Painting

A 3/4 length portrait of Dr. Michael Sullivan seated on a red-upholstered armchair with carved wooden arms and chair-back frame. The chair is angled slightly to the right, and the sitter's head is turned towards the left. He sits with his elbows on the chair arms, his right hand hanging loosely over the end of the arm, and his left hand resting in his lap while lightly grasping a rolled sheet of paper. The figure is wearing a dark topcoat with wide lapels, a white collared shirt with a plain front and gold pin. Around the figure's neck is a gold chain of office with an oval pendant medallion at the bottom, and other ovoid medallions forming the links of the chain. The subject has dark brown hair, bushy mutton-chop sideburns reaching the corners of his mouth, and a smaller triangular beard just below his lower lip; he has dark eyes. In the left background is bronze-coloured drapery; in the right background is a tan-coloured wall with mouldings; at the sitter's left elbow is a red-draped table with a wooden lap-desk and a book/papers resting on its surface. The painting is signed "W. Sawyer. / 1876" in black paint in the lower left corner.

The painting is housed in a late 19th century gilt wood and plaster frame. Plain back edge; foliate bead, plain deep scotia, stepped to top edge; corner cartouches with plain cabochon centres, plain and fluted scrollwork at sides, crown-like outer corner, fleur-de-lis in inner corners, foliate vines at outer edges; foliate centres; leaf and berry motif top edge; decorative strapping on sanded scotia; plain stepped band; foliate bead, plain bevelled sight edge with foliate centres in upper spandrels.