Brooking, a ship-painter of rare merit, about the middle of the last
century, like many of the artists of the time, worked for the shops. Mr.
Taylor White, Treasurer of the Foundling Hospital, one day saw some of
the sea-pieces of this artist in a shop-window in Castle-street,
Leicester-square. He inquired his name, but was answered equivocally by
the dealer, who told Mr. White that if he pleased he could procure other
pictures by the same painter. Brooking was accustomed to write his name
upon his pictures, which mark was as often obliterated by the shopkeeper
before he placed them in his window. It, however, happened that the
artist carried home a piece on which his name was inscribed; and the
master being from home, his wife, who received it, placed it in the
window without effacing the signature. Luckily, Mr. White saw the
picture before it was removed, and thus discovered the name of the
painter whose works he so much admired. He instantly advertised for the
artist to meet him at a certain wholesale linen-draper’s in the city. To
this invitation, Brooking, at first, paid no regard; but, seeing it
repeated, with assurance of benefit to the person to whom it was
addressed, he prudently attended to it, and had an interview with Mr.
White, who, from that time, became his friend and patron. One of
Brooking’s sea-pieces hangs in the Foundling Hospital: it was painted in
eighteen days, and is, altogether, a first-class picture.--_Brownlow’s
Memoranda of the Foundling Hospital._