769. The Other Shannon

In Canada, Ricketts noticed, Charles Shannon was confused with another Shannon, and he wrote to him: 'You of course, were confused with J.J. Shannon & I gave up explaining the difference' (26 October 1927). This was certainly not the only time Shannon was mistaken for the painter James Jubusa Shannon (1862-1923), who was born in New York, lived in Canada for a time, and moved to London when he was sixteen. Soon, he became one of the leading portrait painters, was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1897 and a member in 1909.

Sir James Jubusa Shannon, self-portrait, oil, c.1919
 © National Portrait Gallery, London

It often happened that Shannon was mistaken for him, and not because of their style, but simply because of their shared surname. Charles Shannon was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1911, and he had to wait until 1920 to be elected a full member. When he went to a meeting in the RA in 1911 (John Jubusa Shannon had been a associated to the RA for fourteen years!) the doorman did not believe him when he announced his name: 'Oh, no Sir, you are not Mr Shannon'.

In 1914, Ricketts wrote to Mary Davis about the ongoing confusion:

Shannon’s Salon picture seems to have been liked, judging from press cuttings, sent to him by an innocent firm which supplies him also with the notices on J.J [Shannon]’s picture. This I rather fancy they give to Shannon, whilst his picture is ascribed to J.J.

At a dinner in 1912, Shannon was told: 'I suppose they are your father’s pictures I have always admired in the Academy.' An interesting question, as J.J. Shannon was only one year older than Charles Shannon.