Samuel Baker (1761-1836)

British (English) School. Oil painting on canvas, Samuel Baker (1761-1836), British (English) School, circa 1825/30. A half-length portrait of a mature man, turned slightly to the right, gazing at the spectator, dark short hair, wearing a black coat, white shirt with high collar and ruffled shirt front. Red curtain drape on the left with red tassel, drawn back to reveal Rochester bridge and Rochester Castle on the far horizon. Cloudy blue sky. He was a freeman of Rochester (1785) and one of the Cathedral carpenters (1786) and had been a member of the Common Council (1787), Alderman (1795) and Mayor of Rochester (1797 and 1802). He developed a timber merchant and building business on The Common. In 1802-4 he and a Mr Nicholson (probably William 1763-1852, his brother-in-law) were the builders of the Brompton barracks for the Army. His second son was George Baker (1790-1862), who was contracted by the Rochester Bridge wardens to erect a temporary bridge structure, to allow two spans of the medieval bridge to be replaced by a single span in 1818. Owletts, Kent