Harvey Christian Combe, Esq., Lord Mayor of London

This portrait was sketched by Kay during a brief visit to London and depicts Alderman Combe, a prominent figure known both for his political career and his extensive brewing business. Born in Andover, Hampshire to a wealthy attorney, Combe inherited substantial property at a young age but chose an entrepreneurial path instead of a life of leisure. Beginning as a corn factor in London through a relative’s patronage, he eventually acquired brewing interests through marriage and built the successful firm of Combe, Delafield, and Co. His business acumen and personable nature propelled him through civic ranks - he became Alderman of Aldgate Ward in 1790, served as Sheriff, and was elected Lord Mayor in 1799. As a Member of Parliament for over twenty years from 1796, Combe remained a steadfast Whig opposed to the Pitt administration, though he commanded the 10th Regiment of London Volunteers. A Persian traveler, Mirza Abu Taleb Khan, famously described attending Combe’s lavish 1800 Lord Mayor’s dinner where Lord Nelson received a diamond-studded sword, and praised Combe’s daughter as a great beauty who shone “like the bright moon surrounded with brilliant stars.” Despite suffering from paralysis in his later years, Combe’s mind remained sharp until a political insult in 1817 prompted him to resign from Parliament and civic life. He died that July at Cobham Park, Surrey, leaving an estate valued at £140,000 plus substantial real property to his family.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​