John B. Henderson became science master at Brisbane Grammar School in 1891. Two years later, he was appointed Queensland Government Analyst – a role in which he carried out chemical work for nearly every state department, and later for federal departments based in Brisbane.
Josephine Muntz Adams painted this portrait of Henderson, which was exhibited in 1922 at Brisbane’s Sheldon Gallery alongside her portrait of Reginald Heber Roe.
The Daily Mail described both works as ‘very life-like’, praising Josephine’s ‘truth in the portraiture’ and the dignified presence of each sitter.1
Josephine also painted a portrait of J. B. Henderson’s wife, Susan Henderson, in 1902.
Image courtesy of The University of Queensland.
