Raphael Meldola

Raphael Meldola was a distinguished British organic chemist, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a committed Darwinist who worked closely with Francis Galton and was a member of Darwin's inner scientific circle. His portrait by Solomon Joseph Solomon, held in the National Portrait Gallery, documents a figure important to late Victorian science who has been somewhat overshadowed in subsequent historical memory. Meldola's Jewish background — like Solomon's own — made the commissioning of a portrait by a prominent Jewish artist for one of Britain's leading cultural institutions a quietly significant act of cultural integration. Solomon had a particular sensitivity to sitters from similar backgrounds, and portraits of Jewish scientists, businessmen, and cultural figures form a distinct strand of his output.

Without a certain date, the portrait likely falls in Solomon's mature period when his technique was fully developed. The scientist sitter would be depicted in professional dress, the face treated with the thoughtful, analytical gaze Solomon associated with intellectual subjects.