Portrait of Charles Rowley (1839-1933)

Summary

A study of the head and shoulders of a middle-aged man with a full ginger beard. His head is turned slightly to the left, his gaze following the same direction. He wears a dark jacket wth a light coloured handkerchief in the pocket.

Display Label

150 Charles Rowley 1885 Coloured chalks on paper Rowley had a picture framing business in Manchester. He became a close friend of Brown and helped him to obtain the murals commission by promoting his work in the city. Rowley was a City Councillor for New Cross ward in Ancoats, one of the poorest areas of the city. A believer in bringing cultural enrichment to the working classes, he founded the Ancoats Recreation Committee and the Ancoats Brotherhood, which organised free art exhibitions, concerts and lectures. Brown was one of the many artistic and learned personalities who spoke or performed there. Manchester City Galleries