Hon. Robert Alexander Harrison (C.J.Q.B., 1875-1878)

Painting

-

Law Society of Ontario

Name/Title

Hon. Robert Alexander Harrison (C.J.Q.B., 1875-1878)

Entry/Object ID

FA243

Description

Oil painting of Hon. Robert Alexander Harrison. Harrison is portrayed seated on a red chair at a desk, his body slightly turned away from the viewer. Harrison's gaze is on the viewer. He is wearing white tabs and a black legal gown which has red trim. Harrison also wears black shoes with gold buckles. Harrison is writing in a book with a quill. A book in the bottom right corner of the painting appears to have fallen on the ground, propped up on its pages.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil on Canvas

Acquisition

Accession

13332

Notes

1876 commission

Made/Created

Artist

George Théodore Berthon

Date made

1876

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Location

bottom left

Transcription

Berthon 1876

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Search Terms

FINE ART, Painting

Legacy Lexicon

Class

Art

Category

8: Communication Artifact

Other Names

Name Type

French

Other Name

œuvre peinte

Name Type

Spanish

Other Name

pinturas (obra visual)

Dimensions

Height

243.9 cm

Width

160.1 cm

Dimension Notes

approx. dimensions

Height

96 in

Width

63 in

Web Links and URLs

For more information about the Osgoode Hall portrait collection

Exhibitions

Notes

OSA 1877-00-00

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Robert Alexander Harris (1833-1878) was a lawyer, judge, and politician. This portrait was commissioned during his tenure as Chief Justice, painted by George Théodore Berthon (1806-1892). Berthon was regularly commissioned by the Law Society of Upper Canada to paint likenesses of chief justices. This painting was entered into the 1877 Ontario Society of Artists exhibition by Berthon, where it was met with mixed criticism. The most scathing review came from The Telegram, a local newspaper. “The face is dark and muscular, and the fierceness of the expression might possibly have been brought out had the "Chief Justice" been doing his best to bite a ten-penny nail in two while his portrait was being painted. The subject is worthy of a better treatment and we fear this will be regarded by some as a kind of libel on his good looks. But it may be that our taste is not the popular one, and we will only add that the details of the painting are well executed.” The photograph the painting was modelled after can be seen here and you can be the judge of whether the painting is a “kind of libel” on Harrison, or not.

Research Notes

Notes

Minutes of Convocation - vol. 5, p. 578 (Tuesday, November 16, 1875): Resolved that Mr. Berthon be employed to paint the portrait of Chief Justice Harrison in the usual form, and also a half-length picture of Mr. Treasurer [John Hillyard Cameron]. Minutes of Convocation - vol. 6, p. 51 (Tuesday, December 26, 1876): Ordered that Mr. Berthon's account for Chief Justice Harrison's and the Honorable J. Hillyard Cameron pictures be paid. Carr (M. Phil., p. 92) suggests that this painting was done based on a photo by Hunter & Co. dating from 1875 to 1878 (Archives of Ontario).

Notes

See artwork file for detail of public criticism of portrait.

Research Type

Web

Notes

Result: history St. John Daily News reports that the painting has been ordered. Painting to hang in Osgoode's Hall "portait gallery." Dec 6, 1875, p. 2