Reference code
GI/1/70
Title
Harriet Cheney, 43 Upper Seymour Street. London, to [John] Gibson
Date
16 Jun 1829
Level
Item
Extent & medium
1 piece
Historical Background
Harriet Cheney and her sons, Henry and Edward, were notable members of Anglo-Italian society, especially in Rome, in the 1820s and 1830s.
Content Description
Cheney praises Gibson's 'Cupid', which she had seen in the Royal Academy exhibition. She is critical, however, of
Chantrey's 'Hector and Andromache', of the work of
young Westmacott and
his father, and of what she sees as
Wilkie's declining abilities. She asks Gibson to make her bust in white marble, and says that she has heard that he had been honoured by the
King of Bavaria. She concludes by giving news of friends and members of her family.