Rob Hall Antiques

Description

A primitive school watercolour of Norwich Castle, Norfolk by John Drew Salmon (1802-1859).

John Drew Salmom was an English botanist and ornithologist who grew up in Norfolk.

In 1836 Salmon published A Notice of the Arrival of Twenty-nine migratory Birds in the Neighbourhood of Thetford, Norfolk. A number of his papers of his on ornithology and botany appeared between 1832 and 1852 in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, The Zoologist and The Phytologist. His six fasicles of plant specimens and hand written manuscript from his flora of the neighbourhood of Godalming are in the Charterhouse school Herbarium maintained at the University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley. Salmon left his herbarium and natural history diaries from 1825 to 1837 left to the Norwich Museum. The egg collection he bequeathed to the musuem was so extensive the museum had to acquire additional cabinets.

In 1832 Salmon had a narrow escape when on 16th October he was travelling home from Lynn Market to Stoke Ferry, with his uncle, John Curry who was a local and well respected farmer. As they passed through West Winch Curry drove his gig between a wagon and a gentleman’s carriage, and a collision occurred. Curry was killed instantly and Salmon was seriously injured but survived. Salmon later moved to Godalming, Surrey where he wrote a book on the local flora, and later 164 Strand, London.

The painting is marked “Drawn by J. D Salmon, Burnham Thorpe School, 1815”. This would have been when John was 13 years old and shows his talent already developing. As an ornithologist and botanist he would have drawn his observations for his records. Burnham Thorpe is better known as the birth place of Lord Nelson just a few years earlier.

A photograph of Salmon dated 1855 is held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

The figures depicted outside Norwich castle include military figures, including a soldier in his blue uniform in the foreground.

An absolutely delightful place in good condition in what appears to be its original frame.
Measuring: Frame: 52 cm x 42 cm
English, Norfolk, 1815