This miniature portrait of a man is signed "Anne Fairfield, Aug 1870". With help from a fellow collector who owns three portraits painted in the early 1860's by this artist, she has now been identified as the Anne Fairfield (c 1806-1883) who was the wife of James Fairfield (ca 1804-1868). She died at Birkenhead, Liverpool in 1883, aged 87.
There are a further four portraits by Mrs Anne Fairfield painted in 1866/1867, depicted in "A Perfect Likeness" by Julie Aronson and Marjorie E Wieseman, where they comment that dated miniatures are known from 1851-1867 and say that she was in all likelihood an amateur artist. To date no other reference to her has been found in reference literature.
However, given that the number of portraits by her painted must be in double figures, and her active period can now be adjusted to 1851-1870 by the date of this portrait, it seems likely she painted many portraits and was likely to have been more than just an amateur. Certainly, this portrait is very skillfully painted.
The sitter is identified as Arthur Player and the case is marked for C Asprey, the jeweller. 166
2 comments:
I'm currently studing a miniature by Anne Fairfield, dated March 1845.
Hello
I also have a miniature portrait painted on ivory from Anne Fairfield dated june 1865.
It is a portrait of Richard Heyworth-Potter born 1862 and died 1864.
It is very beautiful painted.
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