WILLIAM TWIGG ALLPORT (1779-!831) GUNMAKER’S SON, PROFILIST & FURNITURE BROKER
Birmingham born but Liverpool based, WA’s consistently neat profiles painted on paper always bear the signature motif of a carefully applied double shadow below a sitter’s bustline.
The bulk of Allport’s recorded output was painted in house at William Bullock’s commercial museum between the autumn of 1806 and spring of 1809, and even without a trade label WA’s distinctive precise style is easily attributable.
SAMUEL HOUGHTON: PROFILIST and PUPIL of JOHN MIERS
Highly regarded by collectors, the work of SH closely parallels the benchmark of quality set by profilist John Miers (1758-1821). Indeed without trade labels to assist, attributing work to either man can be problematic (See Houghton, Samuel SCC Newsletter, August 2008). But even though their style is virtually indistinguishable, commentators’ opinions varied regarding the likelihood of Miers having schooled Houghton in the art.
GEORGE ‘ANGELO’ CROWHURST (1795-1839) WRITING MASTER & PROFILIST
Research conducted in 2021 has revealed several previously unknown aspects of the Brighton profilist’s history, including another work address.
Born in Sussex in 1795, GC is known as a Brighton-based profilist. The first record of him in the town is as a Writing Master in February 1823. Turning to profile painting ca 1827-8, it was long assumed he worked into the mid-1840s; however, it is now known he died in January 1839.
