Thomas Barber 1771-1843 of Nottingham and Derby: portrait painter and associate of the Moravian Church

I have written about the above and have prepared a draft listing of his pictures that I have heard of.

Summary
Thomas Barber may have begun his career as a house-painter but went on to paint many portraits in the North Midlands between about 1800 and 1840, and a few landscapes. His style of portraiture emulates that of Sir Thomas Lawrence - from whom he may well have received some instruction, perhaps as a studio assistant. Barber exhibited portraits at the Royal Academy over a number of years, but only starting in 1810 when he was nearly forty. He lived and worked in Derby from about 1814 - 1830 and later returned to Nottingham. In 1822 his son or more likely he himself was a member of the Nottingham Subscription Library, which purchased Bromley House that year. He painted portraits of several of the other early members there. Barber's religious background was non-conformist. He married twice, both his wives being from families who were members of the Moravian Church (United Brethren). Barber knew a number of members of that church but seems not to have been a member as such. Thomas Barber's eldest son, who had the same name, and who was also a portrait painter died in his mid-twenties. One of the other sons, Alfred, was an artist / printer and photographer who worked in Nottingham until the early 1840s before moving away. Nearly eighty of Thomas Barber's works were exhibited in Nottingham in 1893, fifty years after his death. The Castle Museum there still has several of the pictures.

Article

Removed as being amended 24 Sep. 2020

List of Pictures

Likewise

I hope to republish this in the form of several posts on this blog in the near future.

EMB

24 Sep. 2020