Author Topic: Naval and Military LAMBERT  (Read 21797 times)

Offline ThamesDitton

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #36 on: Tuesday 29 October 13 13:36 GMT (UK) »
Glenalta:  Right - they'd like to be in touch.  Please pm me your contact email and details.

Offline Krixa

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #37 on: Saturday 28 December 13 22:54 GMT (UK) »
Some years ago I acquired two paintings, the provenance of which states they are of Robert Alexander Lambert, Captain RN and his wife, painted by a young John Jackson, RA.

I came across this thread while doing some research, which has confirmed much of what we were told upon purchase: That the gentleman was a moderately famous Royal Navy captain who had very famous sons, and that the wife was from a plantation family (she is painted in typical Indies attire).

I especially appreciate the history of the Lambert family in the Thames Ditton magazine and the work everyone here has done tracking down the family.

I am still working to confirm the artist, as he'd have been rather young to have painted them, but am happy to share pictures of the two works. Enjoy!

Offline ThamesDitton

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #38 on: Sunday 29 December 13 14:30 GMT (UK) »
Some years ago I acquired two paintings, the provenance of which states they are of Robert Alexander Lambert, Captain RN and his wife, painted by a young John Jackson, RA.

I came across this thread while doing some research, which has confirmed much of what we were told upon purchase: That the gentleman was a moderately famous Royal Navy captain who had very famous sons, and that the wife was from a plantation family (she is painted in typical Indies attire).

I especially appreciate the history of the Lambert family in the Thames Ditton magazine and the work everyone here has done tracking down the family.

I am still working to confirm the artist, as he'd have been rather young to have painted them, but am happy to share pictures of the two works. Enjoy!

This is wonderful news.  I (and I am sure the Lamberts' descendants with whom I am in contact) would love a good quality photo of each of these.  I had been trying to locate them without success.

The paintings (but not the artist) are mentioned in their eldest son Robert Stuart Lambert's will and if I recall correctly, he would have left them to the next brother, (General Sir) John Lambert.  Other papers descended that way to the person I believe to be the last of that (John's) line, Miss Alice Winsome Lambert (1899 - 17 Nov 1983).  She died in Shropshire, and the family papers went from the executor to the county who passed them to the Surrey History Centre in Woking where I have been studying them.  It seems quite likely that the paintings were sold off in Shropshire at that time (plausible guesswork) so I would be interested to know where you came by them.

The latest issue of TD Today deals summarily with their slave plantation in Jamaica.

pm with my email address follows imminently

Offline ThamesDitton

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #39 on: Sunday 29 December 13 15:13 GMT (UK) »
PS it might help in your researches on the artist to know that Capt. Robert Alexander Lambert died 21 December 1805 - the Gentleman's magazine has it right, other sources including the peerage and the Oxford DNB entries on his sons have it wrong.

I see from the national Portrait Gallery: " In 1804, Jackson moved to London. He began studying at the Royal Academy schools and by 1807 had established himself as a portrait painter"

The possible date of the paintings therefore, if we have the subjects and the artist right, would be 1804-1805.   Capt. L (as his wife calls him in her diaries) would have been 72-73 and Catherine 52-53, which seems to fit with the aspect of the subjects in your paintings.

For what it may be worth, I have swiftly searched Catherine's diaries for any mention of Jackson's early patrons Phipps, Beaumont and Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, on the off-chance there might have been an even earlier acquaintance with the young Jackson, but no trace of any of them (though a couple of years later Catherine was a friend in Brighton of Lady Julia Howard, wife of Earl of Suffolk)

There is no mention of Jackson in the diaries.  There is a diary for 1804, but there is no diary for 1805 (I suspect because of the trauma of Capt L's sudden death Catherine or a descendant may have destroyed it; there is no diary for the year in which her son Capt Henry Lambert RN was killed, either).  So - I'm speculating that the portrait of Capt L. was done in 1805, the year he died.


Offline ThamesDitton

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #40 on: Sunday 29 December 13 18:11 GMT (UK) »
Will of Robert Stuart Lambert, Vice-Admiral in the Navy: 
......"I give to my dear Brother John after my death the silver family Christening Cup and also my dear father and Mother's pictures and also my uncle Cussans picture  To my dear Brother Samuel my Gold Watch that I always wear  To my dear Brother George the sword presented to our dear Brother Henry by the patriotic fund".......

I have not retrieved the following wills but the likely course of inheritance is as follows, as the family papers ended up with Alice Winsome Lambert:  General Sir John Lambert will have left the family heirlooms via his wife Jane to his eldest son John Arthur Lambert (Maj - Genl) who died without issue.  John Arthur's younger brother Robert (capt in the army) was the surviving member of that family, and Alice Winsome Lambert, army Capt. Robert's grand-daughter, was the sole survivor of army Capt. Robert's son Robert, also in the army.

((Comment: the sword that Capt. Henry Lambert RN carried on his fateful action is now with the USS Constitution Museum in Boston.  It was believed by the Museum to be probably a sword presented to Henry after the Mauritius Campaign.  The patriotic fund sword may have been from his earlier action against the Psyche.  cf. Glenalta's story of heirlooms in Australia, above!))

Offline Krixa

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #41 on: Sunday 29 December 13 21:16 GMT (UK) »
This is wonderful context for the paintings. I've sent a link to hi-res photos... hope they are helpful and glad that we can add Robert and Catherine's images back into the story of the Lamberts.

I purchased the paintings in 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland from a neighbor/art collector. He was selling some of his collection and we loved the matched set of paintings and the story of the Lamberts (as was relayed to us at the time). According to our neighbor, he bought them in England from a broker who got them at an estate sale.


Offline ThamesDitton

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #42 on: Sunday 29 December 13 22:10 GMT (UK) »
This is wonderful context for the paintings. I've sent a link to hi-res photos... hope they are helpful and glad that we can add Robert and Catherine's images back into the story of the Lamberts.

I purchased the paintings in 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland from a neighbor/art collector. He was selling some of his collection and we loved the matched set of paintings and the story of the Lamberts (as was relayed to us at the time). According to our neighbor, he bought them in England from a broker who got them at an estate sale.

Excellent.  I haven't received the links yet.  In case of error, I will re-send by pm my email address.

Offline Bowyer1814

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #43 on: Monday 30 December 13 00:02 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I'm new to this so apologies in advance for any errors in protocol, etc. I'm a direct descendant of Capt Robert Alexander Lambert and therefore very interested in the link to the picture of him and his wife. Would it be possible to send it to me?

Offline ThamesDitton

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Re: Naval and Military LAMBERT
« Reply #44 on: Monday 30 December 13 06:39 GMT (UK) »
I'm a direct descendant of Capt Robert Alexander Lambert" . . . .

Fascinated to learn more about your own genealogy either here or via pm.

From your choice of username I'm guessing Gen Sir John, who took fort Bowyer in the second battle the following year and who is buried a mile or two away from here. Alice Winsome Lambert believed herself the last of that line, but some branches I have not tracked down.