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Lot Essay
The crest is that of Hobson, almost certainly for William Hobson (1752-1840), of Markfield House in South Tottenham, a Quaker who made a considerable fortune in the building trade. In 1805 he was commissioned to construct the Martello Towers which were intended as a vital part of the defenses against a possible Napoleonic invasion of southern England. He was also a major contractor for the London Docks and the rebuilding of Newgate Prison.
The artist John Constable stayed with the family in the summer of 1806 to assist the Hobson daughters with their sketching. Two of Constable’s sketch books survive from this time; one in the Louvre, Paris and the other at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, with further drawings at the British Museum, London. Hobson and his wife were painted by the Scottish portraitist Henry Raeburn. The pictures are now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc. nos. P.7-1921 and P.8-1921).
The artist John Constable stayed with the family in the summer of 1806 to assist the Hobson daughters with their sketching. Two of Constable’s sketch books survive from this time; one in the Louvre, Paris and the other at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, with further drawings at the British Museum, London. Hobson and his wife were painted by the Scottish portraitist Henry Raeburn. The pictures are now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc. nos. P.7-1921 and P.8-1921).