Carl Rudolph Sohn (1845-1908)
John Brown (d. 1883) at Frogmore 1883
Oil on panel | 43.5 x 32.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 406271
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John Brown is depicted here at Frogmore House in Home Park, Windsor. He was a ghillie (outdoor servant) from Balmoral Castle in Scotland which the Queen and Prince Albert had bought in 1853. After Albert's death the Queen developed a close relationship with him, and he was extremely protective of her. Shortly after Brown's death in 1883 the Queen wrote in a letter 'Perhaps never in history was there so strong and true an attachment, so warm and loving a friendship between the sovereign and servant…Strength of character as well as power of frame – the most fearless uprightness, kindness, sense of justice, honesty, independence and unselfishness combined with a tender, warm heart…the most remarkable of men'.
Signed and dated: C. Sohn jr / 83. Inscribed on the back as a portrait of Brown with Spot at Frogmore in 1882, painted in 1883 from a photograph.Provenance
Painted for Queen Victoria
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Medium and techniques
Oil on panel
Measurements
43.5 x 32.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
57.4 x 46.8 x 5.8 cm (frame, external)
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