details); Bermant 1971, fig.19, facing p.274; and Meyer 1995, p.215.
For similar thin moustache and lack of beard see above, ‘Paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints, c.1935’.

1937
Photographs by unidentified photographer, four similar poses, laying foundation stone of Library of Lawrence Building, Roehampton, 22 Mar. 1937, whole-length, bent over in doorway; Froebel Archive, U. of Roehampton, FA FEI/PH. Repr. Weston 1998, p.27. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.202.

Photograph by unidentified photographer, whole-length, full-face, standing, with Eglantyne Mary Jebb in Grove House garden; Froebel Archive, U. of Roehampton, FA/FEI/PH. Repr. Weston 2002, p.59. Ref. Diamond 2014, p.201.
Cropped version (without Miss Jebb); three prints, Froebel Archive, U. of Roehampton, FA/FEI/PH. Repr. The Link, ‘Montefiore Memorial Number’, no.29, Mar. 1939, facing p.1.
The most widely reproduced of the last images.

1930s
Photograph by unidentified photographer, bust to left, head facing; repr. The Times, 11 July 1938 (obits); and Jewish Chronicle, 15 July 1938 (obits).


Rejected photograph

1920s
Bromide print by Mary Olive Edis (Mrs Galsworthy), three-quarter-length to right, wearing fur-trimmed coat, seated on carved armchair; NPG x15497 (wrongly identified as Claude Montefiore in inscr. on reverse).


Footnotes
1) ‘Mr Montefiore’s pulpit addresses were always distinguished by deep thought and a fine literary style. His language was simple and direct and his elocution was always clear. He had no mannerisms and was sparing of gesture. His fine presence with the deep-set eyes added impressiveness to the spoken word.’ Jewish Chronicle, 15 July 1938, p.15 (obits).
2) Montefiore was faddish about his hair: ‘That odious bust man […] I have warned him that I can’t be played with like this, and that he will find the hair off unless he hurries up.’ Letter from C.J.G. Montefiore to Lucy Cohen, 5 Feb. 1934, quoted in Cohen 1940, p.210. And during an illness in Mar. 1929 he wrote, ‘I don’t feel weak, but am bothered by hair, and till I can get it cut have a perpetual feeling of discomfort and weight!!!’ Cohen 1940, p.182.
3) According to Diamond: ‘A portrait of CGM as a young man was accepted by the Liberal Jewish Synagogue council [London] in 1969 but [...] I have not been able to locate it’.

Carol Blackett-Ord