This charming pair of mid-19th-century English school portraits depict husband and wife, Joseph and Harriet Johnson of Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. They were probably commissioned to celebrate their marriage in 1837.
Dressed in their fineries, it’s an important day for this upstanding pair. He wears a black suit with white waistcoat and black stock. While she wears an elegant burgundy gown with a white veil decorated with flora. A plaque displays her maiden name, Harriet Mayson.
Born at Linwood Hall, a Jacobean manor house in Lincolnshire, Joseph Johnson (1813-1886) was evidently of ‘good stock’. Empowered with an independent spirit, he moved to the thriving industrial city of Manchester during the 1830s and established a calico printing business together with his brother. Manchester was at the heart of the textile industry and the pair negotiated a challenging period of ever-evolving technology.
Calico printing was first established in Manchester during the 18th century and involved using blocks to impress a design onto cloth. By the 1840s, the process had significantly developed with patterns created via large engraved cylinders. As a result, production in Lancashire increased dramatically - from 50,000 pieces (of 30 yards) to 20,000,000 pieces.
Joseph’s wife, Harriet (1812-1879), was raised in Rainow, Cheshire, and it’s plausible that the pair met during the fledgling years of his new enterprise. It would’ve been a fascinating time of endeavour, progress, and labour. In 1837, they wed in Bowden and soon took a home in Chorlton-on-Medlock (known as Chorlton upon Medlock), where they raised a family. Needless to say, Harriet’s role as a caregiver, mother and homemaker would have been particularly vital while her spouse established his business.
In 1861, the census reveals that Joseph had taken up a role as Corn Merchant, later a ‘Corn Factor’. Essentially, this involved dealing via the Corn Exchange. In British English, the term ‘corn’ refers to all cereal grains. It appears that he remained in this trade for over ten years.
The pair spent their later years at Rumford Street where the 1871 census records them as living with their daughter and two servants. Harriet died circa 1879*, and Joseph in 1886.
Held within later frames.
*Harriet’s date of death is recorded incorrectly on the plaque.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 39” x 49” / 99cm x 125cm
Year of creation: c. 1837
Labels & Inscriptions: Manchester supplier's label.
Provenance: Presumably with the Johnsons at their homes in Chorlton-on-Medlock / Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Faint stretcher marks. Old visible repairs. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Our reference: BRV1941
