British Artist James Northcote Searches for Some Missing Paintings

James Northcote was an early 19th century British artist trained by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Renowned for his portraits of the leaders of his day, his best known work is probably The Murder of the Princes in the Tower.

Autograph Letter Signed, Argyll Place, London, January 26, 1829, to an unnamed correspondent. “Many months since I sent two pictures by the desire of Mr. Howard of Corby Castle [Henry Howard, antiquarian and historian] directed to you in order to be exhibited in the Carlisle Exhibition. I had them carefully packed up in a case and sent by Pickford’s Boats. I have never heard anything about them since and of course must now be very uneasy about their fate. I pray you would inform me as soon as possible if you know anything about those unfortunate pictures and I should still be more obliged if you can give me any advice in what way I can proceed to recover them. I own I have been very foolish but we must all learn by experience and I hope I shall never again have occasion to be so troublesome to you. Pray answer me soon as no time is to be lost. I remain my good sir your sincere friend and very humble servant.” A tear goes through the end of the signature with no loss.
Hopefully Northcote got his paintings back but since he is believed to have painted 2,000 pictures perhaps the loss of two wasn’t too great a mishap. Northcote painted portraits of famous men and women of the day such as the Duke of Wellington, Tsar Alexander, Edward Jenner and many others. He also painted pictures of animals together.