Captain Frederick Marryat, 1792-1848

A half-length portrait to the right. The sitter looks away from the viewer, his right hand resting on his right cheek. He wears a black coat, and the pose implies a man of letters. After an active naval career Marryat retired from service in 1830. He thereafter turned to journalism and wrote a series of successful novels about the sea, based largely on his own experience, particularly those relating to his service in 'Impérieuse', 38 guns. The painting was exhibited at the RA in 1839, under the title 'Captain Marryat, R.N., author of Peter Simple' (no. 453). 'Peter Simple' was published in 1834.

Edward Dixon exhibited under the name “E. Dixon” at the Royal Academy in each of the five years 1835 to 1839. Although his entry for 1839, when this painting was exhibited (453), does not show an address, his address was shown to be 27 Howland Street in the catalogues for both 1837 and 1838.

A lengthy obituary in The Era of 12 May 1839 praised his work. It indicates that he passed away on 29 April 1839 “at the age of about 32” leaving a wife and six children. Noteworthy is the mention of the length of his career: “It is not twelve years since he first took the brush in hand as a portrait-painter, but with very little prospect, if any, at that time, of succeeding in the profession he afterwards so much adorned”.

His marriage certificate from 1825 shows that he was married to Louisa Priscilla Jeans, a resident of Portsea. He was a resident of Alverstoke. Edward was a drawing master in Portsea in 1826 when his daughter Eleanor Louisa Dixon was born. She died in 1852. His son Joshua Reynolds Dixon was born 14 February 1839, just before his father’s death. Joshua died in 1842. Sadly, his wife Louisa entered a debtor's prison in 1842 and died in 1854. Her son William Tatum Dixon was her executor. We are grateful to Marcie Doran for providing this information.