Who was Nathaniel? - more from RAMM
Nathaniel Newnham (1672-1760), attributed to Charles Jervas (c.1675-1739), painted c.1725
© Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter. RAMM Accession No. 618/1987
Making money from wool in the 1700s
By RAMM Curator of Art
Clues within the image
The identity of the sitter in this early eighteenth century portrait was only discovered as a result of new research. By tradition, the name of 'Nathaniel' had been passed down to the present day but the history of ownership had been lost.
Fortunately clues within the image indicate that the sitter was a merchant. He draws our attention to a sealed envelope which is clearly of significance and associated with the scene beyond. Although not represented in great detail, the ship is a merchant class vessel of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. Dating of male clothing of this era can be problematical as abrupt changes in style did not occur between c.1720-c.1740 and men of middle age frequently dressed unfashionably. Nevertheless, an estimate of c.1725 can be made when allowing for a combination of details such as the cut of coat sleeves and pattern of wig. Confirmation of the mercantile symbolism of the portrait is visible on the sealed envelope as a segmented circle. Such marks had for centuries been used by merchants to enable instant recognition of their goods in transit and, as here, these were often applied to mail and documentation.(1)
A life typical of wealthy London based merchants
As an eminent merchant, Nathaniel Newnham became master of the Mercers' Company in 1736 (2) and his identity as the sitter is established by a later engraving of c.1750 in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.(3) In the tradition of medieval mercers, he and his son, Nathaniel Junior, were involved in the exporting of woollen cloth and the importing of luxury fabrics such as linen and silk. Profits were potentially huge. Surviving documentation reveals that Newnham led a life typical of wealthy London based merchants in the early eighteenth century. From a family of dissenters, he served an eight year apprenticeship and was made free into the Company of Mercers in 1695, aged twenty three.(4) He divided his time between his business in London and his home near East Grinstead, Sussex. In July, 1700 he apologised to his wife, Honoria, for being unable to leave his commitments behind and return home: 'I am very busy a days running about to buy goods & c...'. (5) Even at a relatively early stage he and his wife were able to afford the services of a cook and maid as well as expensive consumables such as French wines. (6) By the end of his life his assets included his Sussex country estate and business and residential properties in the capital and Kingston-upon-Hull to a total value of around £50,000. (7) This accumulated wealth enabled greater social mobility for his children and descendants. For example Nathaniel Junior, his second son, after employment in his father's business, became a director of the East India Company and a Member of Parliament (8) whilst his grandson, Nathaniel, became Lord Mayor of London in 1782. (9)
Profit approaching £17,000
During the first half of the eighteenth century exports of linen from Northern Europe reached a historic peak and cloth merchants took full advantage of the home demand. Between 1722 and 1726 Newnham engaged Nathaniel Junior to order large quantities from Holland and Germany which returned a profit approaching £17,000.(10) Painted during the same period, the portrait may well commemorate one or all of those successful ventures. Previously the work was attributed to William Gandy, a Devon artist, but is now believed to have been painted by Charles Jervas.(11) A friend of Alexander Pope, Jervas was born in Ireland but became highly successful in London as principal painter to George I and George II.
Oil on canvas 121.9 x 110.6cm, c.1725
PROVENANCE
Purchased from Honiton Galleries, Devon, 1987 with grant assistance from the Beecroft Bequest.
The Curator of West Exe adds: Wool and the making of wool cloth was very important to Exeter and the surrounding area between the 1500s and the 1900s. Open spaces beyond the city in St Thomas, Exe Island and Exwick were used to stretch out and dry the cloth. This portrait shows a London merchant painted in about 1725. Traders like this made a great deal of money from the west country wool industry.
NOTES / SOURCES
1. No central record of individual Mercer's marks has survived but the design is
recognisable as such.
2. Mercers' Company Archives, London; list of Masters (1727-1813).
3. Artist and engraver unknown (NPG D14614). In the catalogue this is identified
incorrectly as the sitter's son, Nathaniel (1699-1778).
4. Freedom Petition, certified 19/11/1695. London Metropolitan Archive;
ELJL/99/129
5. Harrowby Manuscripts Trust, Sandon Hall, Staffs; Newnham letters and
papers Vol.I no.30.
6. Ibid., Vol.I no. 32; Letter to Honoria dated 14/8/1704.
7. The National Archives, Kew; will of Nathaniel Newnham (PROB 11/856)
8. Parker, James Gordon. The Directors of the East India Company, 1754-1790.
University of Edinburgh, 1977. Namier and Brooke. The History of Parliament:
The Commons, 1754-1790. HMSO, 1964.
9. Commemorated by the painting Lord Mayor Newnham Taking the Oaths,
by William Miller. Guildhall Art gallery, Corporation of London.
10. NA, will of Nathaniel Newnham (PROB 11/856). HMT, Newnham letters and
papers vol.I no.s 137-138.
11. See Portrait of William Draycott of Chelsea by Jervas. Sotheby's Easton
Neston sale 17-19/5/2005, vol.I lot 127.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Elmhirst, Edward Mars. 'Merchant's Marks.' Harleian Society, 1959.
Gill, Conrad. 'Merchants and Mariners of the 18th Century.' Edward Arnold Ltd, 1961.
Lawson, P. 'The East India Company: A History.' London, 1993.
Bottoms, Edward. 'Charles Jervas, Sir Robert Walpole and the Norfolk Whigs.' Apollo Magazine, February 1997, CXLV, 420.