DUPONT, Richard Gainsborough

1789 - 1874

Richard Gainsborough Dupont was born at Sudbury, Suffolk in 1789, son of Richard Dupont (1759-1837), a maltster of Market Place, Sudbury, brother of artist Thomas Gainsborough’s nephew, and his wife Jane née Clarke (1757-1817) of Clare, Suffolk, who married in December 1785. In 1811, Richard converted the ‘White Horse’ at Sudbury into a stationer’s shop being given permission to project two windows and in February 1812, advertised himself as a new & second-hand bookseller, also selling stationery, musical instruments, music, and patent medicines at his shop on Market Hill, Sudbury. Two months later, when Hamilton Roche advertised that the sale of his book 'The Sudburiad' would be handled by Dupont, Dupont hastened to dissociate himself from the affair, announcing that the advertisement was placed without his consent. On 13 June 1818, Mr G. Dupont, bookseller, Sudbury advertised for his lost dog which answered to the name of ‘Ponto’ and G. Dupont is listed as a seller in the imprint of Goymer’s 'Hymns' (Ipswich 1819). On 24 March 1821, he announced in the 'Ipswich Journal' that he had disposed of his book selling, stationery and bookbinding business to Henry Offord Bickmore and was one of the creditors in Bickmore’s bankruptcy in 1823. After the sale of his business, Dupont went to live in Wiggin End [East Street], Sudbury where he remained for the rest of his life, continuing the family’s artistic tradition as a painter & illustrator. He married at Long Melford, Suffolk on 10 December 1858, Susan Salter (1823-1898) and had a daughter Louisa (1851-1903) who married Richard Walt Waring (1840-1915). Richard Gainsborough Dupont died at Sudbury on 14 February 1874, aged 85 and buried in Sudbury cemetery nine days later. He referred to himself as Gainsborough Dupont to avoid confusion with his father. (Copsey-Suffolk Book Trades.2012.)

---

Works by This Artist