Author: Gerard, Ebenezer
Biography:
GERARD, Ebenezer (c. 1784-1826: ancestry.co.uk)
Few public records have been located for Ebenezer Gerard, a miniature portrait painter, and it is not known where or exactly when he was born. At the time of his death in Glasgow on 13 Jan. 1826 he was said to be 42, giving a birth year of about 1784. In 1812-13 he was living in London where he exhibited at least one painting with the Royal Academy; in 1814-17 he was in Norwich where he exhibited with the Norwich Society of Artists; and in the early 1820s he was in Liverpool where he had a studio at 64 Lord Street. His wife’s first name was Ann but her surname is not known and no record of the marriage has been located. A son, Henry James Gerard, was born in London in 1812. Another son, William Sinclair Gerard, was born in Norwich in 1815. They also had a daughter, Elizabeth. Before moving to Liverpool Gerard suffered from an acute illness which left him with lingering muscle weakness in his arms; although he was able to continue painting on a limited scale, he could not earn enough to support his family. He began contributing verse to the Kaleidoscope and it is these poems, with some verse replies by his friends, that are printed in Letters in Rhyme. (ancestry.co.uk 9 Oct. 2024; N&Q 5 Dec. 1908; Raymond Lister, “Ebenezer Gerard,” Apollo 1 Nov. 1960, 143-45) SR
Other Names:
- E. Gerard