Lot 2130
ENGLISH SCHOOL, Circa 1830
PORTRAIT OF THOMAS BRASSEY (1805-1870)
Half length, wearing a black coat, oil on canvas
74.5 x 62.5cm.
Provenance: By descent in the family of the sitter.
* Brassey was a major figure in the development of railways worldwide. He was the civil engineering contractor responsible for over one third of the railways in Britain and, by the time of his death, had overseen the construction of 5% of all the railways in the world, including massive projects in France, Canada, Australia and India. In addition, he built tunnels, bridges, viaducts and stations and employed over 80,000 people on four continents at the height of his career. Brassey was closely involved with the construction of the London sewerage system. He died in 1870 and is buried in Catsfield, Sussex. He estate was valued at £5.2million.
