Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2014 May 22

= May 22 =

Henry Nott
Can anybody help me in finding information about a 19th century illustration of Henry Nott seen here in a late 1904 version in The Story of the L.M.S. and in its complete version here on a random website? I need to know when was the first version made and by whom. I assume it is from a early 19th century book as a front page illustration. Can someone help find a larger resolution of the complete version.--KAVEBEAR (talk) 00:26, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * The "random website" image appears to be an original. I notice that the website also includes an email link to contact the website's authors, and better yet, they invite readers to contact them. I'd suggest sending them an email, to request information on the source of the portrait. Maybe they can send you a larger image file. They could probably give you more useful information. OttawaAC (talk) 01:23, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Maybe not much help, but the same image is used on this postage stamp. Alansplodge (talk) 17:04, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I found your truncated head-and-shoulders image in The history of the London Missionary Society, 1795-1895 Published 1899 (plate facing page 225) if that's any good. Alansplodge (talk) 17:17, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * No that is another derivative work of what I assume is an original full length version. --KAVEBEAR (talk) 20:41, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I thought so, but it was the best I could do, Alansplodge (talk) 20:59, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * It is probably based on an oil painting that hung in the LMS board room, mentioned here and here.--Cam (talk) 14:29, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I have to stop myself from thinking that we're talking about LMS. Alansplodge (talk) 16:56, 24 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks. It doesn't really look like an oil painting from the poor quality ful length we have.--KAVEBEAR (talk) 20:19, 24 May 2014 (UTC)
 * It was quite common for an engraving to be made as a direct copy of a painting, because of the technical difficulty of directly reproducing a painting in print. Alansplodge (talk) 10:36, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

Adam Benjamin photo
I'm trying to find a photo of Adam Benjamin, Jr. that depicts him from anything but a straight-on angle. In other words, something distinct from File:Adam Benjamin, Jr..jpg. My library has a subscription to the New York Times archive that includes this story's original, but the photo is excluded because of copyright. Pretty much everything on Google Image search is Adam Benjamin (musician) or Facebook images of men named Adam with a middle name of Benjamin. 149.160.172.210 (talk) 20:37, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Two other photos here (quality not great).--Cam (talk) 14:40, 23 May 2014 (UTC)