Mingay History Web Pages (MHWP)

www.mingayhistorywebpages.com

Or

www.mingayhistory.co.uk

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These are the portraits of Mr & Mrs James Mingay K.C. (Eliza Coral, (also spelt Corrall, Correll).

The portraits were painted by George Romney (1734-1802). The letter (right), gives more information regarding Eliza's painting. The document is from the National Portrait Gallery in London regarding the portrait of Eliza Mingay.  The painting was reported stolen.  Although the letter asked Jack to trat the attribution to Romney with caution, James verified it's artist in his will.

"Also I give to her the picture of herself by Romney and the Drawing of myself in Crayons by Russell."

She was Elisa Correll of Maidstone College Kent. Apparently she had a number of sittings:

1786    June 28th, July 5, 12, 19, & 26th, then November 9,16,19,28th

Then:

1789 June 15th

In 1791 February 6th, (incidentaly my birthday), she Married James.  She died at Maidstone February 1st 1817.  In 1997 the portrait as at 5 September was owned by Colby College Waterville, Maine, USA.  It was given to them by a Miss Amelia Peabody of Boston, MA when she passed on in 1984.  Information by John Walter Mingay.

Romney painted the portraits of both James Mingay and his wife in 1786-7; and a list of the various sittings will be found on pp. 106-7 of my Catalogue Raisonne of Romney’s works. They were what was then called "Half-lengths," i.e. each measured about 50 in. by 40 in., and for each of which the artist’s fee would have been about 40 guineas. James Mingay’s portrait was engraved in mezzotint by Charles Howard Hodges in October 1791, a very fine example of this accomplished engraver’s work. According to the Monthly Magazine of March 1801, Macklin, the publisher of the engraving, paid Hodges £50 for the work. The two portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Mingay were sent to Mingay’s London residence or office, Bedford Row, in July 1789, as duly entered in Romney’s books, and were paid for by Mr. Mingay himself on that date.