Metford, Samuel

Introduction:

A popular artist with a disputed history Samuel Metford led a colourful life, part of which he spent in America possibly as a member of the Quaker movement. His work as a profilist became very accomplished, apart from his treatment of footwear, which remained uniformly poor.

Though a rough biography exists for Samuel Metford, there seems to be a certain amount of dispute regarding details. Some experts think he married, though not everyone agrees. Although he seems to have been at least familiar with the Quaker movement, it is not known definitively whether he himself belonged to this religious group. He lived in America from 1834 to 1844 and returned there from time to time, but there is also dispute about whether he took American Citizenship.

Whether or not they represent different stages in his development as a profilist, Metford’s works seem to be grouped into three different categories. Those in which detail is picked out in Chinese white tend not to be of a very high standard. Those in which the detail is represented with gold paint – presumably for a better class of sitter – are of variable quality. It is those in which body colour is painted in ochre yellow with darker details which are uniformly better portraits, and display skilled brushwork. A noticeable quirk of Metford’s work is his treatment of footwear; boot heels are frequently cut too small. Some of his portraits, especially those done in America, have lithographed backgrounds. After 1848 backgrounds were done is simple pigment.

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