Hi Reddit,
I have been gifted from an Aunt a painting that had been believed to be that of my 5th great grandfather Charles Macintosh [1766-1843] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Macintosh):
https://i.imgur.com/mWiu0hk.jpg
However, I can't see a great resemblance with the pictures on the internet of Charles Macintosh.
I have found a 1909 will from my great great grandfather that mentions three portraits: "I give my son the Reverend John Graham Forrest the portraits of his grand father and grand mother and the portrait of Charles Macintosh (a presentation from the Corporation of the City of Glasgow) And I desire that such pictures may be considered as heirlooms never to go out of the family."
Obviously this isn't his grandmother, so the painting could either be of said Charles Macintosh (who was his great great grandfather), or my ancestor's grandfather - of which there are two options:
As a point of reference I have a photo of my great grandfather (who would be a grandson of the above): https://i.imgur.com/ty4jz5q.jpg - there's quite a strong resemblance.
Another point of reference is the portrait of Dr John Forrest's cousin William Hutton Forrest [1799-1879] http://rootsunearthed.com/index.php5?title=William_Hutton_FORREST_(1799-1879)
Are there any clues in the painting (e.g. clothing worn by various occupations, style of painting - approximate age) that would point to any of the above?
Another clue might be that the paintings of grandmother and grandfather might have been done at the same time and would be of husband and wife - Dr John Forrest's wife (Ann Mclachlan [1810-1842]) died early aged 31, whereas John Graham Rodger's wife (Eliza Macintosh Horrocks [1823-1891]) reached 68.
Also, if the portraits were of John Graham Forrest's mother's parents you would expect them to be mentioned in her will of 1899 which mentions other heirlooms, so that might be an indication that these were from her husband's line as they were mentioned only in his will? Having said that Charles Macintosh was their relation on the wife's side.
Thanks!
The portrait cannot be Dr John Forrest, John Graham Rodger, or William Hutton Forrest, as it dates to the 1790s, before they were born! Compare to the 1795 portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart: the tall standing collars on coat and waistcoat, the simple but still somewhat curled and powdered hair. (The painterly style is also similar.) Your portrait also shows the man wearing a cravat, which doesn't change my opinion of the date. It could be somewhat later, as conservative men continued with this hairstyle into the 1810s, but it's more likely to be ca. 1800 at the latest.
There's not much depth I can go into here, unfortunately. I don't think it looks like Macintosh in the nose and lips, but there's almost 50 years between the two images, which can change you a lot.
