Neville, J. (McKechnie Section 2)

Recorded by Jackson (Dictionary), who gives the date c. 1830 and records two addresses: one in Pool Lane, Brighton; the other at 393 Oxford Street, London. A profile of a woman sold by Sotheby and Company, London, on 25 July 1966 gave a temporary address at `Mr. Read's, Hairdresser, corner of Westgate Street, near the Corn Hill, Ipswich'. Local records contain no confirmation that Neville worked in Brighton, as was formerly believed. (Jackson presented two silhouettes by Neville to the Hove Museum.) From this scanty evidence we can only presume that Neville was an itinerant artist, perhaps a Londoner (in British Silhouettes Woodiwiss suggests this), and that out of season he visited other towns, Brighton and Ipswich being probably only two of them.

The date of c. 1830, given by Jackson, may be that of the illustrated example, but, since the sitter, an old lady, is unlikely to have been dressed in the height of fashion, the profile must have been difficult for Jackson (who illustrates it) to date. As Jackson says that Neville often showed a frill about the neck on his profiles of women, he was probably working before 1830, at a time when these frills were still much in fashion and not necessarily added by the artist for decorative effect.

Neville appears to have painted only in shades of water-colour, probably without gum arabic. Writers have mentioned Neville's use of bluish-white on clothing, applied in varying depths of tone. He also used gold for jewellery, when worn. Recorded profiles show the face painted in black. The two profiles (each is of a woman) in the Hove Museum show this delicate work, with touches of Chinese white and bluish-grey paint. Neville painted on card, not on paper. The example referred to above, which was sold by Sotheby and Company, was painted, with some gilding, on a green base colour.

As there has been some doubt about the address in Pool Lane used by Neville (Nos 4 and 7 have both been recorded), it seems that he probably did not use a printed trade label in Brighton. The example sold by Sotheby and Company bore the one known printed trade label, used at Ipswich. The wording is as follows:

For a Limited Period

You may obtain a Correct

LIKENESS

Elegantly finished

For Two Shillings and Sixpence

By

J. NEVILLE

At Mr. Read's, Hair-Dresser, corner

of Westgate St. near the

Corn Hill, Ipswich.

Mr. N. having but one price, the public may depend upon Their Profiles being finished equal to the Specimens exhibited at his Apartment.

Open from 11 o'clock till 7.

Ill. 902