
Rhyanon Demery
Head of Sale
Sold for £687.50 inc. premium
Our Travel & Exploration specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistHead of Sale
Provenance
By descent through the sitter's family.
Charles Dickson Archibald (1802-1868), born in Truro, N.S., was the eldest son of Samuel George William Archibald. Like his father he studied law and began a career in politics. He was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly representing Truro Township in 1826 at the age of 24. However, he grew tired of political life and by 1830 he accepted an appointment as chief clerk and registrar of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland only to resign a year later. In 1832 he married Bridget Walker, an heiress to the Rusland estate in Lancashire, England, and spent the remainder of his life there. In 1840, Archibald became a fellow of the Royal Society of London, the first Nova Scotian to be accepted the honour. Despite being settled in England, he did retain an interest in Nova Scotia and during the 1840s and 50s he spent considerable time there and was active in supporting the emergent ironworks and railroad industries.
A portrait of Charles Dickson Archibald presently hangs in the National Assembly of Nova Scotia, albeit probably painted 20 years earlier than the present portrait.