Father of settlement in southwestern Ontario, which he called his "Principality", Talbot was superintendent of London Township from 1818 and of the town of London from 1827. By the late 1840s Talbot, who had begun his role of colonizer in 1803, was looked upon as an institution. In 1847 he was guest of honour at the ground breaking ceremony in London for the construction of the Great Western Railway. It was in London that his last days were spent. In this watercolour, attributed to James Buckingham Wandesford (1817-1902), Talbot exhibits the flashy dress of a gentleman of the 1840s; this is in marked contrast to the sombre fashions later in the century.
Courtesy: McIntosh Memorial Art Gallery, The D.B. Weldon Library, University of Western Ontario
