Archival material
(chronological)
List of Pictures to be sold, early 1790s
Dulwich College Archive, ms. no. XVI, Desenfans and Bourgeois Papers 1787–1810, no. 9
[f. 21], in the hand of N. J. Desenfans: ‘Pictures to be sold, arranged according to the rooms in which they were hung, with prices attached; no date [370 pictures]. See
Warner 1881, p. 220, no. 9 (no transcript)
Insurance 1804
Dulwich College Archive, ms. no. XVI, Desenfans and Bourgeois Papers 1787–1810
[f. 49r]: ‘To be insured at the Fire Insurance Office the following Pictures the Property of Noel Desenfans Esq. at his houses Nos. 38 & 39 Charlotte St. Portland Place London July 6th 1804 & supposed to be painted by the following Masters and valued as index’, transcript in Warner 1881, pp. 223–7 [124 pictures]
Brown Ledger 1810-1817
Robert Brown’s Ledger (National Art Library, MSL/1993/3/1, unfoliated), one of the accounts of Robert Brown (restorer, 39 Alpha Cottages, New Road, Marylebone, London) is with Mr Allen, Warden of Dulwich College. There are 8 accounts between 11 October 1810 and 15 July 1817, for the repair of pictures. According to Ingamells (2008, p. 11) 79 pictures are mentioned of which 44 are identified as British in Ingamells 2008. Some entries, as a Portrait of a Gentleman or two seapieces by Castro, remain unidentified.
Britton 1813
Dulwich College Archive: J. Britton, ‘A Brief Catalogue of Pictures, Late the Property of Sir Francis Bourgeois, R.A. with the sizes and the proportions of the Pictures’, ms. dated May 24, 1813 [369 pictures; measurements in feet and inches including frames; the pictures were removed from Charlotte Street to Dulwich in September 1814]
Denning 1858
DPG archive: S. P. Denning, ‘A Catalogue of the Dulwich Gallery’, ms; unfoliated; picture numbers up to no. 366, including a list of works of reference and a list of artists’ names
Denning 1859
DPG archive: S. P. Denning [assisted by the Rev Stephen Denning], ‘MS. of a new catalogue of the pictures in the Dulwich Gallery’, ms; unfoliated; picture numbers up to no. 202 [essentially a neater version of Denning 1858]