called Mr. Ainsworth

This subject is called “Mr. Ainsworth, merchant of London, agent of Augustine Moore.” A “Mr. Ainsworth” cannot currently be identified. The subject was also previously identified as “John Bickerton.” The portrait descended with “Mrs. Clarke” in the Moore family at Chelsea Plantation. It was formerly attributed to Charles Bridges. The date of creation is unclear, but based on style, it likely dates to ca. 1720-40.

Dimensions: 40 x 28 1/4 in. (101.6 x 71.76 cm.)

The portrait shows a man wearing a white wig with a ponytail over his right shoulder, and wearing a jacket with trim. His left hand is on his hip and his right hand holds what appears to be a folded letter. The dimensions are about four inches taller than standard kit-cat canvases, but the inclusion of hands and the standard width indicates it was likely intended to be a kit-cat portrait.

See: Graham Hood, Charles Bridges and William Dering: Two Virginia Painters, 1735-1750 (1975): 88, 92; FARL