Faraday to Thomas Andrews1   15 September 1863

Royal Institution | 15 Septr. 1863.

My dear Andrews

A dear friend of mine is about to visit your part of the world. If he can reach to you, I hope you will receive him kindly, as from myself, with this introduction. He is an artist & portrait painter. You may perhaps already know him (Mr Blaikley2) by his works in the Royal Academy3:- indeed I think he has even now some of his productions in Belfast, hanging in your Artistic Establishment; so that in that respect, (and a man should be known by his works) you may judge of him by the best kind of testimony even for a philosopher.

My kindest remembrances to Mrs. Andrews4 - & to all the children. Thinking of them makes me think of a game of play:- but the time & with it, all that, is gone by. It is wonderful how the children find out the rheumatism & old aches in an old system. Well, that is all as it should be; & I rejoice to look on at play when I cannot join in it.

Ever My dear Andrews | Yours Very Truly | M. Faraday

Dr. Andrews | &c &c &c

1
Thomas Andrews (1813–1885, ODNB). Professor of Chemistry at Queen’s College, Belfast, 1845–1879.
2
Alexander Blaikley (1816–1903, AlKL). Scottish artist and Sandemanian who lived in London. Cantor (1991), 50.
3
Blaikley exhibited a total of twenty seven pictures at the Royal Academy between 1842 and 1867. Graves (1905-6), 1: 207-8.
4
Jane Hardie Andrews, née Walker (d.1899, PRONI will). Married Thomas Andrews in 1842. See his ODNB entry.

Bibliography

GRAVES, Algernon (1905-6): The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and their work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904, 8 volumes, London.

Please cite as “Faraday4359,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 9 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday4359