Title: Portrait of Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche

Creator: Henry William Pickersgill

Description: Painting of Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche. Elected a Member of the Geological Society on 6 June 1817 (no.426) and served on its Council between 1826-1828 and 1830-1852. Elected President of the Society, 1847-1849. Awarded the Wollaston Medal in 1855.

Henry Thomas De la Beche’s main geological work in the south west of England was the first in the world to be government supported and as a result he was appointed the first Director General of the Geological Survey of Great Britain on its formation in 1835.

De la Beche was a gifted artist, often illustrating his own geological papers or creating doodles and caricatures for his and others’ amusement.

The painting was presented to the Geological Society by Thomas George Bonney in 1885.

Date: 1847

Format: Oil painting in gilt frame, 89 x 71 cm

Archive reference: GSL/POR/5

Image reference: 01-05

Recommended print size: Up to 16 x 12 inches (40 x 30cm)