John Connell (c. 1759–1849), free settler, merchant and landowner, arrived in Sydney in June 1801. Soon afterwards he started a hardware store on Pitt Street, and later acquired a substantial estate on the Kurnell Peninsula. In addition to his various business interests, Connell served as a coroner and juror and supported charitable and community causes. Though it’s not known for certain, it's probable that Connell's portrait is the work of Richard Read junior, who arrived in Sydney in late 1819. By March 1821 had established himself as a 'Miniature, Portrait and Historical Painter' in Pitt Street, styling himself 'Read junior' so as not to be tainted by association with the other Richard Read in Sydney: his father, who’d been transported to the colony for forgery in 1813. Read junior produced portraits in watercolour on ivory and on paper, with the majority of his commissions coming from military officers and business people who liked his direct, unpretentious style.
Gift of Eleanor Thornton 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
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