The relationship between painting and early photography was an uneasy one; many painters felt threatened by the new medium, although others – those of a particularly inquisitive nature – accepted the new invention and exploited it for the advantages it offered. Similarly, a number of canny society photographers, wishing to bridge the divide between hand-wrought and technologically derived portrait media, styled themselves “Portrait and Miniature Painters”. One such enterprise was that of Maull & Fox of Piccadilly, London, who were active in the second half of the 19th century.

It is interesting to note that some early Maltese photographers also offered their services in this area: one such practitioner was Alessandro Caruana, who advertised himself as “Photographer and Miniature Painter”. In Margaret Harker’s pioneering publication Photographers of Malta, 1840-1990, she writes that Caruana was originally a painter of miniatures who then became one of Leandro Preziosi’s valued assistants and the colourist of his master’s photographic portraits.

Caruana learned the technique of photography from Preziosi and pursued an independent career as portrait photographer in his own right after Preziosi’s death in 1869, although in some cases he practised in association with Augusto Felice. Caruana’s contribution to the development of society photography in Malta has yet to be fully appreciated.

Henry Maull (1829-1914) was a British photographer who specialised in portraiture and garnered clients who were well established in all walks of life. Maull established many partnerships during his long career; the last being with John Fox. This collaboration started in 1879 and survived under the name of Maull & Fox until 1928.

This article delves into the intriguing history of how a photographic portrait of Governor Sir Patrick Grant by Maull & Fox spawned two portraits in oils – one in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London and the other in the author’s collection. On the way, we take a glance at photographic portraits of some of the protagonists in this story.

General Sir Patrick Grant, GCB, GCMG, served as Governor of Malta from 1867 to 1872. These dates are significant because they span a period of intense early photographic activity in Malta. We are especially fortunate that Grant and his family did not appear to have been shy in embracing the new medium.

Grant served as Governor of Malta from 1867 to 1872… a period of intense early photographic activity in Malta

Besides Grant’s photographic portrait by Maull and Fox, which shows him holding the baton of a field marshal, and thus dates to a period well after his departure from Malta, the author has traced three other photographic portraits of this governor. Two of these have connections with Malta.

Sir Patrick Grant, by G. L. Formosa. Author’s Collection

One is by Giuseppe Lorenzo Formosa, who was another assistant to Preziosi in the 1860s who set up on his own in 1867, the year of Grant’s arrival in Malta. It would have been a significant accolade for Formosa if he was permitted to capture the governor’s image in the first year of his practice as an independent photographer. However, this portrait lacks both detail and mid-tones, thus it may have been a reproduction of a portrait by another photographer. In this case, Formosa gives no credit to the original photographer.

Like many governors before as well as after him, Grant was joined in Malta by his wife and family, and a rare photograph shows the family group assembled at the Palace in Valletta outside the architecturally imposing entrance to the Armoury. It is an important photograph because, to this author’s knowledge, it is the first photograph of a governor’s family group taken at the Palace. Unfortunately, neither the photographer nor the date of this photograph are known. This group shows Governor Grant seated with his wife to his left and one of his daughters to his right. Hugh Gough Grant, one of the principal players in this story, can be seen gazing down at his sibling seated in front of him.

Viscount Hugh Gough, by Camille Silvy. Author’s Collection

In the 1840s, Governor Grant had fought under Field Marshal Hugh Gough in the Indian wars and, after his first wife died, he married, in 1844, Frances Maria, Gough’s daughter. The first son born of this second marriage was named Hugh Gough Grant, in honour of his grandfather, and was known in the family as Hugo. Their second son, Henry Fane Grant, was himself to hold the governorship of Malta from 1907 to 1909, and this is the only instance of a father and son both holding this post in Malta.

Hugo, a lieutenant in the 78th Regiment of Foot (or The Ross-shire Buffs), accompanied his father to Malta in 1867 as his aide-de-camp; an older son, Captain Alexander Charles Grant, of the 11th Hussars, was appointed assistant military secretary to the governor and is most likely the other gentleman standing in the back row of the family group. Hugo, like his father, also seems to have welcomed photographic portraiture; the accompanying image shows his portrait taken by Preziosi.

Hugh Gough Grant, by Leandro Preziosi. Author’s Collection

A few years ago, an oil portrait of Sir Patrick Grant attributed to E.J. Turner was offered by a popular online auction house. The seller claimed that the portrait was painted by the same artist who painted a similar portrait now in the NPG’s collection.

The two portraits are shown here side by side. Both these portraits are quite clearly based on the photograph by Messrs. Maull and Fox. In the photograph, Grant is shown standing wearing a field marshal’s uniform (he was promoted to this rank in 1883); his right elbow rests on a high table with his plumed bicorn hat by his side. In his right hand he holds his field marshal’s baton.

Field Marshal Sir Patrick Grant, by Maull & Fox. Author’s Collection

Sir Patrick Grant by E.J. Turner, after a photograph by Maull & Fox © National Portrait Gallery, London

Sir Patrick Grant, by E.J. Turner. Author’s Collection

On his chest, Grant wears his campaign medals (left to right): the India General Service Medal, Punjab Medal with one clasp, Sutlej Medal with two clasps and the Gwalior Star. Below these are the breast stars of a Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (Military) and the Order of St Michael and St George.

In the painted portraits, the sitter assumes a similar standing pose except that he holds his baton in his left hand; in the author’s version, he clutches it at its mid-point, as in the photograph, whereas in the NPG version he cradles it in the crook of his arm. In the latter, he is also shown wearing a black cape draped over his shoulders.

Having acquired the portrait, it was expertly conserved by PrevArti of Mosta, and professionally photographed by Peter Bartolo Parnis. The next step was a visit to the NPG in London to consult their file on their portrait. The first exciting discovery was that both portraits were, to all practical purposes, the same size, varying by only two or three millimetres. Both portraits were signed by the same artist, and furthermore, the similarity in size strengthened the assumption that they might were executed within a short period of one another. Despite each portrait’s appearance of monumentality, the canvasses are quite modest in size, measuring just 31cm by 43cm.

The NPG’s file also gave valuable information regarding the provenance of both paintings.

In late January 1907, Hugo, now a colonel, wrote to the NPG offering the gift of a portrait in oils of his father. The portrait was available for viewing at Messrs Maull & Fox of Piccadilly. A few days later, the portrait was sent by the photographers to the gallery for closer inspection and by mid-February, the trustees of the NPG had accepted the portrait for their collection.

According to the correspondence on file, Grant hoped that the portrait would be hung “in a fairly good place”. In addition, he suggested that if the gallery were inclined to add a presentation label, he suggested it should read “From some members of his (Sir Patrick Grant’s) family”. This wording implies that not all the family members were in agreement about the donation.

The filed notes also confirm the part played by the photographic portrait since they stated their portrait “was based to a great extent upon the photograph taken by Messrs Maull & Fox of Piccadilly”, adding helpfully that the portrait “was finished from life”. This indicates that since Grant died in 1895, the portrait was completed between 1883 and 1895.

Unfortunately, the file notes give little information about the artist. Turner is thought to have been a regional artist working in or around Manchester. Significantly, the notes also inform us that the NPG portrait “is a variation of a similar work done for a member of the family. The portrait offered to the NPG differs from the other only thus far that a military cloak has been added”. This confirms the existence of a copy, fitting the description of that purchased by the author.

The NPG file notes help to tie up some loose ends surrounding the newly discovered portrait. They also confirm the importance of the Maull & Fox photograph as the basis for both oil portraits.

The display of military portraits is not as popular as it was a century ago, so Grant’s portrait is kept in storage off-site rather than at the NPG’s central London location. Nevertheless, the portrait and its provenance add detail to the gubernatorial iconography of Malta.

Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the kind assistance offered by the staff at the National Portrait Gallery, London, in the preparation of this article.

Note

Unless otherwise stated, all images are from the author’s collection. The unauthorised reproduction of images from this article is not permitted.