Thomas Cheesman

This portraitback to top

Identity, attribution and date are derived from the label on the verso, but the likeness does not seem to disagree with the drawing by Edridge listed below. The painting is a standard plate size, but no engraving is recorded.

Physical descriptionback to top

Grey eyes, grey powdered hair, wearing a green coat with a white neckcloth.

Provenanceback to top

Mme Vestris (the artist’s grand-daughter); Messrs Rawlins; bought from Mr Rayner 1885 by T. Humphry Ward,¹ and presented by him 1888.

¹ Provenance taken from a label verso: Portrait of Thomas Cheesman, engraver, at 17. By his master,/Francesco Bartolozzi, R.A./Bought by me in 1885 from Mr Rayner, of Francis A ... /He had it of Messrs Rawlins, who had it (many … ago) of Madame Vestris, who was Bartolozzi ...

Exhibitionsback to top

RA 1887 (8).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

View all known portraits for Francesco Bartolozzi

View all known portraits for Thomas Cheesman