Signed 1829 Watercolor Portrait with Scandalous Inscription on Reverse

This early 19th-century watercolor portrait is signed “Painted by Mr. King” and dated 1829. It shows the sitter, Hanah Tichbon, dressed as a proper young woman of the period, wearing white with a gold chain and cross and holding a small book, likely a Bible. The portrait presents the composed public image expected in Georgian society. The reverse tells a very different story. Written on the back of the card is a handwritten record of Hanah Tichbon, also called Hanah Honsett, born September 22, 1809, and married to Thomas Matcham on October 6, 1829. The inscription continues with brief notes over the following years, recording that she left him at Bath, attended the Brighton races, later “ran away from Sheffets,” and in 1841 “ran away in London and was found.” Together, these entries form an unusually personal record of a life in early nineteenth-century England. Portraits of the period were created to preserve appearance and respectability. Here, the inscription transforms the object into something more revealing. The calm image on the front contrasts sharply with the fragmentary history on the reverse, which records a series of departures that would have been considered deeply scandalous in early nineteenth-century England. Portraits that retain a handwritten record of the sitter’s life are uncommon and give this example a particularly personal historical dimension. The portrait is presented in a simple gilt frame that complements the period character of the work while allowing the image to remain the focus. Dimensions: 6.5″ x 7″ including the frame Condition: Wear consistent with age and use. Minor age related wear to the frame and surface. Handwritten inscription on the reverse. Decoration: Watercolor portrait of Hanah Tichbon wearing white with a gold chain and cross and holding a book Material: Watercolor and pencil on card Style: Early 19th-Century Georgian portrait work Origin: England Date: 1829