H 172.72 cm x W 132.08 cm x D 12.7 cm
A 3/4 length portrait of John Henry Bell standing close to the front of the picture plane. He is wearing a long dark topcoat, a white shirt with a stand-up collar, and a black tie. The figure has his left hand resting on his hip, his hand in a loose fist his right hand rests lightly on a book, his fingers loosely holding a rolled piece of paper. The figure has wavy dark brown hair parted at the centre and combed down and back, he has a long moustache with small curls at the outer edges, and light blue eyes that gaze slightly upward over the viewer's left shoulder. The subject is wearing a gold chain of office with two connected chains, a round pendant medallion at the bottom, a shield-shaped medallion at the bottom of the inner loop, and several large cross-shaped medallions forming the other links in the chain. He is standing in front of a dark background, with dark red drapery behind. The painting is signed "W. Cutts. 1903" in pale orange paint in the lower right corner.
The painting is housed in an early 20th century gilt wood and plaster frame. Plain back edge; egg-and-dart outer edge and deep, wide scotia; escalloped corners with small plain cabochon at centre and foliate extensions on top edge with simple foliate centres on swept rail; wide shallow scotia; tongue and leaf; plain double dead course and bevels to sight edge.
Born in Kingston, Bell was a well-educated man, receiving his initial schooling in Kingston and Ottawa. He received medical degrees at both Queen’s University and Trinity School of Medicine (Toronto) and completed post-graduate studies in New York and Philadelphia. Before attending university, Bell worked as a schoolteacher. As a physician, it was said he was ‘born to his profession’. An alderman for six years before becoming mayor, Bell was civic minded and occupied many prominent positions in several local societies and medical fraternities.
