He gave many valuable books to the library, and opened the stores of his mind to everyone who sought his knowledge. He was for eight years an examiner for the licence of the College of Physicians, was a censor in 1896-7, and senior censor in 1905. He discharged in 1896 the laborious duty of editor of the 'Nomenclature of Diseases,' and in addition to these public services sat on the royal commission on tuberculosis (1890), on the general 'medical council as representative of the University of Oxford (1899–1904), on the senate of the University of London (1899–1906), and on the committee of the London Library. He collected a fine library, the medical part of which, except five manuscripts and two books which he bequeathed to the College of Physicians, was sold to one purchaser for 2300l. He had a large collection of editions of Milton's works and a series of herbals. His conversation was both learned and pleasant, and though full of antique lore he was an earnest advocate of modern changes. He was below the middle height and had a curious jerky manner of expressing emphasis both in public speaking and in private conversation. Among the physicians of London there was no man of greater general popularity in his time. He lived at 78 Wimpole Street while engaged in practice, and after his retirement at New Barnet. Failing health interrupted the literary labours of his last year, and he died at Lyonsdown House, New Barnet, on 16 Nov. 1910, and was buried at Bell's Hill cemetery, Barnet. He married, on 1 Sept. 1882, Helen, daughter of the Hon. John Macpherson of Melbourne, Victoria, by whom he had one son and three daughters. A fine charcoal drawing of his head, made by Mr. J. S. Sargent shortly before his death, hangs in the dining-room of the College of Physicians.
[The Times, 18 Nov. 1910; Lancet, and Brit. Med. Journal, 26 Nov. 1910; Sir T. Barlow, Annual Address to Royal Coll. of Physicians; Macray, Reg. Fellows Magd. Coll. vi. 170-1 and vii.; Sotheby, Cat. of Library, 12 July 1911; personal knowledge.]
PEARCE, STEPHEN (1819–1904), portrait and equestrian painter, born on 16 Nov. 1819 at the King s Mews, Charing Cross, was only child of Stephen Pearce, clerk in the department of the mast-er of horse, by his wife, Ann Whittington. He was trained at Sass's Academy in Charlotte Street, and at the Royal Academy schools, 1840, and in 1841 became a pupil of Sir Martin Archer Shee [q. v.]. From 1842 to 1846 he acted as amanuensis to Charles Lever [q. v.], and he afterwards visited Italy. Paintings by him of favourite horses in the royal mews (transferred in 1825 to Buckingham Palace) were exhibited at the Academy in 1839 and 1841, and from 1849, on his return from Italy, till 1885 he contributed numerous portraits and equestrian paintings to Burlington House.
Early friendship with Colonel John Barrow, keeper of the admiralty records, brought Pearce a commission to paint 'The Arctic Council discussing a plan of search for Sir John Franklin.' This work he completed in 1851; it contained portraits of Back, Beechey, Bird, Parry, Richardson, Ross, Sabine, and others; was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1853, and was engraved by James Scott. Pearce's picture increased the public interest in Franklin's fate. Pearce also painted for Colonel Barrow half-lengths of Sir Robert McClure, Sir Leopold McClintock, Sir George Nares, and Captain Penny in their Arctic dress, and a series of small portraits of other arctic explorers. Lady Franklin also commissioned a similar series, which passed at her death to Miss Cracroft, her husband's niece. All these pictures are in the National Portrait Gallery, to which Colonel Barrow and Miss Cracroft respectively bequeathed them. Pearce's other sitters included Sir Francis Beaufort and Sir James Clark Ross (for Greenwich Hospital), Sir Edward Sabine and Sir John Barrow (for the Royal Society), and Sir George Gabriel Stokes, Charles Lever, Sims Reeves, Sir Erasmus Wilson (Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, Westgate-on-Sea, copied for the Royal College of Surgeons), and the seventh Duke of Bedford.
Pearce was also widely known as a painter of equestrian presentation portraits and groups, the most important of which is the large landscape 'Coursing at Ashdown Park,' completed in 1869, and presented by the coursers of the United Kingdom to the Earl of Craven. For this picture, which measures ten feet long and contains about sixty equestrian portraits, including the Earl and Countess of Craven and members of the family, the Earls of Bective and Sefton, Lord and Lady Grey de Wilton, the artist received 1000 guineas and 200 guineas for the copyright. Pearce painted equestrian portraits of many masters of foxhounds and harriers, as well as of the Earl of Coventry, Sir Richard and Lady Glyn, and of Mr. Burton on 'Kingsbridge' and Captain H. Coventry on 'Alcibiade,' winners of the Grand National.
Pearce retired from general practice in
