The painted portrait seems to be a peculiarly British art form. No other country has found it so necessary, through all periods, to capture the images of family and friends, the important and the powerful. This elegant work is the first thorough documentation of over 5000 artists from the mid-16th century to the early part of the 20th, some famous, many obscure. Stewart, a noted British art critic, and archivist and genealogist Cutten have brought together information from a variety of sources, including wills and family papers, parish registers and local newspapers, to produce a remarkable research tool. With many illustrations of rarely seen works, exhibition records, and bibliographic citations, this work provides information never before gathered into one useful, usable volume. Highly recommended for all art, academic, and large public libraries.‘Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.