Mayoral Portraits, Edward Cohen, James Calder, 1863
Summary
Full length portrait of Edward Cohen (Mayor 1862-3).
Edward Cohen was a merchant, parliamentarian and prominent Jewish community leader. He arrived in Sydney from England in 1833, moving to Melbourne in 1842. He was the first Jewish Mayor of Melbourne.
Cohen served a number of terms as President of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. Throughout his public life Cohen advocated for the equal treatment of all denominations and took a progressive approach to creating social cohesion. Cohen’s most enduring contribution to Australian society was as an advocate of public education for every child.
Cohen served as a board member of the Colonial Bank of Australia, Hobson’s Bay Railway Company, the Australian Insurance Company and was Treasurer of the Melbourne Hospital for over twenty years.
Signed ‘J. Calder’, there is some uncertainty as to the identity of the artist. Previously attributed to James Erskine Calder, explorer and Surveyor General of Tasmania from 1859, it is more likely that the portrait was by John Calder, a portrait painter based in Melbourne. There is a history of confusion between their artworks. Ongoing research may establish the identity of the true artist.
