Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Bt

1 portrait by Henry Corbould

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Bt

by Samuel Cousins, after Henry Corbould, after Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey
stipple engraving, 1841 or after
22 5/8 in. x 16 1/4 in. (575 mm x 412 mm) plate size; 27 1/8 in. x 19 7/8 in. (690 mm x 505 mm) paper size
Given by Dodie Masterman, 1964
Reference Collection
NPG D37718

Sitterback to top

  • Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Bt (1773-1849), Philanthropist and Conservative politician; MP for Beverley and Malmesbury. Sitter in 2 portraits.

Artistsback to top

  • Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (1781-1841), Sculptor. Artist or producer associated with 267 portraits, Sitter in 11 portraits.
  • Henry Corbould (1787-1844), Draughtsman and book illustrator. Artist or producer associated with 23 portraits.
  • Samuel Cousins (1801-1887), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 179 portraits, Sitter in 7 portraits.

This portraitback to top

The engraving depicts a statue of Sir Charles Forbes made by Francis Leggatt Chantrey. The original statue was erected in Bombay (Mumbai) Town Hall, in recognition of his great philanthropy in India. One such act saw him donate a substantial sum of money to procure a plentiful supply of fresh water to the inhabitants of Bengal. He was very well respected and well known for such acts of philanthropy. When he left India to retire he was presented with a magnificent service plate. Once gone, he was not forgotten, local Indians raised over £9,000 to commission a statue dedicated to him. The statue was erected in the Bombay's town hall and stands alongside a number of other dignitaries. It is thought to be one of the first statues to have been raised by the people of India of a non-Indian unconnected with the civil or military service of the country. The statue shows Forbes wearing a cloak or a gown in a Western-European style and not any type of traditional Indian attire.

Subject/Themeback to top

Events of 1841back to top

Current affairs

Sir Robert Peel's second term as Prime Minister. Peel replaces the Whig Prime Minister Lord Melbourne after a Conservative general election victory. The English comic periodical Punch is first published, under the auspices of engraver Ebenezer Landells and writer Henry Mayhew, and quickly establishes itself as a radical commentary on the arts, politics and current affairs, notable for its heavily satirised cartoons.

Art and science

Thomas Carlyle publishes his set of lectures On Heroes and Hero Worship, in which he attempts to connect past heroic figures to significant figures form the present.
William Henry Fox Talbot invents the calotype process, in which photographs were developed from negatives. This allowed for multiple copies of images to be made, and was the basis of modern, pre-digital, photographic processing.

International

Signing of the Straits Convention, an international agreement between Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, Russia and Turkey, denying access to non-Ottoman warships through the seas connecting the Mediterranean and the Black Seas, a major concession by Russia. Whilst signalling a spirit of co-operation, the convention emphasises the decline of the Ottoman Empire.

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tony mcaleavy

21 July 2018, 11:58

This is a design for a statue of Charles Forbes that was erected in Bombay (Mumbai) Town Hall. Forbes was a very prominent businessman in India and was known for his philanthropy. Long after he retired to England this statue was erected in his honour by his friends in Bombay. He appears to be wearing some version of Indian costume and his naked right leg is clearly visible.