© 2017 Whippet Records
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Gary Miller - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Karen Ross - Vocals
Iain Petrie - Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Throughout the second half of the 1830s the sources of John’s prosperity were drying up, whilst his commitments had greatly increased. He had a wife and five children and his nephew Richard, who were all entirely dependent on him and living with him in a large house. As a result, maintenance and education costs were an enormous drain on his finances. Furthermore, his three brothers, William, Jonathan, and Richard were habitually sponging on him, plus his lavish hospitality in hosting weekly entertainments for the rich and famous of London was constantly eating up his resources. Meanwhile, his schemes for improving London had resulted in failure.
By 1837 his affairs were desperate and he even considered raffling all his old paintings to raise badly needed funds…
“I feel myself a ruined, crushed man. I shall sink now: there are no more bright days for me. My eyes have been opened to the state of my affairs and I am a pauper. I am dishonoured. I know not what will become of us. I have never attended to money matters, and this is the consequence. I have earned £20,000 in a few years, and I am now without a penny. I have been plundered and deceived.”
After a decade of misfortune and a long period of deep depression, however, he showed his mettle and eventually managed to turn his fortunes around and achieved a second period of success, beginning with his painting ‘The Coronation of Queen Victoria’ in 1839. This led to further commissions and the regular exhibiting of his latest works.