Mr P Le Couteur, Headmaster of Newington College, Stanmore, Sydney, PR Le Couteur in The Newingtonian Rev Dr CJ Prescott, by by Reginald Jerrold-Nathan, 1948. 75th Anniversary Edition. Rev Dr CJ Prescott, c. 1910. Reginald Jerrold-Nathan, 1925. FROM THE ARCHIVES A tale of two portraits 2021 was the centenary of the Archibald Prize, Australia’s most prestigious portrait prize. In 2019 the Art Gallery of New South Wales In the end the portrait was purchased for and, as an expression of gratitude and contacted the College as part of their 80 pounds without the frame. Clearly it was heartfelt appreciation, the school celebrated project to build a database of the 3,000- subsequently framed. the occasion by the unveiling of [the] odd portraits that had been finalists in the portrait’. Prof Arthur Lucas, Newington’s competition since 1921 and to identify the The portrait was presented to Le Couteur Headmaster in the 1890s and a former whereabouts of as many of these a possible at a farewell dinner hosted by the College Headmaster of Sydney Grammar School, for potential use in a centenary exhibition.* Council in September 1949. ‘In his finest representing the Headmasters Association, style,’ The Newingtonian reported, ‘Mr Le declared it ‘one of the greatest joys of his The Gallery’s records identified a portrait Couteur asked that the portrait be handed life to be present at the unveiling’, the two by Reginald Jerrold-Nathan titled Mr P Le to the College Council to be hung in the having known each other from childhood at Couteur, Headmaster of Newington College, Assembly Hall. There it will join the gallery Kingswood School in England in the 1860s. Stanmore, Sydney, which was a finalist in of other men who have helped make the 1948 Archibald Prize. What did we know Newington’s history since 1863.’ Prescott, for his part, responded that he about it and did we have it? welcomed the hanging of his portrait, ‘not The Art Gallery’s list of finalists included for any vain reason, but because it was a Our portrait of Philip Le Couteur, Newington’s another Jerrold-Nathan portrait, simply tradition in the English schools’, and he Headmaster from 1931 to 1948, hangs in titled Headmaster, entered in the 1946 wanted to see the finest such traditions the Prescott Hall, but we knew nothing of competition. Could this be our portrait carried out here. its background. of Rev Dr Charles Prescott, Newington’s Headmaster from 1900 to 1931, noted in And who was Jerrold-Nathan’s mysterious The first mention of that portrait was in the his Australian Dictionary of Biography profile ‘Headmaster’ of 1946? We don’t know, but minutes of the October 1948 meeting of as having been painted by Jerrold-Nathan he wasn’t one of ours. the Council of the Old Newingtonians’ Union and being at Newington College? (ONU), with a report of a letter from an Old * The Archie 100 exhibition, which sadly Boy, J.S. Potter (ON 1918), ‘re portrait of The short answer was no. Rev Dr Peter does not include the Le Couteur portrait, is the Headmaster to be hung in the Assembly Swain’s history of the College, Newington currently on a national tour. Past works and Hall at the College’. It is not clear how the Across the Years, notes that Jerrold- winners can be seen at: portrait had come to be painted — there is Nathan was commissioned to paint a www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/ no indication that it was commissioned by portrait of Prescott to mark his 25 years of the ONU or the College — but the matter was headmastership. This was confirmed by a Mr David Roberts obviously followed up. brief report of the portrait being completed College Archivist and presented in the minutes of a Council Jerrold-Nathan’s asking price was reported meeting in February 1926. at the May 1949 meeting as 150 guineas for the painting and 15 guineas for the The account of the 1925 Speech Day in The frame. The Councillors were not impressed, Newingtonian of May 1926 provided more considering that ‘this was excessive and that details. ‘Dr Prescott has for 25 years been 30 or 40 guineas was nearer the mark’. the backbone and mainstay of the College, 62 | Curiosity | News Autumn 2022 |Alumni, Community and Development