Lord Mayors' Portraits - Book Launch at Wax Chandlers Hall

13th July 2015

I was invited to a book launch at Wax Chandlers' Hall. The book being launched was a book of portraits of all the Lord Mayors from Dame Mary Donaldson to Dame Fiona Woolf. Mary Donaldson was the first woman to become Lord Mayor in 1986 and Fiona Woolf was the second thirty years later. It is a very interesting book recalling the various Lord Mayors, who they were, what they did and illustrated with their portraits all of which were tracked down from the nooks and crannies of the city where they hang today. Mary Donaldson insisted on being known as the Lord Mayor since that is the title of the office and anyone referring to her as the Lady Mayoress was asked to contribute £5 to her Lord Mayors' Appeal. The idea for the book came from Nicholas Woolf, the Lord Mayors Consort when it was realised that the portrait of Lord Mayor Fiona Woolf was to be painted by the same artiist who painted Mary Donaldson thirty years before. There had been thirty one Lord Mayors in the time period chosen and all but four had had their portrait painted. They are all in the book together with an official photograph of the four who were not painted so that there is a complete record of all the Lord Mayors. A really interesting book and still available for your bookshelf. I commend it to you.