William Calkin c.1839

The painting above belonged to my grandfather John Calkin Spencer and was kept in his attic at 77, Grove Road, Windsor.

On my grandfather's death in 1932 the portrait passed to my father and hung for many years in his hallway at 27, Clewer Hill Road, Windsor. My father regarded the picture and its sitter highly.
On my mother's passing in 1965 the picture passed to me.

This family heirloom presently hangs in my dining room.

Restoration.

William Calkin Pre-restoration

The canvas had a large angular tear in the lower left-hand corner, and in order to hide this the canvas had been remounted onto a smaller stretcher. The picture was restored by myself to its former size (apart from some slight trimming to torn edges) in about 1985. Signs of the earlier tear and other damage have been greatly reduced by mounting the canvas on board and some minimal retouching following standard techniques. William Calkin's face remains virtually untouched.
Photographs were taken were taken of the front and back of the canvas just prior to restoration.

William Calkin Artist Signature
Several efforts have been made to identify the artist (T.Brown), but as yet to no avail.

                                                                                    John Spencer.

John Spencer.

John Spencer was trained in drawing and painting at Wimbledon School of Art and in Art Teaching at Reading University. He taught at secondary and tertiary levels between 1946 and 1990. A lifelong interest in art history led to the award of a masters degree (Courtauld Institute) and a doctorate (Manchester University).
John's own web-site, which features his art, can be found at www.eyeminded.net