Property of Florence Ashton

Florence Ashton acquired Portrait Head of Robert Dingley in 1889. 

Florence Ashton Thomas was born in Rome on March 30th, 1843. After completing her music studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, she became a composer, conductor and writer. I attempted to research possible connections between the Royal Academy of Arts, which William Hoare and Robert Dingley were members of, and the Royal Academy of Music. I investigated both institutions’ websites but discovered they are separate entities within the larger institutions that is the Royal Academy. In 1864, Florence Ashton married Julian Marshall and raised three daughters in London. Her husband collected prints and music sheets , which led me to speculate Julian Marshall acquired the Portrait Head of Robert Dingley instead of Florence Ashton. However, no substantial evidence neither confirms nor denies this claim as my research was inconclusive. Julian Marshall died in 1903 and Florence Marshall died two decades later, in 1922.The Portrait Head of Robert Dingley disappears for more than 60 years