Alexander Young

Identity:

Alexander Young (1828–1907), an accountant in London who for many years headed the firm of Turquand, Young and Co.

Life:

He had a major collection of paintings by Corot including The Leaning Tree Trunk now in the National Gallery, whose website states 'Young was considered the most discerning of the group of late nineteenth-century collectors who built up large collections of French and Dutch landscapes. In 1906 he sold his entire collection to the dealer Agnew’s, who in turn sold the pictures privately to individuals, dealers and galleries. One of the buyers was George Salting (1836–1909), who comparatively late in his life added to his existing collection of Italian, Dutch and British pictures a group of French landscapes, almost all from the Young collection. In 1907 he placed a number of these on loan to the Gallery, including The Leaning Tree Trunk, and this was among the pictures selected by the National Gallery when his collection was bequeathed in 1910.'

In 1903 C.L. Freer visited his collection and noted that he owned Whistler's Blue and Silver: The Devonshire Cottages y266.

E.G. Halton wrote a series of articles on Young’s collection - particularly the Dutch paintings and Corot, in The Studio in 1906 and 1907.