Frost, Matthew Hawkins

Gender:
Male
Date and place of birth:
ca. 1810, Manchester, Lancs.
Date and place of death:
bur. 28.07.1885, St.Mary's Nottingham
Worked:
(fl) 1829-ca.1870
Known places of work:
York, Nottingham, Stockport, Durham, Carlisle
Known techniques:
Painted on paper, card, Bristol Board, presumed ivory. Used 'Physiognotrace' machine to trace the outline of sitters' profiles
Known materials:
Paper, card, Bristol Board, presumed ivory
Frames:
Papier mâché, reeded ebonised wood
Signature:
Recorded

Introduction:

Manchester-born itinerant profilist MATTHEW HAWKINS FROST (ca. 1810-1885) produced neat, skilful compositions from 1829 into the 1840s. Virtually all are bust-sized and mostly signed with well-crafted highlighting. Like many profilists working in the mid-19th century, Frost turned to the relatively new art of photography when the demand for painted portraiture diminished.