Thomas Birch Freeman (1809-1890) was a British Methodist missionary to West Africa, born in Hampshire the son of a freed slave. He was accepted as a Wesleyan Methodist missionary in 1837, after he had been head gardener on a Suffolk estate. His vision, tact, humanity, energy, and durability underlie the now substantial Methodist presence in Ghana, Western Nigeria, and Benin.

Full length portrait of a woman. Face turned slightly away from the camera. Slight hand colouring with gold highlights. She holds a basket in one arm which is pulled into her side. She stands next to a table, her other hand rests holds a small book(?) she places on the table. The table is covered by a tablecloth, which is patterned by scratches into the plate. A vase containing flowers sits on the table and is decorated with gold highlighting. The woman has a centre parting to her hair and wears a jacket on top of a dress or skirt. Her skirt is decorated with spots.

Rome, view of bronze statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius

A group of three men in a relaxed pose; John Benjamin Dancer, William Crawford Williamson and Edward William Binney. Dancer was a celebrated Manchester optician, photographer and instrument maker; an inventor of outstanding ability. He pioneered the making of microphotographs mounted on slides for microscope viewing. Edward William Binney made his fortune from patenting the manufacture of paraffin oil, was a distinguished scientist from Manchester and a geologist (palaeobotany) of repute. Williamson (born 1816) was a doctor and geologist. Source: One hundred and fifty years of palaeobotany at Manchester University Geological Society, London, Special Publications. In 1859 all three were founding members of the Physical and Mathematic Section of the Manchester Literary & Philosophical Society (source Memoirs and proceedings of the Manchester Literary & Philosophical Society, 1887-1888) and senior members of its Microscopical Section.

Portrait of a well-dressed woman in three quarter length format, in three-quarter profile. Seated next to a table with a striped necessities box. The plate has gold highlights. She wears a watered silk sleeved dress with lace cuffs. One hand rests on the table whilst the other is placed on her lap. A book sits on top of the box on the table. She has a gold choker on a black ribbon at her neck.