John Church Dempsey (1802–1877) was an English artist specialising in

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

ure. He operated a stationery shop in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, but in 1845 he was declared

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

and his effects were seized. After this he became semi-itinerant, travelling as far afield as

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

and

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. He painted miniatures and silhouette portraits primarily, as well as the occasional full canvas. In later life (after 1850) he took up photography. Possible because of his vagrant lifestyle, Dempsey primarily depicted beggars, buskers and other itinerant persons in his works, although he took commissions from the wealthy as well, painting the Lord Mayor of London as well as members of the Liverpool Stock Exchange. His works are of interest to historians as they document the rise of the "urban proletariat" in Britain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, John Church 1802 births 1877 deaths British portrait painters British male painters

Further reading

References