James Legge Willis

The sitter is James Willis, here, as Consul-General of Senegambia, examining a plan inscribed BAMBOUK and signed J. RENNEL / 1798. He is dressed in a white powdered wig, tied with a black silk ribbon, a scarlet cloak with gold frogging and white stock, and cream breeches. His papers on the table are inscribed: COMMUNICATIONS / MR LEDYARD'S AND AFRICAN GEOGRAPHY. In the shadowed background instead of the standard English parkscape, is a bit of African forest with a lion nonchalantly on the prowl, although the portrait was painted in London, for the benefit of posterity it is an interesting example of wish-fulfilment. He was the third son of Richard Willis (1724-1780) and Bethia Legge (1734-1778). In 1795 he married Flora Wynch (1776-1842) and their daughter Rhoda Susan Willis (1809-1873) was the second wife of Sir Athur Hallam Elton 7th Bt MP (1818-1883) which is its connection to Clevedon Court.

http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/624180