Gregory, S. (McKechnie Section 2)

See also Section Six

Recorded, without an initial, by Jackson (Dictionary), who gives the date 1813. Foskett lists a Gregory, also without an initial, working c. 1790 at 74 Newgate, London, who may have been the same artist. I have seen a profile miniature in colour, painted in c. 1810, bearing the trade label of S. Gregory, who does in fact describe himself as a 'Miniature Painter'. Jackson, Foskett and I myself may well all refer to the same artist.

Jackson records a silhouette of a boy (dated March 1813; presumably painted, since Gregory also worked in colour) in the Glenn Tilley Morse collection.

This artist (assuming that we are only considering one) appears, then, to have worked for some years in London as a minor miniaturist and painter of silhouettes at the following known addresses: 74 Newgate (c. 1790), `opposite St. Clements Church, Strand' (c. 1810), and 32 Burlington Arcade (1813).

Three trade labels are known. No. 1, noted by Foskett on a signed miniature, reads, 'Gregory/ Mint /Painter/74, Newgate Street'; it may have been handwritten. I saw No. 2 (printed) on the reverse of the profile miniature in colour (c. 1810) referred to above:

S. GREGORY

Miniature Painter

Opposite St. Clement's Church, Strand.

Likenesses taken from Half a Guinea

to Five Guineas.

Profiles by the Machine.

Trade Label No. 3, recorded by Jackson, was used in March 1813: it may have been handwritten. It reads:

GREGORY

Miniature Painter

32, Burlington Arcade.

I have not seen a silhouette by Gregory and Jackson does not describe the example which she mentions. Most miniature painters who also painted silhouettes used gum arabic, and the profile miniature by Gregory that I have seen showed rather streaky work. It seems likely that Gregory used mechanical means to secure the basic outlines of his profiles.