Sir Isaac Brock was a person who, as far as we know, only sat to have his portrait painted twice during his lifetime. A small miniature was painted when he was about 16 years old. Later, while he was stationed in Canada, he sat for the itinerant artist, Gerritt Schipper sometime between 1807 and 1810, likely either in Montreal or Quebec City. The portrait became part of his personal effects which were shipped back to England after his death at Queenston in 1812. The portrait was owned by his family until recently when it was sold to the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery. The Schipper portrait is particularly important because it is the only true likeness of Brock as a mature man, a person who has become so important in the story of this nation’s development.

This Schipper painting will return to Canada for the very first time and RiverBrink Art Museum has been selected to house the pastel for the 2012 commemorations. It will be a key artefact in the museum’s planned exhibitions adding to the visual record of events that took place over the entire length of the War. The display will also feature artworks from the museum’s own collection.

The portrait was painted by Gerritt Schipper (1770-1825), a Dutch artist known for his miniature oval profile portraits in pastel. An artist who travelled to find commissions, he worked in the United States from 1802 after sojourns in Brussels and Russia. In about 1807 he moved to Canada and spent time in Quebec City and Montreal, where he produced many portraits of notable local people. He moved to England in 1810. To facilitate his portraits, Schipper employed a camera obscura, a device that uses a lens to transfer an image of the sitter onto a flat surface where it could be easily copied. He advertised that he could produce a portrait, complete with frame, in forty-five minutes.

Transporting the portrait between Queenston and Guernsey may involve hand carry by a courier or shipping by art handling specialists. In either case this loan will be the largest project for RiverBrink’s 2012 programming, that will include research, display design, construction and related programming and events.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be able to bring this incredible portrait back to Canada and to present it during the bicentennial,” said Curator, Gary Essar. “The portrait is actually quite small in size, and we’re looking forward to building our collection around this extraordinary painting. We hope all Niagara residents and the many visitors to the area make RiverBrink Art Museum a must-stop visit during the next few years.” he said.

The Brock portrait is being lent to RiverBrink Art Museum by the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery, located in the historic town of St. Peter Port on the Island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The Museum and Art Gallery is one of several museums and historic sites in the town. A modern building, it was built around an old Victorian bandstand. The family of Sir Isaac Brock were distinguished residents of the town for many generations, hence the Museum’s interest in acquiring the portrait for the history section of their collection.

“In February 2009 Niagara’s art and history buffs contributed a substantial sum in support of RiverBrink’s bid to purchase this same portrait from Brock’s descendents. While it was ultimately sold to the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery, we are thrilled to have secured it on loan for the 2012 commemorations. Sir Isaac Brock’s likeness will be displayed within sight of the Queenston Heights battlefield and of the Brock Monument that honours him as one of Canada’s first heros.” said Sandra Lawrence, President of the Weir Foundation and RiverBrink Art Museum.

The portrait was painted by Gerritt Schipper (1770-1825), a Dutch artist known for his miniature oval profile portraits in pastel. An artist who travelled to find commissions, he worked in the United States from 1802 after sojourns in Brussels and Russia. In about 1807 he moved to Canada and spent time in Quebec City and Montreal, where he produced many portraits of notable local people. He moved to England in 1810. To facilitate his portraits, Schipper employed a camera obscura, a device that uses a lens to transfer an image of the sitter onto a flat surface where it could be easily copied. He advertised that he could produce a portrait, complete with frame, in forty-five minutes.

And so history is revisited—Military commander Sir Isaac Brock was born in St. Peter Port, Guernsey in 1769. He arrived in Canada in 1802 with his regiment, the 49th Foot. He was promoted to Major-General in 1811 and made provisional administrator of Upper Canada. At the outset of the War of 1812, Brock’s bold initiatives in ordering the capture of Michilimackinac and in leading attacks on Amherstburg and Detroit raised the confidence of the militia. He was killed by a sharpshooter while leading troops against an American battery at Queenston Heights on October 13, 1812.

RiverBrink Art Museum

Location:
116 Queenston Street, Queenston, Ontario
L0S 1L0

Hours of Operation: May 22 to October 17: Daily 10 am-5 pm

Telephone:
905.262.4510 or fax 905.262.4477

Website: www.riverbrink.org